6/21/10

Studio Tour and Organization

TITLE: The Gardener. The Original Mixed Media Painting has SOLD (Thank you so much for your continued support!). Prints are available in my etsy shop.

In the summertime, I paint as much as I can outside in my flower garden. I have my little supply cart that I wheel beside my outdoor studio. I LOVE it! And it's   always so fun and inspiring. But last week we had six straight days of rain! I was feeling mighty stuck inside. My studio was crazy unorganized! Any time I had packaged an etsy shop order or cut business cards quick before an event, I just left the mess. After all, I was painting outside. But last week it hit me. Not only was I feeling uninspired, but I was totally frustrated and couldn't finish a single painting. I wondered, "what's wrong with me?" and "will I ever be able to paint again?"

Whenever my head feels cluttered, I know it's a good time to clean, reorganize and get rid of ANYTHING I don't really need. So, of course, I started with my crazy mess of a studio. My creative biz has really evolved these past six months, and I hadn't updated my studio to reflect that. I'm focused on original paintings and prints now, so I moved most of my jewelry and card making supplies out, making much more room on my studio tabl for painting canvases (maybe even large canvases!).
When I first set up this studio, I had wanted shelves in the closets, but then I found these cloth shoe racks (super cheap from Home Depot) and I keep all of my random paper and supplies separated in each pocket. It's perfect! 
I love making a mess and it's SO hard for me to keep things clean, so this way, everything has it's space, and it's pretty messy in all of those spaces, but I can always find whatever I need. There are pockets for my mounted print supplies (wood blocks and mounts together in one pocket), 
every sort of paper (an origami paper pocket, a sheet music and maps pocket, a colored paper pocket),
and then pockets for all of my ready-to-go packaging supplies...tags, labels, fun freebies, pre-written and blank thank you cards, postcards, and business cards!
 I have this separate shelf for my printer (the inkjet I use for printing promo materials. I have a separate archival printer for printing my prints). And lots of little paper piles inside Anthropologie catalogs (I love to use them as folders) that I label with BIG letters on blue tape.
And the best part is, I can close the doors and really hide my organized messes.
I added a bigger space for packaging orders. Notice the laundry basket (filled with all of the random vintage wallpaper I'm constantly cutting that's far too big to fit in the shoe pockets) and the bag for trash, right there underneath so it's super easy to sweep in cut ribbon and trash. 
 I also moved all of my stock items (mounted prints, cards and jewelry related things) to a table that slides underneath my workspace. When I first set things up, I had these items front and center. I was so proud of everything I created and sold in my etsy shop. Now I need more shelf space for in-progress orders and all of the shipping supplies for paintings and prints. It's all very stream-lined and organized in a way that works for me.

16 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing your studio space~ Love it!! Makes me feel inspired!!!

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  2. You organized it so well. I wish I had your touch. :)

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  3. THATS SO STRANGE I SPENT MY WEEKEND DOING THE SAME THING FEEL MUCH BETTER FOR IT ALSO XX

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  4. Hey, thanks for sharing this!! =) :Yea, the rain is getting VERY OLD...started tearing my actual studio apart too, still unloading stuff. Need to get rid of a lot, simplify, simplify, thank you for the inspiration!!!

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  5. WOW it sounds so fun to be able to pain in your garden!! I am LOVING your studio! really inspiring!! Thanks so much for sharing!! Have a lovely merry happy week and love to you!

    jacqueline
    http://jqlinesocuteithurts.typepad.com/

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  6. Hi Juliette..Gorgeous studio space!! Such fun to take a peek in your magical world..so beautiful..thanks for the tour..yay!!I love how your workspace hass that nice big table right next to the window..brilliant!I could use big table!And i loved seeing all yoru goodies and treaures! This tour of yours would have been great for Where Bloggers Create party this week.I shared my space too( on Heart of a Wizardess)..so wonderful to see yours!Yay that was fun!
    Happy Creating and have a happy day!
    Kiki~

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  7. Thanks for some great idea. I like the idea of the cloth shoe holder. I have to check into that. Thanks for sharing your space. Have a great week.

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  8. Thanks for showing your studio! You have so many great ideas---even down to the anthro catalogs as folders! I love that and may have to do that myself! I always hate throwing away their catalogs, and that way I don't have to! The cloth shoe rack organizers is great as well! Seeing someone elses space is always so interesting.

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  9. I totally geek out over organization projects, so this was fun to read about.

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  10. Juliette, thanks for documenting all of this. I think we ALL need a little help in this department! I had company this weekend and had to make my art supplies totally disappear. When that happens, it forces me to be organized, whether I want to or not!! Hope the rain has stopped and you can get back outside!

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  11. Neat Juliette! Wow - to be able to stroll into your garden and create ... neat.
    oxox
    Denalee

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  12. Hi Juliette. This is great to see your studio in action. Your blog looks great by the way. It is really rocking the casbah. :)

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  13. So happy my studio space can be inspiring to so many of you! Susan, I'm excited someone else can geek out on organization projects with me :) it's definitely a weird but important side to my creative self.

    best wishes!
    juliette

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  14. i love this Juliette....thank you for a peak into your creative corner!!!

    i love it....lots of good ideas too.

    hope you are having a wonderful monday sweet one!

    xoxo
    k

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  15. It's so great that your business is taking off, and it feels so good to reorganize like you did--I think it really helps inspire you too. And THANK YOU for the tip on the cloth shoe rack. I actually would have room for that in my small space--thank you for sharing!!

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  16. Juliette it is so great to see your creative spaces and how you process your art. Thank you for sharing. Happy creating...

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Feel free to say hello and ask questions. I would be delighted to hear from you! xo -juliette

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