This past weekend, I laid all of my art out on my bedroom floor. Anything that wasn't still attached to a sketchbook came out of the depths of storage and onto the floor. I have a fairly large bedroom, and I covered every inch of floor space. It was a huge mess. When I showed my husband, all he did was softly say, "Oh."
I didn't count how many pieces there were. That's never been my a part of my take on minimalism. But I did hold each piece in my hand and decide if it was worth having in my life.
Why do I have all this stuff?
Because I love to create!
I don't know how else to explain it. I just have this insatiable desire inside me to make things. I tend to enjoy making things more than I enjoy having the finished project. I love using my hands, being hunched over a piece of paper with whatever media I feel like using that day.
And that's not a part of my persona that I am willing (or possibly even able) to change.
The problem lies in the stress of keeping every thing I have ever made.
Is Creating a Synonym for Hoarding?
Not in the clinical sense, of course, but in a way. I tend to hold on to every pretty piece of paper I meet. I could always use more nice pens. Sections of blank sketchbooks in any store are a red flag DO NOT ENTER HERE for me. They are my greatest weakness. From the supplies to the finished (and half-finished) products, I have art and crafty crap up to my eyes.
It stresses me out.
For a long time, I wondered if minimalism and creativity were just incompatible. This is a ridiculous notion, of course, because long before minimalism was a lifestyle trend it was an art form.
So here's my game plan:
I didn't count how many pieces there were. That's never been my a part of my take on minimalism. But I did hold each piece in my hand and decide if it was worth having in my life.
Because I love to create!
I don't know how else to explain it. I just have this insatiable desire inside me to make things. I tend to enjoy making things more than I enjoy having the finished project. I love using my hands, being hunched over a piece of paper with whatever media I feel like using that day.
And that's not a part of my persona that I am willing (or possibly even able) to change.
The problem lies in the stress of keeping every thing I have ever made.
Is Creating a Synonym for Hoarding?
Not in the clinical sense, of course, but in a way. I tend to hold on to every pretty piece of paper I meet. I could always use more nice pens. Sections of blank sketchbooks in any store are a red flag DO NOT ENTER HERE for me. They are my greatest weakness. From the supplies to the finished (and half-finished) products, I have art and crafty crap up to my eyes.
It stresses me out.
For a long time, I wondered if minimalism and creativity were just incompatible. This is a ridiculous notion, of course, because long before minimalism was a lifestyle trend it was an art form.
So here's my game plan:
- Throw away old art that I don't feel any attachment to
- Throw away poorly made art, crafts, and supplies
- Sell art that is meaningful or well-made enough that I don't feel like I should throw away, or don't necessarily want to keep
- Stop buying supplies (unless I actually run out of something)
- Make better art
- Make purposeful art (to sell, to convert into a digital format, to hang in a specific place)
I can't give up creating. It's a part of who I am. But I can find ways to be wise in how I make art, and what I purchase and keep. And I can keep exploring what it means to be a creative and a minimalist!
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