Refreshing the creative cauldron
An annual studio reset and how our creative spaces support our art.
Happy New Year, lovely creatives!
I hope you had a wonderful holiday season, and a chance to ease into this new year.
I spent the last week of 2023 immersed in some of my end of the year rituals. One of which is my annual studio reset. I spent about a day cleaning up my art table: removing all the clutter, moving out all the paint tubes and pencil pots to clean the dust from behind the corners, putting in some elbow grease to get the paint stains off the table, and then setting everything back up again.
By the time it was done, it all looked sparkly and new, ready for an infusion of fresh creative energy, though it didn’t stay that way too long! As one of my friends said:
“your studio should get messy: it’s your creativity that is at work, not you.”
And true to form, my creativity got into high gear soon after the studio reset, so while it isn’t in as big a mess as it was before I cleaned it up, that “fresh, sparkly” vibe is gone.
But then, isn’t that the way it is supposed to be? If your studio remains fresh and sparkly, are you really working in there? {Unless, of course, you like a clean studio and are meticulous about cleaning up every day. Go, you!}
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When I get into the flow of creating, it shows on my table. I have papers and paints strewn around, with multiple journals and sometimes multiple projects on the go. My table is littered with collage papers and text pages, sticks and textured items that I want to experiment with, bits and bobs that I collect with vague ideas of using them on future projects. A stray word, pattern, colour, or image may spark an idea and be the inspiration for my next painting.
What may well look like a mess to almost anyone walking in, is my creative cauldron. From this cauldron emerges my art. In this creative cauldron serendipitous new discoveries are made, delightful experiments are carried out, and ordinary alchemy takes place!
As sculptor and mosaic artist John T. Unger says:
“Keep your tools very organized so you can find them. Let the materials cross-pollinate in a mess.”
And yet, there’s something about a messy studio that often makes us apologetic. Perhaps it is because we have internalized the message that cleanliness is next to godliness. That a clean space reflects a calm mind, and that a messy space reflects a chaotic mind. So we equate clean with good and mess with bad, but I think it’s high time we reframed these value judgements.
After all, some of the most creative minds of our times had messy desks. Einstein, Mark Twain and Steve Jobs are all famous for their cluttered desks. As are artists Picasso, Jason Pollock, Francis Bacon and Marc Chagall.
There’s also research to back up the link between creativity and clutter.
Kathleen Vohs, PhD, of the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management, found that working in a tidy room encourages people to be socially responsible, while those working in a messy room are more likely to try new things and make more unconventional and creative choices.
There are, of course, advocates for clean and organized spaces too, and artists who thrive in those spaces.
“Clutter is procrastination. It is the Resistance, a subtle form of stalling and self-sabotage. And it keeps me (and you) from creating stuff that matters. The mess is not inevitable. It is not cute or idiosyncratic. It is a foe, and it is killing your art.”
Debates over clean and messy spaces aside, I believe that our creative spaces are teeming with life: we breathe life into new ideas here, commune with the muses, infuse our spaces and our tools with our creative energy. It doesn’t matter if the space is clean or messy, what matters is how well that space supports and works for you. As
wrote in a delightful essay on messy creative spaces:“What matters is that it’s a space that you have a connection to. That your objects, books, materials, and art aren’t planted there because you think they portray the life of a creative person but because you know and feel that they make you a creative person. What matters is that it’s a space where even in the tiniest bit of square footage, the tiniest corner of a kitchen table, you feel safe and supported to explore all of your ideas. A space where judgement does not live.
Which is why I’ve reframed messy studio to creative cauldron: it removes the value judgement and evokes that hint of magic, wonder, and serendipity that I think runs through our creative lives.
That said, there is a tipping point between a messy space that feels deliciously inspiring and a chaotic space that threatens to stifle my creativity. When I reach that point, a cleaning and clearing and storing and sorting is always called for. Those are my mini resets through the course of the year, a quick tidying up of my workspace, refreshing the cauldron, allowing the creative energy to bubble and flow once again.
What about you: do you thrive in a creative mess, or do you need an organized and tidy workspace? Do tell me in the comments or hit reply to this email and let’s get this conversation rolling!
Oh, before I go, I thought I’d share this studio tour with you! This is what my studio looked like at the start of 2021, but as you can probably tell from the pictures above, there have been a lot of changes since! Maybe I should film another studio tour before my studio gets too messy?
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Creative cauldron - excellent. My studio is almost always a mess - it's how I work best.
The transformation from a clean and sparkly space to a 'creative cauldron' speaks volumes about the magic and energy that infuse your creative process. I love how you've embraced the idea that a messy studio is not only acceptable but essential for nurturing creativity. I'm curious, do you find that your creative process is influenced by the state of your studio?
Looking forward to hearing more about your creative adventures this year!