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This studio has been a disaster since I moved in back in April. I made a lot of head-way for the Open Studio back in May, but it was false headway. I cheated. I simply shoved everything in the corners and against the walls and hit it all behind portable walls that displayed the artwork for the show…

Ever since that weekend, this place has gotten worse and worse. Finding things has been a nightmare. Slowly as I dig for what I need, I unpacked and regroups things in those boxes. Slowly, I got storage bins and containers that fit neatly into all the wooden cubes that Michael has been making.

It is a slow process. It has not displayed my best characteristics. I have become easily overwhelmed and lost in the process of trying to reclaim my space. I have let the heap win over me.

I am climbing back to the top of the junk heap. I will be okay. This weekend, the kitchenette become almost presentable. (I will wait until I go back to the work season to buy the remainder of the shelves I need to finish it.)

But I am holding to the slow deliberate pace this time. No more quick fix. No more cheap shots. This is the long haul. If I need something out of a box, the whole box can get unpacked and put away, or I will break down another half unpacked box and toss the empty…

Best example… I have returned from Cleveland with a ton of free fabric remnants from my mom’s drapery business. Some great fringes and trims too. In the past, I would have simply dumped all the trims into a box and moved on to the next half-ass project. No more!

I found some affordable storage bins that fit the cubes exactly! I have mat-board scraps out the ass from Michael’s work. I am separating and winding each trim onto its own board and filling a bin… Nice and neat and well-placed. Done until I need them. (I got the perfect project – that may even make some money next year… Go on… ask me, you know ya wanna!)

This is it from here on out. Of course, it slows down the process, but it is a permanent fix. No more half organized life for me. I am sick of how I have functioned. It is time to change…

I moved my computer last night before bed. Damn this place produces all lot of dust. Everything was filthy. My system is now nice and clean and sparkly, although I still have a pile of crap to sort and file sitting on half of the work surface.

Unfortunately, I kinda made a bigger mess around the computer than was there before, but that is okay, sometimes you just gotta give up space to make. One step forward, one step back. That kinda thing.

Oh, yeah, what I didn’t think about. Before the desk was right up against a divider wall, now it is free standing in the open space. That means I have a power cord and DSL line running across open floor now…

I guess I will look for one of those rubber strips used to cover such things. I have to get a plastic mat for my chair anyway, so it does eat of the paint I just put down on the floor… As I said, the wood floor is soft, it rips up easily.

The artist next-door used an epoxy paint. It is slick and durable and makes the floor well sealed… I will have to go ahead with the regular floor paint, but maybe sometime in the future, I can plan to over paint with that, and get a floor on which I can truly be barefoot.

I finally managed to clear another small bit of the floor in the studio and get it painted. I don’t think I have managed that since I was laid off back in June. Sometimes I really can’t stand to have all this extra time. With an open schedule, I never seem to get anything done.

I remember Mrs. Ardino, my eighth grade homeroom and English teacher use the expression, “If you want something done, ask a busy person.” I would say this concept applies very accurately to me.

So, back to the studio floor…

I had decided to paint it with porch/patio paint, since the wood is so soft and splinters easily. The hope is that the paint would have keep down on wood dust and splinters, eventually allowing me to go barefoot in the studio.

The spot I cleared out is near my big desk/computer station set-up. I never got enough of the floor done in that section, so the desk is cramped up against one of the cube walls I have been using to divide the space in the studio. Tomorrow, once it dries, I will be able to square up my desk and move it out more into the center of the work section of the studio. I found a little computer station for a great deal that works well with my desk. I have a total of three printers. Two have been crowding my desk surface and the work-horse laser printer is still sitting on the floor at the foot of the desk. I think the new station will fit nicely right along side the bigger computer station and fit at least the two bigger printers, clearing up room on my desk.

I will be very happy for this expansion.