Tuesday 28 April 2009

The method for tidying

Lordy lordy look at the state of my desk! I'm working on a bunch of stuff that has a deadline, and apparently, the way for me to deal with it most efficiently is to have everything all over the place, lids off everything, 3 pairs of scissors on the go and my actual working area diminishing by the second. There's no method involved in creating this sort of mess - I get things out as I need them and just don't put them away! I have that fab glass mat from EK Success which is my work surface of choice, I can cut on it, glue on it, use it to store sticky tape, stamp on it, spill on it and abuse it more than you would the real surface. Then I stick it in the sink, scrub it and it's perfect all over again. But you can't tell because it's covered in stuff...the grid you can just see represents square inches, so despite my 6 foot table, you can clearly see that my actual working space is about 28 squared inches! How can anyone be so untidy? It's no more inspirational, but I think it is indicative of what happens to me when I (finally) get into the zone. I can't stop to tidy or put away - rather spend minutes looking for things. I get a slightly perverse pleasure from the increasing pile of the glasseine 'peelings' from foam pads and double sided tapes...it makes me feel like I'm working really fast. But it's an illusion created by the number of foam pads on the back of everything to be stuck down, rather than an indication of the masses of images I've cut out and created with! The strange thing about all this mess is that I'm perfectly comfortable with it while I'm working in it. As soon as I have to break off - 'phone, coffee, bathroom, coffee, food, coffee, stretch, coffee - whatever, as soon as I come back to it, I am ashamed and laughingly, can't imagine how I can work like this and get a bit uppity about the mess. Then I have to restore order before I can start again. Weird. Order comes slowly; no-one can help either, my fear of something necessary being thrown away is justifiably very high. I expect for outsiders, the temptation to sweep the lot into the bin would be very great indeed! So, more than in the creating, I have a method for clearing up! Pick out the scissors, pens, felt tips and such, re-pot them. Then collect adhesives, tapes, runners, eyelets and brads. This usually frees up the piles of rubbish, for they all end up on my right (I am right handed). After binning the 'peelings' I pick off the tools - cropadile, punches,then the re-usable bits of paper and scraps of card, maybe even re-home unused pre-scored cards, cast aside when discovered to be useless colour matches for my creations, dahlink! Stamps go into a basket on my far right where they wait to be cleaned (sometimes for days..sorry if that makes you wince, but I'm OK with it!). Then inks and embossing powders are re-homes and the desk looks like it should, and I can clean or at least enjoy the size of my glass mat in it's 13" glory! While I'm in the flow of confession, I should also say that while I'm in the zone, I don't throw away trimmings as I cut either, and the work station behind me is, as I type, groaning with little slices. I think the mind-set behind this is the satisfaction of tidying - all I have to do is lift the guillotine off the top and sweep everything into the bin. Instant result! You may well like a little look around at my work space, my haven, the room that the love of my life built for me to make me happy. And you can. When I've put this work in the post and tidied up a bit. And I don't know when it will be tidy enough, but I guess now I've revealed the table, I've got nothing left to hide!

18 comments:

Caryn said...

All of that is alarmingly familiar to me!! I think I work in very much the same way as you - in fact, I do work in exactly the same way. I only stop to put away when I physically can't find anything or even see the desk for bits of, erm, bits!!!

I'm off to tidy my desk....

Hugs,
Caryn xxx

jay670120 said...

Lol glad to see theres more people in the crafting world like me , I would never post a pic of my scrapbooking desk lol !
Thanks for great comment on my blog too x
x jayne x

VickiA said...

Ditto! I tidy up in a slightly different order, thats the only difference. NOBODY is allowed near my desk, especially when I need to tidy to start something new.

Do you think it's a disease? Or just wierd scrappers PMT. LOL.

katharine said...

oh snap that looks like my desk at the mo!!

Unknown said...

Glad I am not the only one then!

CoventryAnn said...

i can def relate to this post... i know it's time to tidy up mid-craft when i can't find my scissors/adhesive!

Claire said...

I can soooo relate to this, its good to know we're not alone ;)

Lyn said...

*whistles innocently* I, erm, tidy up as I go along, you won't be at all surprised, Jules, and, if you think I'm bad, my friend that crafts with me, tidies up after us both even faster, even to the point of cleaning and putting away stuff I'm still using!!!!!!! I'm not OCD, honest, I'm not ..... Ok. Maybe a tad!!!

Teresa said...

Oh I soooooooooo understand the creative process that says you cannot possibly tidy up right now, the thoughts and ideas might just slip away into the ether :)

LG said...

I need your help. Can you go to http://readyset-scrap.blogspot.com/2009/04/ready-set-scrap-blog-candy.html and leave a message to that post stating that "LG" invited you there. And also, be a follower to that blog so that we can win a RAK from them.

Thanks sweetie
LG

Unknown said...

LOL Julia- your method for creating sounds like mine-but sadly for me you have more method in your tidying than I do. One thing I do have which helps is a Little popup bin -fron IKEA in a pack of 3, and I throw as I go! and because the bin squashes flat you can take them to crops etc. I need one of those glass mats too-i wonder who sells them?

Jo Power said...

Wow so many people like me I can't believe it. If only you could see my desk at the moment I am surprised that it is still standing and that things haven't slipped on to the floor. Off to tidy it now before everything gets ruined. xx

Lizzyann said...

Sounds like mine,I need to get organised,more shelving so everything does'nt end up on the floor.

Ginny said...

I looked at yours, looked at mine, back at yours..can't tell the difference...lol

Angie said...

Oh I could tell the difference between mine and yours, Julia.... yours was tidier lol The trouble is I also cook like I scrap! .... why put bits away that you will need 30 secs later ... conserve energy ... dont put them away.
Re Dirty stamps ... did Tim Holtz not say that it is better not to clean stamps?

Charlie said...

I know this is an old blogentry - but one I had not seen nor commented on. BLESS you - looks like a snapshot from my room sometimes.
IMHO a true artist is one who can work on top of a pile of stuff and still get a beautiful result. A clean desk is for some but not often for me. Thanks for sharing - makes me feel normal . =0) And have a nice weekend. I must get started on a wedding card for my nephews wedding next week.

Paperfanatic said...

I work in exactly the same way as you and tidy up the same way too! I love the sight of a clean desk. My husband says that's because what's rare is wonderful. The cheek!

Ms. Jen said...

I am so glad that I am not the only one. Reading your post made me feel right at home!!