Twenty Minutes

Another day - another quest.
This time it is the table in my main working studio.
Not much room to work, is there?

This space has been more a holding area for the past three months than a place to use for creating. Timer set? Yup. Twenty minutes - and, GO!

I do love using timers. And twenty minutes works best for me.

Amazingly, orders got mailed, mats, pastels, and other art supplies were returned to the places they belonged in, and I got reacquainted with LeBron James and Seth Curry.

Some things got tossed. Some things got filed. An edge of newspaper got taped down. I couldn't replace the paper yet, because I scribbled some quotes about Michael Phelps and his coach in that purple area. And I may have a hoarding issue with small empty plastic containers. We shall see come serious art-making time.

After twenty minutes?

Not perfect, but a functioning surface one again. When one has an area on which to work, there is a far better chance of work getting done.  One less excuse. And James and Curry might be watching!

It is quite wonderful to find how much can be made clear of clutter if one focuses for just fifteen or twenty minutes. I have been doing this experiment early in the morning, and therefore feeling a bit accomplished before eight A.M. 

Breakfast even tastes better!

Yes, this evening I started a pastel painting on the table. We will see how painting and trying to keep pastel "clutter" at a minimum works out. Wish me luck! I'll need it.

On to the challenges in your day!
With mixed emotions I've already scoped out mine for tomorrow. 
And the next day.... and the next. And...

So, fare-thee-well,
Sue the Timed De-Clutterer

Space 2 -

Fifteen minutes dealing with the various stuff on top of my dresser - yes, there were rubber duckies and rubber monsters among the various varieties of things that had no real business being there.

I boxed up journals from many years - sneaking in short peeks at former days. That IS mainly why I write - to know that things DID happen. And to note life-long stuff I am still dealing with. At least I am not dealing with journals on my dresser. Well, except for the one documenting the Packers winning that now almost long ago most recent Super Bowl. 

So this is what part of this lovely oak dresser looks like now:

Still much to do with books, and vintage hats, and VHS tapes of Packers games, but a good start to note. Photos can remind one of what is possible, and how much more relaxing a clean space is to live with. I MUST REMEMBER THIS.

Today's time was spent dealing with main studio work table. One hour equaled a now useful large work space.

Personal Challenge for January? O.K., so far. Yes, one can always do more, but I am content with steady progress. And spaces relaxing to the eye. And areas now useful again.

Oh, and the surveyor's tripod lamp is no longer our "Christmas tree" again. So the New Year is truly feeling 2018.

On to the grand and not so grand adventures it will hold! And maybe some merry bears doing joyful things.

And, if you feel the need to de-clutter - just set a timer for ten, fiftenn, or twenty minutes and focus on one space. It is seriously doable! Good Luck!!

Fare-thee-well,
Sue

One Space

Early this morning I set a timer for ten minutes. Just ten. Not an hour. Not a day.

And now one bookcase is "better."
And one more little area of the house is clear of stuff.
Because of ten minutes.

Some people might not think that a new "Zen" space will not make much of a difference in a day or life. But it does to me. And that's what counts. What counts for oneself. 

What counts for you this year?
We are all different in our priorities.
That is O.K.

I have to get back to creating art. And caring about creating. But first I want to make welcoming spaces in which to do so. The studios await much de-stacking. Much sorting. Much "putting back." Some getting-rid-of. Some giving-to. Some tossing in trash.

But there is always some space for drawing and painting. So then it's time to do some drawing and painting. Perhaps a subject can be clutter! Or wide open spaces...!!

Sigh and laugh out loud.

On to the mysteries of the day!!

Fare-thee-well,
Sue

Clutter

NOTE TO SELF:

Moving/putting away "Clutter" 

is not

the same

as

Removing "Clutter."

Hope

Daylight is starting to peek over horizon earlier and earlier! Sure, I feel a little sad for friends in New Zealand and Australia, but not much. This is another "miracle" of Facebook for me - the sharing of our opposite seasons through the year. If it is one way here it is the other way there - and so we keep twirling 'round giving eachother Hope in the days that are our darkest.

This morning I remembered that a sis-in-law gave me an indoor greenhouse for Christmas! I am hoping that this is going to be a wonderful addition to the kitchen "green space" soon. It measures 27.5 inches wide by 19 inches deep by 63 inches high. With four steel shelves, and a clear vinyl cover and roll-up zippered door panels. It might just save our marriage come seed-starting time! Hubby doesn't appreciate my messy "system" that works O.K., but isn't lovely to look at.

I've also started to grid out the calendar of potential art fairs for 2018. Because of early Spring travels last year I forgot to to do - thus, missing at least two favorite art fair application dates by ONE day! Stay AWARE. Stay Aware! I Hope to do much better at this.

Already done today - it's 7:50 A.M. - thirty minutes of ugly jogging laps in house, and work on twelve hearts on paper. Baby steps on 2018 Heart Project. And, watching YouTube videos on how a few others create particular kinds of journals. Todd lucked into a bunch of off-sized (for me) lovely lined journals from Canada. All the same style. Another cool gift to get! Some may find their way into Little Free Libraries, because I believe in donating sketchbooks and journals to places like these.

O.K., time to sip another cuppa, and get on with another bitterly cold day - half spent working at no-water-yet American Gothic Antiques. A few more shops are warming up/opening up in downtown Stillwater. The brave-hearted shoppers have been coming through the doors through the wickedest cold. That's one reason to try keeping a store-front open during "Open" hours whenever possible. We, too, have traveled to far-away destinations to be met with locked dark stores. Yes, there are always reasons for this being done. But an open door is a good thing to offer during minus twelve degree days. 

So, on to the only January 3rd, 2018 we will probably ever witness!
I might even make some Art...

Fare-thee-well,
Sue

30 Day Personal Challenge - Clutter - Again

Jaunary's 30 Day Personal Challenge? 
Dealing with "clutter." Again.
Like ridding the house of "30 Things for 30 Days" challenge I did some Novembers ago. But different.

This time the definition of "clutter" encompasses more than the stuff in the house and studios. Clutter in mind is a big one. Clutter in the doings is another. 

Time to baby step and giant stride through this messy month.
Others have been tackling the piles and stacks all year though.
It is time again here to join the game.

The book "SuperBetter" offers a way to game oneself through much of life. One gets "Power Ups" in a variety of ways. One names the "Bad Guys" with which one battles. There are "Quests" through the days. One can achieve "Epic Wins."

It's worked for me before. And will be put to use again.
Hi-o! Clutter away!!

ON TO THE MANY THINGS THAT NEED DOING!

Fare-thee-well,

Sue

www.suerowe.com

Facebook Page: Sue-Rowe-Studios

"However, one can not put a quart in a pint cup." 

                               - Charlotte Perkins Gilman

New Year - New Days

Today was spent working a full day's shift at Stillwater, MN's American Gothic Antiques. Because of  seriously below zero weather for much of a week many businesses in town, including this place, have frozen water pipes. Some places have no heat.
We at least had warm enough interior to keep the store open.

But tomorrow I am wearing wool socks and serious boots because my toes were numb by the time we closed at 5 P.M.

Oddly enough, we had brave hearted customers and pretty good sales.

I had three solid Life Chats with folks who came to shop. Mainly about their toys they had as young people and the impact their toys had on them. (Don't wreck your siblings' toys - just sayin'!)

Fare-thee-well and on to the new New Year!
- Sue