At the worst, a house unkept cannot be so distressing as a life unlived.
~ Dame Rose Macaulay (1881-1958)
There is a conversation that is periodically repeated in my house about keeping the house clean and doing the chores versus heading out the door with my camera or working on art projects or visiting with friends and family. So the quote by Dame Macaulay is a perfect illustration of my feelings about housekeeping chores and a life to be lived.
As an artist I want to be surrounded by things that are beautiful or inspiring or both. I need my own kind of chaotic order in my studio. Throughout the house, I often arrange the items on shelf or in a cupboard to be pleasing to my eye, it's a satisfying way to make a chore into an art project.
Order in the house leaves space for me to be creative. I needed to find a space to store my (expanding) collection of still life objects. Necessity led to a project. Now the linen closet needed to be reorganized so that I could fit in baskets of personal items. By rearranging items, refolding blankets and towels I was able to clear space and store the baskets in the closet.It is not terribly exciting, nor is it all that beautiful, but the space pleases me and I can find what I need when I open the door.
The process of cleaning up the closet became a creative exercise and a satisfactory one at that.
Now if only running the vacuum and dusting could be so transformed. Or maybe I should just grab my camera and head out...
Validation for all artists and creative souls. Thank you Terry!
ReplyDeleteOne way to think about creating a neat space. Reminds me I have to do that today with the studio where I do easily see tidying up as a creative exercise but I have not gotten into that mode on the rest of the house.
ReplyDelete