Organizing Supplies in a Small Space
Organizing Supplies in a Small Space can be a challenge, especially when it comes to keeping them that way. If you find yourself not enjoying your creating time because you can’t find what you need or your space gets too piled up to work in, I have been there and can help. I am going to share 3 of my favorite storage tips for small spaces.
My whole adult life I have had to figure out how to be productive in a small space. My husband and I raised our family in a 1300 SF home. Some would call that a tiny house. I have always had a kitchen with less than 10SF of usable counter space. When our girls were little making dinner was really like a game of dish Jenga. I often had to work around a sink full of dishes due to my poor planning and my impaired executive functioning skills. The good news is that my strengths lie in spacial relations and my ability to think outside of the box.
Tip #1 Contain. Which came first, the supplies or the container? If you have the space you may find it easiest to start with sorting supplies into categories and then choosing the right containers once you see how much you have. If you are limited on space, this may involve purging. Since this is a blog about small spaces, we are surely going to focus there. But either way, the goal is to contain things. Everything having a place is especially important when you don’t have much space. It is also the best solution I have found to keep things from piling up and taking over my work space because they don’t have a home. I usually start by gathering supplies that are related in some way, either by how they are used or by color or type of material. Do whatever makes sense to you. After you have all of one type of supply in one place, it can be easier to choose the container that will work best. Think about ease of use as you choose. If a container is clumsy or hard to open putting things away may become less automatic. Larger quantities of an item, like paper, could be subdivided even further if it helps you keep them straight. I like to corral my papers by size rather than color because it gives me a chance to use them more efficiently. In the case of my paper I started with containers designed to hold 12x12 paper and decided how many I had room for and then I started filling them. Having larger pieces separated from smaller precious scraps helps me find the right paper more easily according to what size I need. Not that I don’t ever go into my larger paper when I only need a small scap, but at least it gives me a sense of visual order where my paper is concerned. On that note I would like to offer that not all scraps are precious and need to be saved. I give myself permission to throw away scraps that are not from a favorite or hard to find paper. I promise you won’t miss it, if it is not a favorite. Plus running out of a go to paper choice helps me stretch creatively and try something new.
When I moved from my larger studio, I condensed my paper collection from a large vintage dresser we lovingly called Audrey, to 4-12x12 paper containers to fit my new space. I was surprised by how much paper I could get into those containers. I found that as much as I loved my Audrey, I did not need such a large dresser to contain a fabulous selection of paper options. Choosing containers that fit my new work space and limiting the supplies that get to stay in that space have helped me tremendously when it comes to resetting to begin a new project . This doesn’t always mean getting rid of perfectly good paper. I have a back up stash for some things. But the only supplies that get to live in my work space are the things I use most often. I have come to call this my Zone Organization System. I will share my entire Zone Organization System in an upcoming blog. Let me know in the comments if that is something you would like to see.
Organization is an ongoing process that changes and requires periodic updating. How you work and what you’re currently working on change and your organization should change with it.
Tip #2 Function First. Because we focus on processes in Mixed Media Headquarters, it makes the most sense for me to arrange my beautifully purposed containers according to how I use what is in them. This is not a perfect science, of course. But, for the most part, my containers are grouped according to function. All of my paints are in the same general area along with other mediums that are mostly used to start a background process. Glues and paper and templates are also grouped to be easily found when I start the next layer of my canvas which would be the subject or foreground of a design. The final layer includes many different types of ephemera to be added as the finishing touches to customize each design. These are also subdivided and could be featured in their own blog so let me know in the comments if you would like a tour!
Tip #3 Reset. I know this is not a revelation for most but I did not realize how important a reset is, when it comes to starting, until I began to film regularly to bring you tutorials and tip videos. Starting is what we continually do when growing creatively through art processes. Whether we are putting the first brushstroke of paint on a fresh new canvas or adding another layer to a work in progress, we need to keep starting. Resetting helps me start and I highly recommend trying it. Working is the goal and requires more and more resetting. I used to let my chronic failure to reset keep me from starting for years. But be careful. If you are a lover of order and neatness, a beautifully reset space can also become a stumbling block if we want to keep it tidy more than we want to try that new background technique. So, for me, the success of the reset mentality has been making the reset easier than the process I want to engage in. This means everything has a place so resetting can happen without too much thought or time.
So let’s recap. By 3 best tips are Contain, Function First, and Reset. Containing supplies is key to having everything in reach and organizing according to how each supply functions, helps me easily reset to keep starting. Let me know in the comments if your try any of these tips and how they work for you. I would also love to hear some of your tips if you’d like to pass them on to benefit the creative community. If you know someone who would also enjoy these tips please share this blog. If you would like to see the video I created to go along with this blog, here is the link to the Youtube playlist. Please like and subscribe and hit the notification bell for more videos.
Happy Making!
Donna
