cleaning out the clutter

I love all my treasures, the bits and pieces from trips to the collection of kid art that adorns the fridge. However sometimes I just feel overwhelmed by all the clutter from what is on my desk to what is clogging my email in box or jamming up my living room. This visual clutter is just too much to take and starts to diminish my creative ability. Yes, I do NOT create well with clutter.

Being that today is one of the few sunny days we have had in Portland over the last few months, I am very aware that winter has started to pile up. From boots by the front door, to blankets piled on sofas, to the stacks of paper on my desk. Compound this with my new computer configuration, which is a workaround- laptop attached to cinema display. Yes I can see that my creativity will take a steep jump up once I put some crap away.

My good friend Kriss who is a textile pattern maker used to say the clean-up was required to 'clear the birth canal'. Which to a chick is a good analogy. And I must say as a visual person I don't really want to visualize that statement but...I do think there is a truth to it. I can't create when I am all stuffed up with stuff.

With that said, I am going to eject the two dogs and the cat from my office, open a window for some fresh air, and start purging!