“We not only have to consistently create work, but manage a web presence, network with galleries and collectors, and find new avenues to show work.” “These days artists have to wear many hats,” he says. As artist Jason Peters points out: “There should always be a certain amount of order in your space because art is a business.” Peters, who creates large-scale installations from mass-produced and found objects, notes that being an artist usually entails a considerable amount of multitasking, and a tidy studio can help when it comes to running things smoothly. Organization is important if for no other reason than that a disorganized studio can lead to a loss of income. “It will be easier to take inventory of all the categories of items an artist owns in one sitting.” “By tidying with concentration, the ability to decide which tools and materials spark joy will become clearer,” she notes. In her experience, it’s important to reject the conventional wisdom that tidying should be approached piecemeal. “I recommend that artists dedicate a block of time to organizing their studios-perhaps an entire day-to tidy up all at once, rather than tidying little by little over many days,” Kondo says. “It has always accumulated for a reason.” “Clutter can be a good narrative clue,” she explains. For artist Sophia Narrett, piles of clothing and even wads of used tissues have prompted ideas for her complex embroideries, which often tell stories about love and desire. “The stuff I’ve collected serves multiple purposes: It presents a visual web of my interests, connects me with threads far away and long ago, and sparks new associations.” “It’s the place where I can put a Masonic beer koozie next to a tumbleweed, an image of Basquiat’s notebooks, and a pin given to me by my grandmother,” she explains. Rachel Grobstein, whose sculptures are constellations of tiny objects precisely rendered in gouache on cut-out paper, uses one wall of her studio as a sort of atlas or scrapbook. “On other occasions, artists ended up uncovering many more things that sparked joy for them in the process of tidying, and enjoyed their scattered space more than ever.”įor many artists, a “scattered space,” one full of objects that are arranged according to some rationale, can serve as a vital source of inspiration. I also asked artists who work in a variety of media to weigh in on the challenges and rewards of what Kondo calls “the art of tidying.”ĭoes a cluttered workspace spark new ideas or just make you anxious? “There have been instances where individuals who thought they thrived in a messy state actually prefered the comfort of tidiness once they had completed the KonMari Method,” Kondo says. The desired result is that we will be surrounded only by things that inspire and delight us.īecause she believes that art and organizing can be simpatico, I asked Kondo to share her tips for how artists can better organize their studios. Kondo’s trademarked KonMari Method is based on Japanese philosophy and unsparing minimalism: Any object that does not “spark joy” should be discarded. The Tokyo-based organizing guru’s books have sold over 7 million copies, and her consultations currently have a six-month waiting list. As an undisputed expert on tidying, she should know. “The depth of concentration and the respect for materials involved in creating artwork is similar to the focus and connection with belongings associated with tidying,” Kondo tells me via email. However, Marie Kondo, author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, sees artmaking and organization not as opposites, but as kindred pursuits. There’s a certain mystique attached to messy artistic types, as if true creativity is only possible amid chaos. Perhaps its walls are stacked with canvases, or its floor a tangle of wires and cables, with teetering piles of books, all covered in the rubble of plaster casts. If you close your eyes and imagine an artist’s studio, chances are you will picture a messy room.
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