How to de-clutter your life?
Because I have no idea. When things are consistent and predictable, having an abundance of things is fine. Gives me time to sift through my things, or organize the items into neater piles of things. When things get hectic it seems I am drowning in a mess of my own possessions. As an artist, I have stored artwork in every basement, closet, nook and cranny that anyone will lend to me. I feel guilty about this. I also feel that these items are suffocating my creativity. I have a great studio room here in Jamestown, which is half infested with boxes and boxes of things from our move in January. In my defense, only 90% of those boxes are mine (the rest are my girlfriends).
Eyes wides Open
Sometimes I will be laying in bed trying to sleep thinking about getting rid of things. Sleep actually comes easy for me, unless I sabotage myself with two large glasses of iced tea after midnight. Then I lay in bed planning the future of my life with less things. My friend Matt Semke once talked to me about a guy who literally owned 50 possessions; this man made it his goal to only own 50 things. At first it seems doable, and then I look at my must-keep art supplies and I realize I have thousands and thousands of things. I envy this man of 50 items. My brother, Scott, also lives a minimal lifestyle. He only needs a few hours to toss things into his car when he has to move. All his free time and being the great guy he is, allows him to be very available and willing to help me and my 50 thousands moves around the mid-west (and now to Maine). I envy his simplistic attitude, and yet I find myself hoarding things.
If I lived inside a video game my life would look like this:
The Solution to Hoarding
My plan it to simply start. Start giving things away. Weekly trips to the thrift stores (to drop off, not to browse for more items!). A comprehensive strategy. Massive art sales on my art shop. I need to change my attitude and attachment to sentimental items or semi sentimental items, or items I could imagine being sentimental about in the future. Also, I have so many future artwork material piles that I could put up on Ax-Man sign on my front door and invite people in to buy my odd items.
Like this:
The goal is to cut down. I will be letting you know my progress on this blog. I am also reading the book the Fourth Reich by Jim Marrs, I will let you know what I think of that book as well. I finished Zecharia Sitchin's 12th Planet and it was brilliant, everyone should read it. If you want to know why I have not be posting that much the last few weeks read my volatile life of an artist post.
Here's to a less cluttered life.
No comments:
Post a Comment