
Here you see my studio how I WANT it to be… I have a few papers, a few markers and paints, and that’s it. Nothing on the floor or under the tables… just a clear space to draw and paint.
I come from a family of pack-rats, my dad being legendary: when he died we found 30 years worth of phone books in his garage — my stepmother said he liked to track changes in phone numbers and addresses of friends and businesses(!). He also kept every receipt pertaining to my upbringing… he thought it would be so interesting to add them all up and tell me what I cost him (to the penny). He was an engineer with his own peculiar sense of humor!
Anyway, I have definitely inherited his pack-rattiness, and have all kinds of things I’ve been saving and saving. Some are legitimate (my kids’ drawings, for example), but some I just need to let go of (long-time blog readers know I struggle with this periodically).
The reason it’s coming up again now is that this summer we are downsizing, moving from a three-bedroom house with two studios and a basement, to a two-bedroom condo. I REALLY don’t want to move all this stuff I’ve collected over the years— STUFF that no longer has meaning or I no longer even like. But once it’s in the house, it’s so hard to let go!
Here’s the other side of my studio…

… and there’s more, so much more (in the basement, in the shed, in my family room and in Wes’ old bedroom). Papers, photos, collage ephemera, art supplies, books, dvds…
My warning is this: When you get older you will no longer want STUFF… you can save yourself a lot of time and angst by just not letting STUFF into your life in the first place!
You will thank me in 10 or 20 years.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Addendum: This is a great post … scroll down to the May 3rd entry.