A Cluttered Space

When I went to art school in Denver, I lived in a studio apartment. It was very small, basically one room, with a couch that folded out into a bed. I used a bookshelf to section part of it into an art area and it was there that I did all my projects. That first little studio was about 6 feet square and consisted of my bookshelf, a drafting table and an old steamer trunk my dad gave me that served as a low side table for misc. tools and my beloved Rototray.

I would go to school from 9 in the morning until 3:30 in the afternoon, then come home and take a nap from 4 to 6. At 6 my favorite radio station, KHOW would change from regular music to commercial-free jazz with host Larry Vanore so after tuning that in I would start on my art school homework. I began by straightening the mess from the previous night which looked a bit like this photo. Stuff was strewn all over the apartment: illustration board, paper, paint tubes, pens and pencils, markers, x-acto knives, spray mount, and of course, the art itself. My main area of study was graphic design so my art at that time consisted of posters, brochures, exhibit models and logo designs. After 30 minutes of organizing I would begin my project for the night.

I would work straight through until 1 or 2 in the morning, stopping only for a snack dinner. Soon my apartment was once again a disaster.

Now here's the deal: when my space (from my first apartment/studio to my current garage studio lair mancave retreat) is at it's most cluttered and disorganized state, it is then that it has the most energy. The space creates it's own force of creativity and actually spurs me on with increasing enthusiasm and greater ideas. The idea of stopping to go to sleep is unthinkable, and when I do finally fall into bed in the early morning hours, completely exhausted, it is with an incredible sense of peace and contentment.