What's declutterfy? A made up word that makes me happy when I say it. Kinda like intentionally calling the library, the lie-barry. Or like conjugating verbs improperly. The birds eated so much food I had to goed to the store for more birdseed. It's silly and fun.
More seriously, 2013 is the year I declutterfy. I don't make resolutions, but sometimes I set a theme for the year. The goofier the theme is expressed, the better. Case in point, the only theme I remember from recent years is The Year I Get My Balls Back. Which translates to the year I remember to be myself, regain my feistiness, and take chances. That year I left a "legitimate" full-time job in the arts service sector - a job that made me miserable - to return to part-time food service and part-time art making. I joined the local roller derby team. I started a new photography series and had an exhibition. And I started dating my future husband. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself.
Looking back over this blog, I am dumbfounded (and disappointed in myself and my slovenly ways) by how many posts revolve around needing to get organized. This year I intend to wipe out clutter, both mental and physical. I'm steadily working on a business plan to articulate my Odd Bird Studio goals. Not only will this help focus my efforts, it will get the jumble of thoughts, plans, shoulds, woulds, coulds out of my head and into some semblance of order on paper. From swirling mental clutter to organized to do lists. My initial brain purge of goals for Odd Bird Studio was a disjointed, varied, chaotic, disparate seeming list of tasks from small to dauntingly huge. After setting aside this written mess for a few days, fresh eyes found two overarching goals: Make More Stuff and Sell More Stuff. That I can tackle.
In anticipation of moving house sometime this spring or summer (which is it's own source of much first-time-home-buying mental clutter), I am trying to purge now the things I don't want enough to pack in a box, move, then unpack. This sounds easy, but as an artist and upcycler everything I see is potential fodder for future work. I have A LOT of STUFF stashed every which where. But it is amazing what a lift it brings me to clear out a shelf in the closet or unearth a patch of floor that hasn't seen light of day since 2011. And there's the bonus of finding inspiration in rediscovered materials I forgot I had. Not only will this initial (not quite) painless effort make our eventual move easier, lack of physical clutter decreases my mental clutter. Brilliant.
Do you make resolutions or set goals for the new year? What are you striving for in 2013?
Moving is one of the very best de-stashing, organizing motivations out there. I moved from MA to FL in August of last year and boy did I get rid of a ton of stuff! It was overwhelming at first, but taking on a little at a time I did get through it all and felt so refreshed when it was over. Best of luck!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouragement, Carey. We just moved to OH from NC less than 2 years ago at which time I purged huge amounts of stuff at multiple yard sales and donations to the Scrap Exchange and local rescue mission. Good golly, though, I have tons to sift through again. I'm beginning to think I am a flotsam magnet. Maybe something useful to try would be a virtual move once a year? Kinda like spring cleaning but more brutal. And, yes, reaching for that feeling of refreshment is a huge motivator.
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