Death Cleaning vs Finding the Joy

Hands up those of you with a paper stash!  Or perhaps its a fabric stash, or a book stash, or a leaf stash, or any kind of arty stash?  If you're like me, you can't bear to part with any of it, because you never know when you might need it, or you have a project in mind (or its been so long you can't remember what the project was?).

Lately I've been feeling overwhelmed by the size and disorganisation of my stash.  Sometimes I know I have something but just can't find it, or can't get to that part of the cupboard due to the other stuff in the way.   I hate to admit how much stuff I have, but I know I'm not the only one, especially if you work across a variety of mediums and techniques.

So its time to tidy up, declutter, and refocus my art stash.

Have you read the book "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing" by Marie Kondō?  Its a great book with lots of fantastic ideas, with the underlying theme of going through your stash asking yourself if each item 'sparks joy'.  The problem is that a lot of my art stuff sparks joy!

Have you read "The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter" by Margareta Magnusson?   Don't leave your stash for someone else to deal with.  Deal with it now!  I like that idea.  I'm going to have to deal with it someday, so I might as well do it now whilst I am physically able to do it.

So I have undertaken to do a mini-destash and reorganisation every week, when I feel like it or when something in my art room really annoys me.  I've also been keeping the cardboard boxes from our parcel deliveries as a motivator - get a box and fill it up, then off to the charity shop or sell online.  Something comes in, something goes out.

And here is something I'm proud of, a reorganisation of my papers into colours.  A simple sort through so I can find what I'm looking for.  And I've used a lot of old prints for cards, rather than buy them from someone else.  I'm feeling lighter already!

Papers and old prints sorted into colours
and treatments (eg rusted, eco-dyed).
Labels made with a handheld
label machine.  Very satisfying!

Red, oranges and yellows

Transparents and neutrals