Over the weekend I pulled out the contents of my office/studio, spread them all over the floor and any other horizontal surface that dared bare itself to me, and sorted paper into piles. Lately this seems to have been happening with increasing frequency, and it makes my husband laugh (in a gentle, friendly and fond way, but still). Here she goes again.
Actually he's much more understanding of what's going on than I am. He can see that the great evacuation of drawers, shelves and boxes is a physical representation of me organising my thoughts. And every time I do it, it is done slightly differently, with increasing refinement, categories emerging as the clarity around my practise coalesces.
A couple of weeks ago I reorganised the furniture in the studio to give me one desk with a computer, and another desk without, separated by about a metre (it's not a big room!). It felt lovely to have a space without any technology on it. My analogue desk, without temptation to Google, scroll, or fall down an IMDb rabbit hole, as is my wont.
This weekend, it was the turn of the Ikea plan drawers. My recent 'seeds' project started around the theme of new beginnings, sprouting, growth, but has really expanded around the idea of a seed already containing the information it requires to become itself. I thought I was starting from scratch, but I have ten years of art work behind me, and a fairly good record of it in these drawers. I pulled out everything and was astounded and inspired by what I found.
A lot of what ends up in these drawers is the unfinished stuff - the doodles, scribbles, textures, experiments - and they're beautiful. In these organising these archives, I feel almost like I have been unknowingly prepping for this new work for the last decade. I'm inspiring myself - the information is already there. Thanks Past Me!
I'm finding that the theme is working its way through to the physical too - I'm finding art materials that I didn't know I had - unused lino, block printing ink, rubber stamps, textured papers. All here when I need it. This is an important realisation for me as someone who has kept reaching outwards, outside myself for knowledge - another course, another qualification, another book. Education is of course vital, but I've done my book learning, and now is the time for me to consolidate all of that and trust my inner knowing.
Anyway, the paper all got sorted, some recycled, most put into piles and back into drawers. The office is clean and my head feels deliciously clear. Onward!