The BIG JOB

Hi everyone
It's a lovely morning today - the sunshine is bright and it's warm !! I feel optomistic.

Im still heavily involved in the The ORDER Project and its going to be my inspiration of the week for a second week. I've been thinking all weekend about all the little details involved. I'm down to nice things like colour. I think, I want the colour scheme of the spaces to change regularly and have decided to build this into to my planning. I see the 'flexibility' as creating plain white or light neutral colour for walls/ floors and fixed furniture - I want everything else to be either changeable, 'paintable' or 'coverable'.
I like the idea of making over a space often, I tend to do this with paintings or other artwork but am open to all kinds of ideas. Again, with this in mind, Im building in display spaces and mini shelving for display. As I think of the detail, Im visualising the room/spaces in the house. I have decided that Im focusing on the studio and two areas of the house where I tend to work. I like the idea of moving around depending on a specific project or how I feel or how the weather is telling me where to work. I've come to realise how I'm especially influenced by the weather and I like to report the weather each day as I plan my working days. I think the weather influences me to prepare my state of mind and decide on where to work. This weather awareness issue has been a subconscious thing in the past but I do believe its a positive thing and I like to spend time on the mental preparation process which is key to my 'creative warm up'.

Just to summarise where we are with The Project - Ive divided my working elements into 8 areas - each area is a collection of tools and materials for a work discipline. The elements are :

Clay

Paper

Sewing

Beading

Stamping

Painting

Wool

Printing

Shop and finished items for sale

I've started to box each element and have several bin liners full of rubbish. In preparation for getting to this point, Ive made visual notes and have a little project journal going on (eventually to become a practical and emotional record of the project). Generally, that's where I am.

However, I realise as I re read progress to date - it doesn't sound much and I'm hearing the the voices asking "why can't I just get on and do it without all the fuss" !!!! Well, it's all about the 'state of mind' and this little project is about developing a blueprint solution for applying to all kinds of jobs or plans that for whatever reason - don't happen. Usually, Im talking about things which I (or others) want to happen but for some reason don't . I believe there is a reason and if I can find a way through by applying a 'procedure', I want to find a procedure which can make a difference and develop practical stages which can and will (every time) create the right frame of mind to tackle these seemingly undoable jobs. Such jobs as getting fit or loosing weight or decorating the house etc., things which generally require a change in lifestyle. Wow ! Sounds a big job. I think, it is a BIG JOB and deserves to be given the time and respect as such.

Without further a do, it's time for me to get going. My bit of the plan today is very practical, Ive done lots of thinking and I can now go into the studio and I know exactly what to do and in which order. I've written it down but I also have it in my 'mind order' (so important - Im calling it the zone ie this mind order thing) Im giving myself a very easy list of two things to achieve, even if I have more time I am keeping to the identified two tasks (only). My two tasks today are sticking labels onto my 8 boxes ( as per the list above) and my second job is to spend 30mins filling either a box or a bin liner depending on the item. At this stage there is no 'binning' as such. The bin liner will be further sorted - so there is a second and possibly third stage of sorting. I feel comfortable with this as Im not actually having to make a big decision at this point whether to chuck the contents or not. It's too big a decision while the initial sort is going on and why Ive not tackled the job properly before. I've been here ie this initial getting on with clearing out (sort of ) but not gone beyond. It's to do with not being sure if I need an item or not. By using my new organised, listed and disciplined approach, I have time and more structure to my whole plan. I know this is a 'stage' and its not overwhelming. I don't need to get emotionally connected to the process - it's simply 'a stage', for a given time (30mins) and then I can think and reflect on what Ive done and then how it fits into the whole job. Do I need to review my plans or can I proceed ? It's the time thing (for me) I need to feel separate from the emotional thing.

I've been asked to share some photos of the studio to put all this into context. I do have some pictures to share. Im not sure if they convey just how bad it is. The desk gives more of a sense of the chaos. There does appear to be some sort of order because of shelves and boxes - this is an illusion - there is no order and Im not sure what most of the boxes hold without looking in them ! Also the room is quite small to begin with and is even more limited by the lack of organisation. This room is only part of The PROJECT - much of the plan is to do with using spaces around the house to compliment my way of working. Ultimately, although I will be able to work in the studios, I actually want it to be more of a storage space for me. I want my work to portable and flexible. It's a 'big ask' but I know I can make it work.

















Im not sure if all is clear ? Someone will tell me if its not ! Im developing little mind maps and will have all my emotional notes etc so I will try and make more sense for the book (at the end). Ive also got some friends who Im going to try out projects of their own applying this approach ( they have agreed, so I will hold them to it). I'm already having creative ideas about how to represent some of these ideas into a painting. With that, I will get going.

Bye for today.