A flat file’s wide, shallow drawers, made to store finished work, also works well for storing tools and lets you see everything at once.
Imagine a spacious studio with every paint, brush, marker, bead, sticker, and stamp you’ll need. There is plenty of storage for works in progress, and you can stretch out across a huge, clean table to draw, sew, or sculpt. Your creative process is not interrupted even for a moment to look for the right tool; it’s all at your virtuosic fingertips. Of course, many of us artists and creatives dream of the perfect crafting scenario but feel stifled by the real-life spaces we have in which to create.
Back to Reality
Most of us, most of the time, only have one space for our living, working, sleeping, and creating. We are usually the ones responsible for keeping our own spaces clean and organized. Often, we feel too guilty to take time for our creative practices unless we are really on top of our to-do lists and our spaces are tidy.
That said, every artist deserves time and space to make art. We at Big Rocks Organizing love supporting artists in establishing and maintaining systems and spaces that let their creativity flow. This month we are excited to share some of our tips on how to organize your arts and crafts space. But, if this is one area you are a little less DIY-enthusiastic, we’re here to help, too.
To begin, art supplies need to be organized in a way that won’t slow you down when inspiration strikes.
Don’t Be Your Own Harshest Critic
Artist, teacher, and mentor Sister Corita Kent’s Ten Rules lays out a simple structure for artists. Number 8: “Don’t try to create and analyze at the same time. They’re different processes.” When you free yourself, even momentarily, from self-judgment, including judgment about keeping your space tidy, you can create a masterpiece (even if it means making a mess).
Analysis mode is when you will be orderly, set up your workspace, and do the necessary cleanup. First, sort all your art supplies. Set up simple storage solutions that let you easily access and store your materials and tools as you use them. There are many ways to organize, and you’ll have to find the one that works for you. Overall, the most important thing is to choose something easy to replicate and remember, and then stick with what you chose.
A roll-up like this can contain all your paint brushes in its narrow pockets, plus it’s a great sewing project for that fabric you have been saving!
Find a System That Works For You
Organization isn’t about looking pretty. Instead, it’s about being able to find what you need when you need it. Store your items in one container per category. If the category gets too big for the container, get a larger container. Or, split the category into more specific, smaller categories.
Every artist is different. For example, can you put all your pens and pencils together in one spot? Or, do your HB pencils, mechanical pencils, permanent markers, and archival ink pens each need their own container? Choosing the right system for you minimizes the time spent finding what you’re looking for and putting it away again.
Get Clean and Get Crafting
Here are a handful of strategies that work for me or artists I admire:
- A flat file (a wide set of shallow drawers) is typically meant for storing completed documents and projects of various sizes. However, I use mine to store not only my finished 2D projects, but also all my materials and tools. It helps to pull out the drawer and see everything together, instead of digging through containers of buried items.
- Is your space littered with notepads, notebooks, and sketchbooks, each with only a few pages used? Believe me—I’ve been there. Now, I keep all my “blanks” together. Along with any empty notebooks, this is where I store unused paper, fresh stationery, and even my sticky notes. I only pull out a new sketchbook or journal once I’ve finished one.
- Over-the-door pocket shoe organizers make it easy to see and store yarn, fabric, and other craft supplies out of the way.
- Artists have a particular skill in seeing potential in everything. However, holding onto every scrap of material makes for a messy space, an empty trash can, and an inability to find the thing you really need.
The solution? Don’t be afraid to let go! Donate, give away, recycle, or trash anything you don’t have a use for. Remember, you can always sift through the garbage for just the right sliver of paper, or scrap fabric. As long as you’re not tossing banana peels and coffee cups into the same trash can.
If the trash or recycling bin is full, then empty it and start over. If you haven’t found a use for the discards by then, you can probably live without them.
- Clear sheet protectors, including those with smaller pockets used for baseball cards, slides, and photos, help keep pieces you’ve cut out for future collages.
- Limit yourself to two or three containers for works in progress. In addition, keep all the materials for that project in the container until you finish it. As a result, it becomes easier to clean up while keeping track of your work.
So, you want to start a new project and your in-progress containers are all in use? You will have to finish an existing project (or get rid of one completely if it’s no longer interesting to you) before getting started on your next piece of artwork.
- This is a controversial tip. But, I put away my supplies and projects at the end of every working session, even if I know I will be working on the same project again soon. Without an intentional cleanup time, I tend to neglect washing out my paint brushes or tracking down all the sewing pins on the floor. It’s bad news for my tools and my bare feet. Because my creative space is also my living and sleeping space, I enjoy all my activities more when there’s a clear distinction between them.
- Thrift stores, yard sales, “Buy Nothing” groups, and secondhand art supply stores are sustainable and cheaper options for tools and materials. For example, we have ReClaimIt and Scrap PDX in Portland
New art supplies are expensive and can feel so precious that you wait for just the right time to use them. (…And you never end up using them.). For me, knowing that the fancy paper I’m using almost ended up in the landfill and cost me a fraction of the original price definitely takes that pressure off.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask For Help
The world is a better place when it is filled with your art. Let Big Rocks Organizing turn your creative space into a paradise of productivity and inspiration.
Check out our scheduling page to set up a free consultation.
Happy creating!
Big Rocks Organizing does not make commission on any products we recommend, nor are we affiliated with any retailers or online sellers.
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Watch the replay of our “Art Studio + Craft Room!” workshop here!
Caryn spends their time making things and making things happen. Their favorite part of every job and every adventure they’ve had has been looking through people’s possessions and asking questions.