Friday, 19 October 2018

Stepping Out Challenge - Day 19 - Clearing the Clutter





Welcome to today's post, I am taking part in a 31 day blog challenge where I post everyday in October.  I love creating challenges for myself and joining ones by others.  My challenge for the rest of the month is to reflect on some of the series I created for myself and inspiration that I have taken away.

Listen to the Podcast



Today I am going to be talking about a series called Clearing the Clutter challenge 


Some of my dads tools that came in Handy in the Art Studio


I am a Collector.  I have a range of different things that I like to collect, which can vary.  I used to like collecting stationary, art journals, art supplies, stones, shells and many other things depending on how I related to the object.  When I looked back over my childhood, my dad and my grandma were the same, so I guess it has passed down the family. 

My dad collected power tools, DIY supplies and anything electrical.  I understood just how much he had after he passed and we were sorting out his lock up. I had never seen so many tools and supplies, and felt a warm fuzzy glow come over me as I looked at his things.  I wanted to hold on to everything, I guess I wasn’t ready to let go, there were some items I now regret letting go, like his Singer Sewing Machine, as I now sew in my mixed media work.  Over the years looking through his things there were many of his tools that crossed over to my mixed media world and I treasure a lot of these things now.

But the title of this post you say is ‘Clearing the Clutter’ not amassing more what’s that about?  OK we all have things cluttering up our home, (apart from those people who are ultra-organised or who live very minimalist).  For most of us one day your saying to yourself I must move those things and before you know it if your not careful, you’ll be invited to take part in shows like ‘Hoarders’ – anyone there yet?

How many of you have clothes you brought over 5 years ago, 10 years? 20 years, are you wearing them? (fashions come and go round all the time).  Are they serving a purpose?  I will admit I have dresses I brought 20 years ago, but when I brought them they didn’t fit me (who has done that) I’ll slim into it you say’ but does it fit you now?  Thankfully I lost quite a bit of weight over the past couple of years and it is like I have a new wardrobe full of clothes.  Mentally I still see myself as bigger and have held on to a few of the larger sizes.  But the post is not about clothes and what fits me, it is about the mentality and the emotional attachment that convinces us to hold onto things with the saying that - ‘you never know when you’re going to need it’!

I have watched all the hoarding programs in the past and heard all the arguments about letting things go and I know, but I have proved to myself time and time again where the very thing I’ve got rid of is the very thing I end up needing - so where does that lead you?  It leaves you wishing you never gave the item away in the first place, like my dad’s sewing machine!  Maybe it was because it was his that there was such an attachment after it had been given away, but I have to let go of the attachment thinking about the sewing machine has for me.

Anyway that said, I identified items that I wanted to deal with as part of a challenge and gain some order with ‘a place for everything and everything in its place’ and made a list
Here are the areas that I decided to sort out:

Products to sort
1.    Sort the contents of my hand bag/s

2.    Clothes that don’t fit
3.    Tatty un-wearable clothes
4.    Old makeup/products - 
5.    Old jewellery – broken pieces 
6.    Recycled Paper/Shredding
7.    Old paints/art supplies not used
8.    Shoes
9.    Fabric – vintage and new
10. Paper/card
11. Filing cabinet
12. Ephemera - Art studio
13. News paper/ Magazine cuttings
14. Computer photos - how many can you realistically use
15. Emails on computer - unsubscribe from lists
16. Books on shelves
17. Recycled painted materials
18. Old hand bags not used
19. Poetry to sort – and decide what to do with it them
20. Podcasts recorded - edited
21. Rubber Stamps in draws – art supplies
22. Pencils/graphite/charcoals – art supplies
23. Stored frames and unused art material
24. Magazine subscriptions
25. Typing to be done – notes in books on paper
26. Freezer - 
27. Garden – weeding/cutting back and pruning
28. My sons room!!!!
29. Garden picking up leaves from palm trees – recycling
30. Photography – art work


Some things on the list were to do with the household and others to do with my art supplies, and general items, but was such a big and jumbled list just looking at it now makes wonder what I was thinking.

What about the out of date stuff?

I knew I needed to have a clutter purge every month and see if I could find a home for some of the things that I amassed.  The aim by the end of the month is to have lots of areas  streamlined with items finding a good home, and so the Clearing the Clutter Challenge was born.  I definitely learn a lot by doing the challenge, come back tomorrow to see I I got on, a big mistake I made and how I overcame the challenges I set myself.

Tomorrow I will share the second part from my Clearing the Clutter Series.  I hope during this month you find some time to challenge, be creative and stretch yourself.

    Why not join me each day for the rest of October as we dive into to some exciting challenges and look at ways in which they can impact on your own life. 

    I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, it is never too late to start! The main thing is to take one step at a time and do something that you find interesting.

    Stay blessed and be a blessing.
    Ps:  If you are on a budget and would like to check out some supplies/books at a discounted price - (buy it cause you need it, not because it is on sale), check out one of the links below:
    Posted by Amanda Trought at 16:53
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