Art Camp for Women

Organizing Space and Supplies

No point in having it if you can't find it!

While I was expanding and organizing my art studio last week I realized that many of the things I was incorporating would work in any space. Whether your studio subs as the dining room table or your walk-in closet, many of these items would work for your space too.

Crock and Basket. Good for all types of paper rolls, material bolts, long tools and rulers. I got the crock at an auction years ago and have the heavy container on a plant stand with wheels. The heaviness makes it good for my bigger rolls of paper i.e. newsprint ends. The orange wastebasket was a thrift store find. Lorri Flint, our fiber artist, keeps her long rolls of cloth in a 32-gallon Rubbermaid Roughneck trash barrel, which also has wheels. She tried a galvanized trash can, but while it looked really cool, it was awkward to move. We have found that a straight-sided container is the most stable and space efficient.

Flexible bag holder. Another Rubbermaid oldie, often found in thrift stores. This can hang on your wall or on the inside of a door or cupboard door. As a mixed media artist I save interesting bags, foreign newsprint and plain brown packing paper for use in my hand made journals. This is the most compact and efficient method I've found so far. I don't know if the company still carries them, but I keep an eye out for the unassuming beige piece of plastic at garage sales and thrift stores.

Tape or ribbon holder. This is a favorite for me. I found these paper towel holders at Home Depot. So you should be able to find them
easily too. They are short so that you can spot your favorite spool easily and then get to it without unloading your entire col-
lection. Used this way your goodies are kept relatively dust free and undamaged by stacking. Also your bright colored items contribute to the 'art' of your room.

Folding Print Holder. Light weight and convenient, this folding print rack is a favorite for Carol Tuttle, our water color artist.  The stand is easy to set up and also easy to stash in the closet or under a table when she is working away from her studio.
This one anyone, anywhere can manage.
A Clothesline. Yes an ordinary old clothesline, strung along one side of a room can be wonderful for your large or funny-shaped art pieces and materials. You can use it for display or storage or both. Hanging can also help keep your items clean. With care this could also be used to hang large pieces as they dry.

New Year Resolutions

Can you keep a secret?

by Lori Wostl, Creativity Life Coach

Here's the secret: the best resolutions are the ones that we like the most. These are the ones easiest to keep. For example "I resolve to eat chocolate at least once a day!" Is much more likely to fly than "I resolve to do laundry every day."

My personal favorite this year is "Have an adventure every month!"

[This picture is of me on my January adventure which lead to another resolution "Adventures do not have to be extreme." LOL ]

Another resolution for this year is "Make art every day." This one, though I love it, is proving to be harder. So how can I make keeping this resolution easier?

To start with I signed up for some art classes that have assignments. I also joined a couple of online art groups. People in these groups have tons of ideas and experience that they are happy to share. These groups usually provide an opportunity to display my work and get input for problems. And I have an advantage over many of you - I will be attending Art Camp for Women three times this year.(And I consider Art Camp to be an adventure so I kill two birds with one stone.) These classes, workshops and groups continually remind me that I said that I want to make art every day,  making my resolution easier to keep.

My point is that if there is something that you love to do and you have trouble getting it into your life, you can do something about it. You can surround yourself with opportunities, you can learn more technique and you can box yourself in with deadlines and due dates until the things you want in your life become habitual and easy.

All of our lives are full to the point of bursting, but are they full of what we like?