What’s your upgrade plan?
I’ve been thinking a lot about upgrading recently.
We had an abundance of water this year in Minneapolis and although we haven’t had an issue in the past, it seems this was to be our summer of getting water in our basement. Every time it rained; we were vacuuming up water.
And then it began to smell.
That was my last straw. I work out of my basement and I wasn’t going to put up with mold.
The solution of course was major. We ripped out the huge storage cabinets, pulled all the paneling off the wall only to realize we needed to go further. The final step in the demo process was to remove all the plaster and lath to get down the foundation.
Drain tile was laid and a sump pump installed.
It’s been a big job. But, most importantly, I have a clean slate to re-create my studio. Which led me to ask myself, “what do I need” and “want do I want.”
I’ve let a lot of things slide in the last 8 months so at first my mind was overwhelmed. Putting pen to paper helped and I created 3 columns. What can I upgrade Now, What to upgrade Next, and what want for the Future.
Here’s a sneak peek at the list I’ve started.
Now I want to put the challenge to you. What could you upgrade surrounding making art? What are the things that would make it easier for you to create more? Do you need to upgrade your materials, your tools, your ventilation, or your workspace? Are you putting off taking a needed workshop, class, or retreat?
Upgrading doesn’t always have to be about spending money. The point is to take small actions. Focus on something that will help you feel better right now or in the near future.
Maybe it’s upgrading a process, or declutting a closet, or re-envisioning a space, or changing banks, or planning time for yourself, or changing up your exercise schedule to a time that works better for you, or deciding it’s time to stop doing something you hate, or editing your photographs so you can easily find them.
When you focus on incremental upgrades it takes the pressure off. And I think we can all benefit from that.
So today I’m challenging you to upgrade one thing in your life. Just commit to one thing. Believe me when I say, it will make a difference.
Tell me, what is one thing that you could upgrade immediately to help your artwork or creativity?
Be well….be creative,
I would love to upgrade my brushes!! There are many out there, can you recommend a better / best quality? Would love to head into the right direction on brushes. Thank you!
I agree Marla, using the best brushes possible is a real treat. I don’t have any brand recommendations for you. You might want to ask in the Members Only Alumni Group and see if others have some suggestions.
How timely ! I was just thinking ofthis over the long weekend .my plan of action starts w serious de clutter of papers,paintings,art supplies that aren’t useful to my journey moving forward w my art.second is simplifying walls( de clutter again here)striping all hanging stuff adding hanging easle ,for working. I am feeling smothered in my studio space. And as a bonus, I can apply all the above up grade to my clothes closet as well:) Good blog today
NancyBHenderson
Mesa
Messenger
Just think how different it’s going to feel when you don’t feel smothered in your studio space…..Wowzers, that will be huge. Congrats for taking the steps to making it happen.
As I now paint on my encaustic quite a bit with oil stick and cold wax, I needed more wall space to allow me to work on a couple of pieces at once. I finally figured out that I could use heavy duty magnets in my steel Quonset hut to hang painting boards. I made two and figured out ways to have my painting supplies alongside. Now I just have to wait until spring when I can work outside again. (I’ll post an image in the Facebook page.
My mother used to say, “Necessity is the mother of Invention”……Love this idea. Thanks for sharing it:)