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How Many Art Supplies Does One Woman Need?
August 25, 2016
— art, art supplies, clearing, hoarding
As I go through my possessions in order to eliminate the items no longer useful to my life, I have discovered the “art supply” hoarder in me. I knew that I was a jacket and costume freak, and own way too many pieces of dress up clothing. I have discovered that I am equally attached to a whole bunch of stuff I can’t bring myself to eliminate. The largest category, other than books, is art supplies. In each and every room and cranny of my home I find items I have stashed because I believe I will someday make art with them. Some of this stuff has been here for a decade without being moved. The list is ridiculous and much longer than I imagined.
I own:
- all manner of crayon, watercolor, pencil, pen, chalk, etc.
- enough fancy journals of special paper to choke a horse
- pads of every kind of paper, graph, watercolor, drawing, and handmade
- enough fabric and sewing gear to open my own fashion house
- specialty buttons I purchased in exotic places around the world
- vintage and modern sewing patterns
- two sewing machines (you know, in case one breaks down)
- two iPads
- two iPods
- three laptops
- two kindles
- one working 35 mm camera, and a bunch of dead ones
- tons of unfinished art projects
That is not even taking into consideration all the crazy fancy exotic groceries I collect because I believe I am a culinary artist all the time. I own some spices and tea I hauled home from Europe years ago…this is not something to hoard..it is intended to be consumed. My big issue is just to go ahead and use it. It must be done.
I can tell this as gotten completely out of hand and I must take some action. I need to discard some stuff, but more to the point, I need to use it. I have found a class that is offered at the Tucson JCC, where I enjoy my Silver Sneakers membership, in drawing and painting. It is held twice a week on a drop in basis. One buys a punch card and uses it at one’s own pace. The best part of this class is that you bring your own supplies. Hallelujah!!! I will take supplies for my own work, and perhaps be able to share (read unload) some of my excess with my fellow art students. I think this will help me come to terms with my artist archetype. Am I an artist or a hoarder with artistic illusions? We soon shall see, gentle readers. Do you have attachments to things you keep for making art?
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Relevant to all of us first worlders. We look at or look away from our homeless neighbors pushing their laden shopping carts…. Rarely realizing how many shopping carts we would need for the hoards of treasure and trash our houses contain.
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I have the same problem with books and art supplies. My creativity comes in seasons… I only crochet in winter and usually draw in the summer and write in the fall. So while I do hoard, I also recognize my cyclical nature 😉
Maybe I can adopt a seasonal approach too..not a bad way to sort things. Thanks for the idea, Anna. I notice many of my books are instructions for art or cookbooks as well.
Hope it helps! I just hate to throw things away… there’s always a season for these things!
I know..I think about Haitian artists who are endowed with talent, but can’t afford supplies..because I am hoarding them all.
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Beautiful work!
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Thank you Julie
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