The world's messiest art studio!

In my soon to be released book (I'm in the final editing/proofing stages currently) entitled: The 68 Secrets of an Illuminated Artist - how to stay in your creative flow despite any obstacle, I mention in one of those 68 secrets how we have to learn to trust the mess that is often part of the creative process.

Well, a few weeks back my studio was such a mess it was difficult to walk through it! I thought I'd share the super studio mess with you here!

Painting in process, cutting in

process, figure out demos for lessons, organizing sanding paper rounds.....

Collage box in disaray, stamps all over the floor, vacuum at the ready -

if the floor was at all accesible.

Oh yeah, then Kate came by to borrow some Kroma paint for her class - hence the stepping stool and box of tube paints added to the floor.

Don't ask about the phone books, can't remember.

Stuff out for paintings in process.

(I'm finding it hard to belive I was painting in amoungt the mess!)

Box of hand-stained collage papers ready and taking up some counter space.

Funny thing is also I was reading Jenny Doh's new book called A Creative Pilgrimage and within the books are interview of various artists and their creative process and I remember distinctly one of the artists saying, in her interivew, that cleaning and tidying up her studio mess was an innate part of her creative process and it helped her figure things out with her projects.

I like cleaning up too and sorting through stuff. It's very calming and helps me get clear as I clean up and de-clutter. Interesting I am not alone here...

So, obviously, being a working artist, and at some point breaking point arrived, more like I could no longer walk through the studio, nor find anything, so I did end up tidying up.

Fairly tidy in-process studio.

And I got inspired to work on a commission painting I've been working on for a client in California that has been in process wayyy tooo long!

And then the fog cleared and this amazing beautiful rainbow appeared! I took it as a good omen for that commission painting being almost completed to the client's liking (fingers crossed) :). You can't see it in this photo but the rainbow was a double! Super beautiful.

Mess or tidy I am so grateful for my studio space and love it, love it, love it dearly.