I’m not a messy person. Back in college I made an impression on my future spouse because I had my shirts organized by color in the closet. That was an anomaly – I probably did that one day to procrastinate a class assignment. But why not embrace a counter-myth to the messy artist? Truth is, I do have a have a strong sense of order for many good reasons – but in the middle of the creative process all bets are off.
Read MoreThe grand mess of the color palette (for South Umpqua, 36” x 24” oil on canvas)
Although most of us manage to make it through that first day back at work after a vacation, for example, what about the less urgent stuff? What happens on week three after leaving off your training plan, diet, or whatever good thing you’re doing for yourself? Or, in the case of the self-employed artist, walking back into your mess of a studio after some time away, stacks of blank canvases staring reproachfully from the closet.
Luckily, there’s a solution to all that, at least one that seems to work for me.