I'm Simplifying!

I picked up a good book at the Goodwill (I have a number of great book finds from thrift stores!) called Wherever You Go, There You Are. That's one of my favorite sayings actually, so it made sense to pick it up. This book is about the art of Mindfulness. Kind of being where you are when you're there!

The first thing it's made me realize is that my studio is keeping me distracted. I have a large studio this time (luckily!) but it's full! I had enough stuff to fill it up when we moved, such as my window treatment padded table, and two commercial sewing machines in addition to my regular ones.

The problem is that my Gemini nature (the "twins" sign--except in my case, it's more like sextuplets) keeps many interests going all the time. So my table is full of 2-3 cutting projects, my large rolling lining dispenser straight across currently displays fabrics for an unfinished upholstery project, a "landscape" vest, the "vegetables" quilt top, and the 17-year-old "tiger" quilt top. On the nearby floor are fleece lap quilts, hemmed and unhemmed, for the Sleeping Bag Project. Below and on the old telephone table are 6 new (i.e., this year) projects in boxes or containers. At the corner are the stack of books I'm "letting go," either on E-bay or to give away. Then there are the bunches of new fabrics on the floor that I haven't worked into the stash closet yet.

On my "office" table are my genealogy notebooks and recent information to organize.

Is this making you tired? Maybe this is why I'm waking up at 6 every morning--there's so much to be done! I can't walk in here without becoming discouraged and confused. "What do I work on now?" The answer all too frequently is: the one that's the most fun! That means things get dropped by the wayside, and like the tiger quilt, don't get finished for years.

So this afternoon, I'm simplifying! I'm putting away projects that are hanging around visually, so I don't look at them when I look up. I'm keeping out the one or two I'm working on, and want to finish. I think this will greatly help my creativity and increase my energy. I'm going to try that rifle thing, and stop my usual shotgun approach.

But right now, I've had a long day already. Gotta have a short nap. . . .