Sunday, November 20, 2011

Scrambled Eggs

I have no idea how I got so much stuff.  We have a tendency to fill the space we occupy and I am certainly no different.  I have saved every tool I have ever owned, even the broken ones, thinking I might fix them some day.  I have a junk room in my shop, a little room about 6' x 10' and it is full to overflowing.  I no longer even know what is in there.  Now it is on my list of "things to do"!
   I had to move a lot of stuff around in order to create my little "gallery room" in my shop, a little 10' x 20' clean showroom where I can display my art and paint in the warmth.  My shop is now 10' smaller, leaving it about 18' x 20' and needing much organization.  I keep thinking that it will be nice when it is finished but the process is really interesting.  It is an accumulation of a lifetime.
 Junkyard Office
   This is probably one of the reasons that I have never moved.  I have lived here almost 40 years!  God, I would hate to do this to the house!  It was a simple fixer upper house with about 900 square feet when I bought it in 1972 and over the years I made additions, to the 2,200 square feet it is today.  There are rooms in my house that I have not been in for years!
   My Office is now a junk room, some stuff that might eventually find its way into my new gallery and just stuff to be sorted.  So much stuff.  I think I should become a "minimalist", put it all on "Craigslist" and narrow it down to the bare essentials.  I am seriously thinking about that.
   It is funny, I have made my living making additions for other people, bigger houses, more rooms for more stuff.  It is a trap that I am finding myself in!
I can understand, in concept at least, the idea of just chucking it all, getting a small RV and hitting the road!
 It has an echo to it.
Tempting sometimes!

Maybe if they had an RV with a shop in it? and a little Studio with its own Gallery? and a roof top organic garden?  There would be so much that I would miss.  So I improve the space I have and it changes as I change.
   When I was younger I wanted the bigger shop.  I needed the space to make lots of stuff, hundreds of feet of fencing, huge gates and large arbors.  Now I am thinking smaller is a good thing and have developed an interest in painting and a nice warm room is appealing to me.
 1st coat of tape on new wall
   Life is funny though and I suspect this new organization and nice display area will probably increase my business!  I can always add on to my shop...later!  It is convenient having these skills.  I just woke up one morning and decided to do this and now I am doing it.  It is really pretty easy, the directions are on the box.  You just have to deal with the mess of it all.

My Shop and Garden and "soon" my gallery will be HERE

5 comments:

Autumn Leaves said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

You go Jer! I'm vicariously enjoying your process, I tell you!

Timaree said...

I think it might be the thing we do as we hit a certain age. All of a sudden I had an urge to get rid of all the "stuff" and succeeded in getting rid of several hundred books and a lot of craft stuff. I hadn't lived anywhere for 2 whole years before this house where I've now lived for 9 years so I haven't accumulated as much stuff as others but it was still too much for me. I hope you succeed in scaling down as I think it will make you feel good - it did me and I plan to do more.

Yvonne said...

I finally reached an age a few years ago where all that clutter in my life had to go to give me peace. I love rooms to "flow", and there's no flow to a junkie space. With paint and art on the walls your space will be inspiring.

Barbra Joan said...

This is going to be a wonderful space Jerry. But simplify.. damn it!!! lol!lol! BJ