Art & Life Detritus

I meant to muse on arranging of personal space, and instead spun off on collected clutter, AND about other related aspects. So maybe I'll post it over several days. Ridiculous, now that I've written enough for several days to post it all at once, eh?

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I am a magpie by nature and inclination. I tend to collect what I call neat things. Some of that is just paper crap. Some of it art or articles or neat little, well-designed things that catch my eye.

Since I am very spatially and visually sensitive, I like having a clear space AND interesting detail. It's hard to live on either extreme of the continuum. The detail is stimulating, but I need clear space to actually think. So I have conflicting desires for ahhh... clear empty, clean space with good light.... and reminders of all the cool things I notice.

Too much empty space? Things start piling up almost immediately.
Too much clutter? I can't think.

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A small list of some of the things I have collected and/or still have around:

1. Tiny wooden paperclips. Some teeny, others just child-sized.
2. A child's antique aluminum cup with cute scenes on the sides. (family antique)
3. A little colorful inspirational note that one of my teachers gave me.
4. Three different nickels with three different designs on them.
5. A little bauble of a baby in a red blanket + bell from OCDF.
6. A little 2005 calendar from Italy that my sister gave me -- I still enjoy the pictures.
7. Several whelks of different sizes. Actually, I have many seashells collected over the years.
8. A metal entrance fee tab from a local art museum that has a cool design on it.
9. One of those wire and bead orbs that can be pushed and pulled into myriad shapes--a tiny one. I rearrange it every so often.
10. Small paint mixing implements from college.
11. A tiny mother of pearl bird bead that was from a necklace from my childhood. The necklace broke; I still have the bird.
12. An artists-quality pencil sharpener. An artist's Magic Rub erasure.
13. A "panic button" that looks like a computer keyboard key.
14. A hair clip with an iridescent crystal flower on the end. Acts as a worry stone.
15. An array of vintage plastic toys, probably gotten from cracker jack boxes 30 years ago.
16. Postcards of an Ansel Adams tree and graveyard. (not my only art postcards)
17. A piece of old wrapping paper with a very cool design on it.
18. A green stone heart.
19. A list of hexadecimal color codes for colors I was trying to use in my blog. bg color = 99FFCC = pale green
20. A Danish star ornament my cousin gave me when she visited there one year.
21. A small screwdriver from my grandfather's farm.
22. Small poetry wrappers from Italian Bacio candies. Sample verse: Love is a sudden revelation: a kiss is always a discovery.
23. A commemorative "Heroes" postage stamp from 2001 showing firemen and EMTs raising an American flag.
Other "art" postage stamps over the years.
24. A paper tanagram made out of card stock.
25. Cat nail clippers.
26. Finishing knobs for the coat rack I have not hung up yet.
27. A card my husband gave me for our first anniversary.
28. Several teeny stubs of fabu quality drawing pencils.
29. A small thumbdrive.
30. A small strip of artist's information from a print I framed ten years ago.
31. A seamripper.
32. A a cool illustration from an artist friend's exhibit announcement.

This is only a short list, barely scraping the surface. I could go on... but I know you're ready for me to stop, already.

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Some of the reasons I hang onto things:

It's a cute color.
It has a clever shape or design.
It's small.
I have several of the same kind of thing and are interesting as a collection.
It reminds me of positive things in the past.
It reminds me of friends or family.
Someone gave it to me.
It is from an earlier era.
I like physically manipulating it.
I actually need and use it.

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Some of my "purging" strategies:

Give it away--regift or give to goodwill.
Ask myself if I will every look at it again.
Ask myself if I love it, need it or use it.
Throw stuff out.
Take a picture and then throw it out.
Shred and then throw out.
Have it accidentally destroyed.
Let it get mildewed so I am more motivated to ditch it.
Put in on the curb and wait for someone to scavenge it.
Throw some things out before they get added to a pile.
Do the FlyLady 27 Fling Boogie! Find 27 things to throw away in 15 minutes.

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Some of my "arranging" strategies:

Categorize and containerize attractively (my favorite).
Scrapbook it.
Stuff it in the closet.
Hide it away, and whenever I try to reevaluate, agonize over what to do with it.
Rearrange so that it looks more like art.
Use it more frequently.

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However, as FlyLady says, you can't organize clutter, so if I don't use something, it gets more scrutiny.

Sometimes I bargain with myself that if I don't get rid of something, the price is that I use it more often. Appreciate what you have. And if I don't use it, *pfft!* Out it goes.

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