Saturday Share - My Dark Secret

Yesterday, I commented on our private board that I didn't know what I was going to post about, and felt like I had run out of things to "share"!  Our fearless leader, Jennifer, kicked my behind and said, "don't be silly!" She made several great suggestions, but one thing she mentioned made my heart race, and my face flush.  How could I possibly share my deep, dark, terribly haunting secret? I thought long and hard.  I couldn't show the world, could I?  Wait, I thought, maybe if I shared, I can overcome and triumph!  Okay, here goes...

My name is Melissa Meman, and I have a shamefully disorganized and messy studio work space!  Warning...images may not be safe for some individuals with certain obsessive/compulsive tendencies!

All kidding aside, I truly am a bit embarrassed! But I am looking at this as an opportunity to get my act together and organize!

So, here we are in my main "studio" space...unfortunately, it is not a separate room, but a small alcove off the master bedroom, which means I really can't work in here late night or early morning, as my hubs is a really light sleeper.  We planned to swap out and move my stuff into another room, but it involves a huge overhaul, so for now, I will have to make do.  Plus, not shown, my computer is against the other wall.  It is an old desktop and needs replacing.  When I do, I will re-org that space as well.  As you see from the piles of things, I have been trying to make an attempt to organize, but it needs a lot of work.

Counter-clockwise in the room, my main work table.  The filing cabinet has nothing to do with my work, and hubs has agreed that we will move it to make more space for another shelf.  The wooden box was a gift from hubs and I love it...it is filled to the brim, but I need to situate it so that it is more accessible and I need to come up with a labeling system to know what is where!

This is the table where I usually saw, but as you can see, there are a lot of things that need to be put away, finished, de-stashed, etc!

A little further to the right on the table...a tray of favorite art beads.  You will notice lots of little plastic trays...my 11-yo has a Luncheable problem, but the trays come in handy for putting single project ingredients in, and they are stackable!

Here we have a pile of strands I was going through at one point looking for the perfect bead, but now they need to get sorted and put away.

My modus operandi, these days, is to bring projects downstairs. Our kitchen and den morph into one long, open room.  This table is in the informal dining area, in between.  I like working here because I can be with the family and still work on things.

In fact, most of my tools have made it down here and have an almost permanent place here.  An ancient desk organizer is being used for pliers, etc.  It is actually pretty handy. Note the important peanut butter M&Ms.

I found this little shelf on sale at Staples, and I really like it.  It has wheels so I can move it when I need to.  Unfortunately, if  you put heavy things in the drawers they pull out of their little slots, so I have to be careful not to over load it. That second drawer that is partially open is full of fun stuff that I need to sort!

Another pile of plastic boxes of frequently used items.

Last, but not least, my third space. This is in the unfinished portion of our basement.  It is dark and dank, but really, my favorite space.  An old set of plastic drawers, re-purposed from my son's baby stuff holds enamels, metal filigree beads and other "enamel-ables".  My hot-head torch and soldering station is here as well.  Not shown, to the right of this table is a small area with my pickle pot, a smaller crockpot of vermiculite, extra tools.  It was hard to get enough light to get a good shot.

I need to do a lot of work down here to put in a few more safety precautions, don't judge!

Thanks for letting me air my dirty laundry, so to speak!  This has helped me, actually, after looking at photos, to see what I need to do to get better organized.  In fact, I am making a challenge to myself to get these spaces more under control within the next 2 weeks, when it is my turn to post again.  Be sure to stay-tuned for the next episode!

So, what about you?  I know several of you have pristine, pretty studios that you love to work in, because you have shared photos!  I have to admit, I get a bit jealous!  But, I know there are others out there, like me, who are ashamed of their spaces and wish they could get a handle on them.  Stand up! Be counted!  Let me know!  Don't be afraid!  Let's clean up!

Melissa Meman
Melismatic Art Jewelry
Art. Life. Love.