Organized Enough to Create: How to Make Art Without a Perfect Studio

There’s this idea floating around that a real artist’s space should look like a Pinterest dream with sunlight streaming in, tidy jars of brushes, and color-coordinated supplies in perfect rows. But that aesthetic studio is a lie. Art studios are messy and you don’t need perfection to make art. You just need a space that’s organized enough to let you start without frustration.

Organized enough means:

• You can find what you need when you need it.

• You have a clear surface to work on.

• You can start creating in under five minutes.

That’s it.

When your space works for you instead of against you, the pressure to ‘get everything ready’ before starting disappears. And the less friction there is, the more likely you are to actually sit down and make something.

I actually work a full-time job and have a complete office in my home. I also have a craft room, or art studio, or whatever you want to call it. Most of my painting gets done in the office. Why? Because it’s where I am. But to be productive in that space, I have to have at least a semblance of organization.

Perfect Can Backfire

Some organization is good. You need to be able to find and use your supplies, but by the same standard, over-organization can be just as harmful as clutter. If you have a perfectly aesthetic art studio, where everything has a place and everything is in its place, that can work against you. You won’t want to mess things up, and your workspace becomes a museum instead of a studio.

Creativity needs room to breathe. For me, that means that sometimes I leave a half-finished painting on my desk and my computer keyboard sitting on top of a printer. There is always a container of dirty water on my desk, and a pile of books, paintings, and drawings, and the pens and brushes are taking over the space.

But that’s okay, because it’s organized enough for me to find the things I need. And if I only have minutes to paint, then everything I need to steal that five minutes of time is right where I can reach it. In other words, my space is ready for me to be creative.

Quick Wins for Getting Organized Enough

To make creating in the same space I work in possible for me, I have a few strategies that you might find helpful.

1. I Create zones. Ever heard the term organized chaos? That’s what my zones give me. I have all my paints, paper, and extra stuff stored in a cart that sits next to my desk. It’s on wheels, so I can move it out of the way if I need to, but I know exactly where to find everything I need. I also have jars of brushes and pens, stacks of drawings, my collection of (nearly always dirty) palettes, and a pile of books for reference.

2. Keep one clean surface. I’ve been known to leave a painting sitting in the middle of my desk when I finally walk away for the evening, but most of the time, I clear my work surface at the end of the day. That doesn’t mean it’s perfect (or even necessarily clean), but it’s the one spot I can use to work immediately. Whenever the inspiration strikes.

3. Do a quick reset. Before you wrap up for the day, spend two minutes putting things back into general order. That doesn’t mean deep cleaning or even really getting super organized, but dropping your brushes into their spot, putting your paints in their home, and creating organized piles of works in progress will go a long way toward giving your brain the creative space it needs to get started the next time you want to create. I also take this one step further and do a deeper reset on Sunday so I can start the week free of distraction.

This is what works for me. For you, your process and routine might be different, but do yourself a favor and go ahead and create that process and routine. Do what makes your brain happy and frees it up to create when you have time, and not just when your creative space is perfectly clean.

The Real Goal

Being organized enough to create isn’t about aesthetic perfection. It’s about reducing the barriers between you and your creative time. If you can sit down, grab your tools, and start making without having to unearth the tools you need, you’re already there. You need space, physically and mentally, to create. Find the system that gives you that.

Just don’t wait until your space is perfect. Perfection is the enemy of progress. Clear enough space, keep your tools easy to reach, and create something today. And let’s leave the perfectly aesthetic studio for Pinterest, okay?