Thursday, September 11, 2014

Simplifying is not always simple...

Getting rid of our too-many possessions--things we no longer want or need, clothes that don't fit us or our lifestyle, duplicates, things we've tried out but didn't work for us, things we've outgrown, physically or emotionally, hobbies we no longer enjoy--is a long process, for me.

And no, this tiny set didn't take up much room...but I didn't use or need it. 

Long, but necessary, and freeing.  I feel lighter and less encumbered.

How to go about it can be problematical.  Do I try for "the perfect recipient"?  Someone who needs or would most appreciate what I'm passing along?  (My, that process will slow you down!  It's lovely when we nail it, but it takes a whole lot longer...)

Do I take a box of unused art supplies to school, or our sketchcrawl group, or give them to an artistic friend, or someone with children who enjoy creativity?

(Yes, sometimes all of the above!  I've got a box hatching now for the sketchcrawl artists...)

Sometimes we take a box of miscellaneous things to our family gatherings and hope they'll fill a need; housewares, bedding, tools, clothing.  My youngest godchild looked stunning in a dress that just didn't work for me--too short, too clingy...

Sometimes--frequently!--we take things to a charity resale shop that will even unload the car for us if asked.  It feels good to benefit them while clearing out our space so we can breathe, and so there's room in closets and drawers.  Today, a box of miscellaneous things (we needed 4 thermoses...why?), last week a few books...

A heavy bag of clothes I don't wear went there recently; my closet already feels roomier, and I thought I had DONE this not long ago... 

I hate shopping, so buy online most often...and if I'm paying attention, return things that don't work in a timely manner!  Guess I didn't need those after all...

Then there's the jewelry I've made when I was in my  polymer clay phase...I've sold some, given away some, some is in my Etsy store, and I still have three big glass-topped display cases from when a shop in town carried my work...they closed a couple of years ago...

Pottery supplies...I no longer have access to a kiln, so Joseph took those to the basement for me.  I haven't quite given up on that one!  Pottery is practical alchemy, and I love it.

But then there's the table loom in the attic...a friend wanted it but we haven't made connections.  In two years...

Fabric I'll never sew...happily much of that is perfect for my beloved niece Jenny Hearn, who supplements her income by sewing for RenFaires and such, so off more of it goes as we dig through our attic stash...

Books I've read but won't read again, books on hobbies I no longer have time (or interest) for...and oh dear, books I MEANT to read, but didn't.  (Books are hardest for me...Amazon resale, sometimes, giveaway sometimes, but oh dear Lord so many, MANY more...)

Sometimes I sketch those things I've had trouble letting go of--so I still have them in my journal but I don't need them taking up room in my home--OR in my head.

I still have two of these--I love the M-86 from Hero and the little Noodler's pens, but the middle one has gone to a new home...along with a lot of my other fountain pens...


I am keeping those things I use frequently--ink pens that work, that glide, that make marks I like.  The others go.

Watercolor palettes that I use and depend on, and that are light enough to travel.  (At this age, I consider carefully the weight of my tools and equipment, often weighing them on the postal scale before packing for a trip.)

Paint colors I love and that do what I want them to--I'm not tempted by the latest triad, the tricksy new color, the faddish, interference colors and all.

Brushes that feel good in the hand and make the kind of marks my soul needs--like dancing.

Clothes that fit and flatter and suit my elusive and somewhat quirky "style."  COMFORT is essential, at my age, but I don't care to look like the iconic Walmart shopper (not that I even own a pair of pajama-bottoms...)  I don't care what's in, or proper, or "right for my age"...if I like it and it's comfortable, it stays.  If not...out.

Shoes that don't hurt, feel good, and offer just a bit of support--those definitely earn a place in my closet.  I just recently found some wonderful Japanese sandals that I've just lived in this summer...so more of the others go in the giveaway box!




Kitchen gadgets I actually USE get to stay; kitchen gadgets as "decor" are edging out the door.  I have an eclectic collection of old knives that are definitely part of my life as sometime cook.  They work, they hold an edge, they feel good in the hand.  Others?  Long gone.

And of course I need to "have an accord" with my husband; when I'm seriously into giveaway mode, nothing is safe!  He recently took a little camera back out of the box...ooops...

And yes, sometimes I list on eBay--look for Katestreasures or click the link.  Vintage ink pens, a big watercolor box I haven't used in an age, reenacting gear I no longer use...

And of course the books and CDs we publish via our small company, Graphics/Fine Arts Press, like this one...but then that's a whole different kettle of codfish.  We don't want to run out of those!

But oh my, listing/selling is a pain in the patoot!  Shooting photos, writing descriptions, packing things up, shipping...happily I am seeing that light at the end of THAT particular tunnel!  (Or so I tell myself...)

We haven't tried Craigslist, but sometimes Freecycle is a good option--list it and they come and take it away!

Except...when they don't show up.

How do I decide what goes and what stays?  Sometimes it's easy.  Sometimes the recycle bins are full to overflowing.  Some things I wonder why I kept them at ALL.  Sometimes I put things in the giveaway box, and take them back out, and put them back in, and...

But as a general rule, I keep things that are needful, useful, or that feed my soul.  

So Discardia remains satisfying and feels like progress, however glacial...and Andy Couturier's wonderful A Different Kind of Luxury continues to inspire me. I have lived with a whole lot less...and I am aiming for that fresh, open place again.

20 comments:

  1. I've recently started on the same kind of thing--purging and cleaning and giving things away. It's a very long process for me, but it sure feels good. I love the movement and the new energy it creates. Best of luck to you on your quest. :)

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    1. Oh, Rita, a VERY long process, but yes, it does feel good! I'm delighted with zeroing in on those art supplies I really love and USE...and seeing that the others go somewhere they'll be enjoyed.

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  2. Inspiring post, Kate! And I had to laugh about pajama-bottom-wearing shoppers. Every time I see one, I wonder, what is THAT about?! Anyway, I'm going to have to look into this Discardia you've mentioned a few times. I have too much that is no longer needful, useful, or soul-feeding.

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  3. Great post! I really enjoy hearing about our process and what is now working for you.

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  4. One of my teachers would bring art books go class, and raffle them off to students...

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  5. Thanks all! I have a couple of friends who used to teach high school art, and I'd donate to the art room library--they've both moved on, now, though! SusanA, Discardia is a wonderful little book by Dinah Sanders; you'll like it! I also have one called Breathing Room, but, um, seem to have mislaid it in the clutter. :)

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  6. I have been going through a process of simplifying my life as well. I just went through my closet and got a very large box of clothes to donate to my local Zen Center rummage sale. I need to start on my craft room but haven't come up with a good strategy of how to get rid of things. Which hobbies am I no longer interested in? It is good to move things along and declutter my space.

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    1. We have a wonderful site nearby that takes donations...HUGE help. Still so much to go...I'm looking at the shelf of art books that still take up residence in my studio...probably 4 feet of them...and wondering when I'll ever look at most of them again. I'm keeping them...why??

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  7. I love the term, "discardia"- I'm with you on the clear outs! The changing seasons always gives me the urge to purge. I feel lighter with every thing that goes out the door.

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    1. I've been chipping away at it for 10 years, Maria! But of course things come IN, too, and get tested and tried, and then go back out. I just had three successful eBay auctions that will go out in the mail on Monday, and that feels good too. I wasn't USING the stuff!

      And I can't take credit for Discardia, it's a wonderful book by Dinah Sanders!

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  8. Kate Love your wonderful insights. Yes, I too have been trying to do more with less! It isn't easy, but what a wonderful feeling it gives one, when you can share with another. I have found that the older I get, the more I have come to realize that I really don't need that much. Happiness comes from such simplicity!

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    1. It does indeed. I still have way too many art supplies and books, but I'm getting there. I like things that are a pleasure to USE...

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  9. This post is so inspiring/terrifying/true.... I NEED to lighten the load...so hard to do... so many excuses.... I love my books... I MAY one day have time to try that craft..... *sigh* Comforting to know we all have common battles ! :)))))))))

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    1. Yes, books are hard for me too! Some, though, are about hobbies I no longer have time or interest for, and some were recommended and turned out to be just Not For Me. They're easy! Novels can mostly go, except for a few writers I know I may want to read again in a few months.

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  10. Oh my gracious Kate -- I am so in tune with your words ... boxes of ephemera for when I was into altered art -- samples of this that and the other ting, magazines I love to peruse -- but rarely -- sooo much that I tend to feel guilty about all the accumulation -- finding homes for things you loved -- yep as difficult as anything .. but when done -- elation!

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    1. Lin, hon, we just found two big bins of magazines I need to glean! Most of them I have an article in, so I'm clipping and passing along. Our local rehab center residents enjoy reading as well as collage, so off they go. Once I've had time to look through them!

      And oh, yes, TOO MUCH STUFF can definitely make me feel profligate!

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  11. I feel your pain...and your gain! I have been "shedding" ever since I retired and I sometimes wonder if I've really made a dent at all! I have declared All Books completely exempt (it IS good to be Queen) but have recently tackled a 2 foot tall stack of misc. art magazines (easy- I tear out any article I think I'll refer to again and give the rest to my oil painting class members. Even easier, after an hour of flipping through, it's amazing how few articles seem worth tearing out).
    Loved your recommendation of "Discardia" and am about 1/4 through it.

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    1. That's what I'm doing with the magazines, basically, Jeanette!

      Another really good book is Breathing Room...same basic premise, a bit more spiritual. That's what I'm reading now...

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  12. Ohmigosh!!! This was just for me. I had intended to go into the studio today and start sorting out the 'Extrania'. I have so many books on all sorts of media. How on earth am I going to part with them and how?????
    By the way would never part with your book 'Artist's Journal Workshop'. It has revolutionised my art journey.

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    1. I need to start again, Chammi! SO much more than I can ever use or deal with here...

      And so glad AJW was a catalyst for you!

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