Assemblage Artist's Organizing Tips & Tricks

Call me crazy but one of my favorite things about being an assemblage artist is that I get to organize my studio. Trust me, if this obsession branched out into other areas of my home, I would have an immaculate house, but sadly that is not the case. (sigh)

However, in the midst of creating a sculpture, I really need to know where to find one of the thousands of objects I have when it comes to my mind so I don't break my creative flow. Because of that, I have a few tips and tricks that I use.

1. Glass Jars: Putting things in glass jars makes it very easy to see what's inside and I often sort the objects by either size, color or both.

2. Label Maker: I have a label maker that I use to label items in a consistent manner so that it's easy on the eyes.

3. Furniture with small drawers. I recently purchased some pieces that have numerous small drawers and they have been a Godsend! Combining that technique with the labeling has made my life so much easier when I am searching for just the right object.

4. Displaying items in cubby holes.

Using this technique allows me to see the objects readily and it also provides inspiration just by looking at the items that are displayed. I often rearrange these cubby holes so that I can keep my mind fresh with ideas.

5. Overhead Shelving: I have long shelves running along the top portion of my studio where I store some of the larger objects and they function as decorative objects until they actually become incorporated into a piece.

(*I want to give a special shout out to Leslie Bergman for the photos included in this blog.)