Increasing Creativity

How being more organized has increased my creativity two times in the past week...

I have been working on a new workshop for the MicroMini Convention that is coming up in March of this year.  As I work on the various parts of the workshop, I have needed to look through my stash for items to complete it.


Looking for one thing I was reminded of another that I had.  This happened to me two times already in just the past week. 
The thing I am posting about is that, had I not organized my stash of beads all in one place, looking for one I wouldn't have noticed the other.  The same was true of another type of medium I have - plastic, that I looked for one and noticed another.  For neither example did the creative thought come when I saw it, it was afterwards.  Both came to me like the proverbial light bulb.  Bam! that would be a great idea for....


I know - from personal experience - that being more organized takes: time, effort and in some cases money.  Time is needed to do the sorting, effort needed to do the task and money sometimes for containers, shelves or whatever to store.  All of these are things that at different points in my life I didn't have. 
Time - do a little as you can.  Small increments add up. 
Effort - well it will be worth it in the end.  Both time and effort are saved when you can lay your hand on an item without searching. 
As for money, I am all about the recycling.  Use what you have now, upgrade later.  Even if that upgrade is just another recycling idea. 


Is my studio a wreck right now as I am working on this workshop?  You bet it is.  Am I constantly moving things to find stuff - yep.  Are all the flat surfaces covered in something?  Yes, that too.  But the supplies are where they are supposed to be. 
For example, When I need beads - I just pull out one of the two boxes I have them (in trays) and find what I need.  I can pull out that one small container from that location and put the rest back.  Later when I decide to switch to another project - that's when the clean up happens.  Would I stash that small container of beads in with the unfinished project?  Maybe, it all depends on whether I am likely to use all them.  Also it depends on how I feel about the project at the time of putting it away.  Whether it was specifically bought to meet a need for that project.  All good questions to think of when I decide where to put away. 
In general, I would more likely put the supply type item back with the others of that supply - so that small bead container would go back with the beads and not necessarily with the project box.  That way, if I needed it for another project it would get found in the beads and not have to remember which project I might have put it away with. 


Well, until I post again...
Happy Miniaturing and Happy Organizing them!
Preble