Organization for Fiber Artists and other Creative Entreprenuers: "ROCPAS"

Creative minds are not always organized. The creative types I know, including myself, are often seekers who look for pattern, color, inspiration and stimulation throughout their environment. Having multiple projects going at once is often the result of this seeking, experimental personality type, which doesn't exactly lend itself to tidiness.

So while creatively minded people are often in swirl of energy and excitement, there is also the very real need to be a responsible, career-focused professional...at least in my practice as an artist! If you pursue art for profit as I do, you may also need to go against type and spend at least some of your working hours taming the creative mess that is all around and about your creative space. I mean, where did I put those papers that I have to turn in to the museum shop next week? I'm sure they were put somewhere logical and safe...I just haven't seen them in awhile. Can you relate?

The Nestle And Soar business office, dusted and swept!

Here are a few of my favorite attempts in the past few months, along with the amazing inspiration I have pulled from others, as I endeavor to organize my life as a fiber artist. I offer these images with the hopes that you will share some of your best ideas and successes in this matter of Responsible, Orderly Conduct in the Pursuit of Artistic Success: ROCPAS. Like many things in life, it all begins with a dream.

The paperwork involved in running a small business doesn't always feel small -- it often feels overwhelming! Keeping my business papers organized is an ongoing endeavor around here.

Ideal fabric storage idea from Bee in My Bonnet

Like most fiber artists, handling fabric is a tactile joy for me! Even though it is fun to remind myself about all of the fantastic fabric I own and stockpile, I have never taken as much focused effort as the entrepreneur Lori Holt at Bee in My Bonnet. Her fabric stash makes my list of Responsible Orderly Conduct because it allows her to know exactly what her inventory of fabrics can yield in terms of quilted goodness. She probably doesn't have to buy fabric because she cannot find the fabric she thinks she bought 6 months ago. Has that ever happened to you?

Speaking of paperwork, I have this daydream that involves my family and how they would be able to look up details regarding our shared life paperwork without having to step into my studio, asking me to help them. In this daydream, no one begins a request with the dreaded, "Do you know where those forms are for that big important project we've been talking about?" I would rather just keep sewing and tell them to go look in the baby blue binder. Right?

This daydream remains a dream for me because I haven't made myself, or anyone else, work toward a sorted, labeled, updated binder system like the one I've found here. I do own a label making machine and a credit card for Office Max though, so I feel like this is a doable project. Someday.

My last organizational tool that seems to be working well here at Nestle And Soar is the use of compartmentalized sorting devices. In my studio, as well as in my home, I seem to have enough storage options. That being said, I still wasn't being organized about how stuff was placed inside of those drawers, closets and shelving units. I was using the "Jam it in Somewhere" technique, which isn't sustainable, and not all that helpful.

When I think about being a successful creative entrepreneur, I don't imagine myself having to hunt and dig through jumbled drawers to unearth the key ingredient for a custom fiber art piece I have agreed to make on a deadline. No, I more envision myself opening up a drawer organized like the one shown here, where compartments have been used to trap and keep the vintage buttons my client is counting on having used to embellish her four made-to-order decorative pillows. My creative work continues to be more like play when I don't have to go on an expedition to complete a simple task!

So how do you and I pull off all of this Creative Mess/Responsible Order balance? I would love to know what you think. Perhaps we give some of our good energy once a week to organizing specific parts of our creative space? Or perhaps we always use the inspiration of more organized people as our game plan? Or, maybe we make sure that one of our high-energy friends comes over to visit on a regular basis and we bribe her with food and free stuff to just save us from our disorganized selves? I think all of these techniques are helpful, and getting a little help is a good thing.

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne

How to Make It on Friday

There are never enough ways for a busy studio space to provide storage. Especially when the studio is the home of a fiber artist, and said fiber artist likes to have multiple projects in process at all times. Add to those storage needs a few daily drop-in visitors or students who need one-on-one sewing instruction, and what you have is a hot mess.

I want to share with you one easy way to help in this situation using common materials and 20 minutes of sewing time. This Coffee Can Organizer is easy to make with scrap fabrics, a few feet of yarn as well as 3/8" elastic. I pilfered an empty coffee can from my husband's collection in the garage. If you don't have access to such a collection (lucky you), you can also use an empty paint can available at your local big box home improvement store for about $4. Or, you could just quickly drink a lot of coffee..whichever way works best for you.

Here are the 9 steps to take in making your very useful Coffee Can Organizer
1. Measure circumference and height of can to be covered; add two inches to each dimension. Cut out two rectangles of this size from scrap fabric; these will make the outside and inside of your can cover.
2. Using the dimensions of your two rectangles as your guide, add 10" to the longest dimension and cut a third rectangle from your fabric; this will make the elasticized pocket.
3. With right sides together, using a 1/2" seam, sew the two rectangles from step one above along one of the longest sides. Press that seam flat to one side and stitch it down 1/4" away from stitching line. You now have a larger rectangle with a finished seam in the middle.
4. Press your elasticized pocket piece from step 2 in half, wrong sides together. Sew a 1/2" channel along this pressed edge, leaving the start/finish open (you will insert elastic into this channel). Using a safety pin as your guide, thread 3/8" elastic through channel and sew the start end to the fabric to secure it. Use your safety pin to secure the ending tail of elastic after it is completely through the channel (you won't know wet how firmly to pull the elastic for your particular can, so securing it with safety pin is just the thing to do).
5. Place the elasticized pocket on the bottom of your larger rectangle, which you created in step 3. Pin it in place. Refer to your measurement of the circumference of the can you are covering and gently ease the elastic so that the pocket top is 2-3 inches smaller than the can's circumference. This will allow the items you place in the pockets to be held in place by the elastic. Sew pocket dividers vertically from top of pocket to bottom of pocket, roughly every 3-4 inches. I have 5 pockets in my Coffee Can Organizer using this method.
6. Now that you have elastic in the piece, it will bunch up in a weird way. That's okay. Allowing for that, to complete the next step, place the can cover over your coffee can, right side touching the can. [If there happens to be another person available to you, now is great time to ask for a third hand!] Stretching the can cover over the can at this time allows you to pin the seams shut that you will be sewing in the next step. It will help you "sew to fit" the can you are covering. Remove can cover carefully from the can to avoid being pricked by pins.
7. With right sides together and the finished seam you just made horizontally located across the middle, stitch this larger rectangle into a tube shape, using a 1/2" seam. This step is a little unwieldy because of the elastic, but you can do it. Try to keep your 1/2" seam allowance along the whole seam length.
8. At each open end of your lovely tube, turn under 1/2" onto the inside of the tube, like you are hemming it. Press or sew that 1/2" turn-under flat. Now you are going to repeat that action, turning under another 1/2" on each end of the tube, but this time, sew the "hem" down leaving a small opening at the start/finish, creating a casing that can have a length of yarn inserted to drawstring the tube-ends shut.
9. Turn your can cover right sides out and stretch it over your can. The elasticized pocket should be on the outside of the can and the horizontal seam in the middle should be at the lip of the can. Push down into the can the rest of the rectangle, which is the lining fabric. Thread a piece of yarn into the channels on at each end of the can cover. Pull the yarn to gently close the tube ends and tie off the yarn.

Well, there you have it! I have placed my Covered Coffee Can on my largest work table. It is light weight, so when I need to reach way out to pick it up and take it with  me to another part of the studio, it is easy to do. I have each student make one of these to keep their supplies in order and we store them in a cupboard until the next time they are working with me in the studio. Also, they are creative! Each one is unique and fun to have out--they decorate the worktables!

BONUS IDEA You can also make one these cans for your next party...fill the outside pockets with silverware and place a handful of napkins in the middle...quick and easy way to entertain for a large group.

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne

Beginning the Folk Art Design Process

Sheet wool felt and pillow back fabrics in my studio.

Sometimes I begin the process of designing a new folk art item by sketching at the park or while visiting the Botanic Gardens in Denver. Sometimes I am inspired to create a bird needle felt after seeing an episode of Wild America or National Geographic on television. Today I began the folk art process by looking at my supply of felt and fabric in my studio.

I am motivated by the feel of fabric. When I was 16 years old, I worked as the sample sewer at our local fabric store. They would hand me a pattern and fabric and tell me what they wanted sewn. They had a little sewing corner in that store and I would love sitting back there making their pattern sample! But mostly I loved walking around that store and touching all the textures of fabric that they sold. Nubby wool and slick silk, the softest fleece and the stiffest denims; I loved them all!

In my studio today I was mostly inspired by the colors of my wool sheeting supplies. I order often from the nice people at Prairie Point Junction in Cozad, Nebraska. From them I can buy 90 colors of wool felt in sheets or yardage. Once I ordered their Wool Felt Sample Pack which included a 6"x9" swatch of all 90 wool colors! What a treat to play with a huge color variety---now that really did get my creative juices flowing!

I am working today on a series of pillows that I will embroider on my lovely Bernina sewing machine, instead of embroidering by hand. It feels kind of naughty saying I will make something without complete hand work! As I practice making machine blanket stitches, I realize that I am much better doing that stitch by hand, but the machine results are starting to look pretty darn good! Using my machine, I can create 3 pillows in the time I normally spend making 1 using handwork. If I can make the machine-sewn designs look good enough, I will be able to charge less for each pillow, and I hope that will make my folk art attainable to a new group of folk-art lovers.

The bottom line for me is that I am so happy when one of my items is sold and I can mail it to a specific person who is excited to receive it. The energy there is one of the most satisfying parts of my life as an artist.

Well, I'm off to the studio again. I came upstairs for another cup of coffee, and before I knew it, I was chatting with all of you! Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne

Position of Power -- How to claim your territory

I have several places in which I can "be my best." I can have a seat in my living room, at a particular time of day, within my most comfortable chair, and I am at peace. Do you have a workroom, office, or letter-writing desk that feels that way to you? We all need peaceful places we can count on from which our best efforts take flight. I call these places Positions of Power.

It feels like a luxury, and it likely is one, to have more than one place I feel powerful. I am fortunate to have an entire room that is my office. I can spread out huge messes, leave projects half completed and unattended for weeks, and lock the door from the outside--this is my space, and that feels powerful. I am also fortunate to have a folk art studio. This space fills almost an entire floor of our home, has plenty of windows and closets, and again, it is my space to count on. No one will come into that space and rearrange my gear or help themselves to my fabric scissors--at least it hasn't happened yet! In both my office and my studio, I can be my creative best. I love it!

I have noticed that where people sit often indicates power in relationships. Like the person who sits at the head of the dinner table is often the family leader, or would like to be! The lawyer who positions him or herself at the conference table to be the leader in any conversation is claiming a power position. Or the birthday girl at a large party who sits in such a space that she can talk to most everyone and "be seen." It is understood that people with power get to decide where they sit.

I am more interested though in how the energy feels in a given situation and where I think I should be in relation to that energy. For instance, when I teach a large group in a venue that is new to me, I always walk around the room and get a feeling for how I can best be seen and heard once the classroom is full of folks. It is like there is an energetic vortex that I can tune into, and that is where I want to place myself. I wonder if lots of other people do this, too, and we can all be in a room, in our best energetic space, and yet, be spread out? That would make sense to me. We all operate on our own frequency!

I hope you claim your territory in your own home, in your work space, in your life at large. Whether you are sitting at the head of the table or are sitting under a tree at your next picnic, my hope is that you will feel your most energetically peaceful and powerful!

Handmade Cottage Industry

When I was in college in the late 1970s, I had a printing press in my dorm room. I used the press to print return address labels that I sold through mail order. I would have to print during the day because that press was old and noisy and made a "clickity-clickity-click" noise that made everyone crazy. I have ever since loved the feeling of being a part of the handmade cottage industry. I love the freedom, the creativity, the sense of accomplishment, and the rush of success!

Another benefit of cottage industry, which means making a product for resale inside your home, is that when you grow, you get to move out of the dorm!! Perhaps I wasn't completely ready to move out of the dorm, but my business sense told me that living in community and operating a noisy printing press was not ideal. And also, the people in charge told me that the time was right for me to move out of that dorm, so, it worked out for everyone.

Sometimes getting too big for my space means I have to simplify instead of move. Being forced to plan growth is good for entrepreneurs because many of us tend to take on more than we should. If we are running out of space, we are forced to make choices about what to pursue, and that thought process is useful. One key benefit to simplifying the artwork I produce in my home based art studio is that I can better manage my cost of goods sold. What do I mean? If I produce 25 kinds of folk art, I need many more raw materials than if I create 10 kinds of folk art. My space limitations allow me to store wholesale quantities of supplies for my 10 folk art specialties. I could not buy wholesale quantities, space-wise, when I was trying to create 25 different items.

I have received many words of wisdom as I grow my small business within the exciting field of handmade cottage industry. Here are a few links you might find helpful, too!

http://www.sba.gov/ U.S. Small Business Administration

http://www.score.org/ SCORE: Counselors to America's Small Business

http://karichapin.com/ Kari Chapin, author of The Handmade Marketplace

http://countryliving.com/ Crafting a Business by Kathie Fitzgerald

Inside my studio

I love to read about artist's studios. Where Women Create is one of my favorite Sunday afternoon reads. http://www.wherewomencreate.com What I see in pictures of studio space is positive energy! An art and craft studio is exciting and I feel truly blessed to have my own studio. I have claimed an entire floor of our home for Nestle and Soar Studio. My dear husband Ted is encouraging and a regular visitor to this creative zone. I think I need a more comfortable chair to encourage him to stay longer, however! For the most part, I do my creativity standing up. My tables are lifted to counter height and I can move from station to station, which feeds my multi-tasking personality.

The best part of my studio is my ping pong table! Besides the fact that I am a mighty ping-pong player (just ask my kids!), this large horizontal surface is ideal for fiber arts. On my ping-pong table I can stage multiple projects, organize a large order for packing, and rotary cut projects involving yards and yards of fabric. When I invite students into my studio for workshops (which I do, so watch this blog for information), I can set up 6 sewing machines with ease.

When I retreat to my studio each day and see the luxurious space I call my own, it helps me feel the value of my art and creativity. I wish for you today the joy of claiming a creative space you can call your own.

Nestle and Soar!
Georgianne