In My Studio: Organizing

This year my first New Year's resolution was to organize my studio- and keep it that way. After the hectic Christmas season my studio was a dumping ground for all manner of craft fair equipment, boxes full of materials, display furniture and other things I just hadn't had the chance to put away.

In order to get back to work in 2013 I needed to do some serious sorting out. Organizing is something I really enjoy; printing out labels and sticking them on countless storage boxes, separating the pencils from the paintbrushes and seeing all my fabrics folded neatly onto color coordinated piles gives me a  tremendous feeling of satisfaction.  Unfortunately when time is short and the orders and craft fairs keep coming tidying up is not a priority.

Keeping a studio shipshape is important for many different reasons:

• It allows me to keep an inventory of my stock so that I know by a quick glance when I'm running low on particular supplies.

• Organized also means it is much easier to clean, therefore avoiding dusty materials and products.

• An organized space= an organized mind, I find it much easier to be creative when clutter is kept to a minimum. 

• Having a studio I feel proud to show off to anyone who might call round unexpectedly, maybe even a potential customer...

• Keeping supplies organized means it is much easier to find them if everything has been put away in the right place, hunting for those buttons I know I have somewhere can be a huge time waster.

With this in mind here are a few tips to help you keep your studio organized in the year to come:

1. Keep a basket dedicated for odds and ends that you have been using. This can be sorted out when you get the chance but in the mean time keeps them tidied away.
2. Use transparent boxes and glass jars so you can see easily what is in each.
3. Bring a box/drawer into your TV room and organize it while watching TV at night. It doesn't feel like a chore then and you're not wasting any 'production' time.
4. Design a simple labeling system with a basic label template saved on your computer so you can quickly print up new labels as and when they are needed.
5. Have an area (or a box if you don't have space) dedicated to packing, keeping all the things you need such as scissors, tape, boxes, tissue paper, bubble wrap and business cards in one packing place. Then when orders come in you can dispatch them quickly and efficiently.
6. Similarly have a box dedicated to craft fairs and keep in it all the basic things you need to set up and run a stand. Print out a basic list to keep in the box of these items so you can quickly check them off.
7. Use your wall space effectively, if its pin boards, pegboards, even shoe storage hangers converted into stationary holders, from studio floor to ceiling, to maximum the storage space.
8. Look online for many inventive and creative ways to store your craft supplies.  Look for ideas on Pinterest, Michaels, Simple Magazine etc.
9. Devote an area in your studio/ house for photographing your products, keeping a backboard, lights and spare camera batteries ready and set up to use when needed.

my packing box

"Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." Albert Einstein

Good luck and good making!

Sarah Omura, SO Handmade