We had lots of fun over the weekend visiting family, but now it is Monday and time to get back to reality! I am taking Alyson Stanfield’s Get Organized class. It just started last week so I have a long month of organizing ahead of me. I have been desperate to figure out a better way to work so my fingers are crossed that I make a break through this month.

So now it is time to be brave and air my dirty laundry… Alyson asked us to take before photos of our offices/studios. Currently my office and studio occupy our den. This is the room you see from our foyer when you come in the house. Most of the time there are papers and art stuff all over. It is not pretty. So I definitely need to make some changes.

So here goes… Meet my den/studio/office. I love my red couch. Above it is a sailboat piece I have almost finished. In the corner is the office space. The biggest issue there is papers. It is hard to keep up with them especially during the school year.

Here is a little closer view of my desk. It is a busy place where bills are paid, blog posts are written, homework is done, and more!

Alyson asked what is one thing you can change now about your office. Number one is the drum set! We gave our 9 year old a drum set for his birthday a month ago. He loves it! But boy is that loud! It makes it hard to concentrate. The plan is for it to move to the basement but that hasn’t happened yet. I really need to make that happen this week or I might go insane.

Next up… my studio area. Did I mention there is a lot going on in this room? In the past few months, I have realized this is not working anymore. Since I work in mixed media with both collage and fiber, I need multiple tables. I need a dedicated space for the sewing machine as well as a space that is okay to get wet. I also need to be able to work and not worry about kids getting into it.

To the side of the art table is the closet and bookshelf. Sometime ago I decided to take over the coat closet and make it for art supplies. It was a great idea but I really have outgrown it!

So what is the plan?

How am I going to fix this?

How do I prevent myself from being on Hoarders?

I have decided to move the art studio to the basement.

Anyone know the feng shui color for stairs? Our basement is unfinished. We would love to finish it, but it will be a while before that can happen. In the meantime, I am going to paint the stairs down to the basement so it is more inviting.

To the left of the stairs is the future art studio. This is a 10 foot x 10 foot space with additional space available on the other side of the basement if I need it. We had a large train table set up in this area… you can see the wood is still there. I am hoping to create a warmer environment by painting the cement walls and then begin the mammoth process of moving and setting up the new art studio.

So this is the before! Stay tuned for updates on my progress!

And if you are an artist working in your basement, do you have any tips?