Monday, December 12, 2011

This is NOT my studio

Photo from apartmenttherapy.com

However, in MY studio, in a drawer of quite fine papers, envelopes, valuable resource materials, I found what follows, the beginning of something. Does that happen in an orderly space, where the location of everything is known, the treasure hunt is over, there are no discoveries to be made? I think not.

-----------

David was smiling the foolish, open-mouthed, lip-twitching smile that reminded Gloria of a dog sticking his head out a car window. She imagined she could hear him panting, the rapid, shallow breathing making his heart beat faster. David even blinked, as though the rushing air caught him by surprise.

When he smiled like that, she usually started picking on him about something, like forgetting to bring health insurance forms home from work or leaving the butter out all day. It didn't seem to her appropriate to scream, "I hate it when you smile like that." If she had, he would just blink more rapidly, shake his head and ask, "What are you talking about?"

16 comments:

RachelVB said...

Does anyone's creative space look like that? I gave myself a room, but it's spilled into every corner of the house. Maybe I could make something out of the dust bunnies?
I am not a particularly organized person, but I generally know where everything is. But this way there are more presents and treasures left in waiting like the one you found.
I call it creative clutter.
xo

Marylinn Kelly said...

Rachel - My brother asked the same question, assuming this was a staged photo for a magazine. There are people capable of such order; I seem not to be one of them. And the forgotten treasures may balance the scales. Yes, let's call it creative clutter. xo

susan t. landry said...

Note that the photo is from Apartment Therapy, which I confess I used to read avidly. But I never saw anyone's place on that website that looked like mine. No clutter...no half-full day-old cups of coffee, no piles of junk mail, no bathrobes tossed on the chair....ya know?

Marylinn Kelly said...

Susan - The piles of junk mail don't even make it to the studio, they lurk around the dining table. I do, however, always find out-of-sight, out-of-mind treasure when go foraging. May be worth the disarray. xo

Anonymous said...

oh, just the notion of a drawer with various sorts of paper! i have a spare room filled with "stuff" and when my kids ask "what are you going to do with (fill in the blank)?"...i say, "i'm waiting to find out!".

Kass said...

That assemblage of art supplies is so beautiful, I would probably never produce anything for fear of disrupting the order.

The David and Gloria interchange is interesting, colorful and sad.

Anonymous said...

like the studio magazines, these images are sooo irritating!

as if anyone who actually DOES anything in their studios, have super clean bottles of paint, sorted in color, etc etc...

embrace chaos and find the treasure, like you say.

Marylinn Kelly said...

Sherry - Drawers of papers, my true weakness...and are there ever enough? And I, too, am waiting to find out. The answer ALWAYS comes. xo

Marylinn Kelly said...

Kass - I suspect that few of us would disturb the perfect order of those supplies. As I said, it's not my studio...not even close. Thank you about David and Gloria. There were just waiting for me (still are...) xo

Marylinn Kelly said...

Denise - Embrace the chaos applies to so much, not just the order (or disorder) of the studio. I might accomplish more if I were more organized, but that would throw off the space/time continuum. Can't have that. xo

Antares Cryptos said...

That looks like a display window not a studio. Where are the paint splatters, the well-worn brushes that have 3 hairs left or the rings of "I accidentally put the paint remover there"?

I like your beginning of something brought on by visual stimulation (not clutter!) of something else.

beth coyote said...

My studio, ah, looks a mite more rugged than that. Someone who doesn't actually work in their studio can be neat.

And you found treasure. Perfect.

Marylinn Kelly said...

Antares - Thank you...I've been rooting in the studio for materials to make stamp samples and gifts, and found many remembered-when-discovered treasures. With consistent order, that would be less likely to happen. I especially love finding things that aren't made anymore by companies that no longer exist. My own little swap meet. :)

Marylinn Kelly said...

Beth - I found years ago that, no matter how neatly I began, as the project went on I eventually narrowed the actual working space down to about 5" by 5" and there was no way I knew to have it be different. As to treasures found...that alone is reason not to change my m.o. xo

Erin in Morro Bay said...

David sounds annoying - I don't blame Gloria for ticking him off! BTW, I wonder what Gloria's studio looks like? Mine is organized, by in a vintage-y cluttered way. But still room for baked goods and a little Noel Coward!
Erin

Marylinn Kelly said...

Erin - You can imagine my surprise when I looked at this post, curious why it had suddenly attracted readers and found, lo, that back in 2011 Gloria had already found me. No wonder the name came so easily this time around. I believe David is annoying and, simply, not The One. Pre- The Reading Man, Gloria was a study in neatness and order. Now I'm not so sure. xo