Having many interests that benefit from having a computer nearby has resulted in my office becoming a cluttered mess. Lately it’s been driving me crazy as I go from designing, researching, blogging, learning, sewing or lettering.
Recognizing Distractions
While I have consolidated my drawing materials to be more portable, it feels like more of a commitment when I make space to get it all out. If I’m lucky to have some space available on my main desk area, the project then becomes in the way when I need to switch gears again. I don’t have a nice system to switch gears and pick up where I left off, and disciplines overlap in a distracting way. Dedicated space to focus is a necessity for impromptu creative action with the benefit of leaving other workflows untouched.
Be Realistic
The start of progress was the realization that although it’s nice to have in my office with so much natural light, my sewing and craft materials just don’t need to live in there. If I am working on a sewing project I always seem to need more than this small room has to offer anyway.
I also have this thing about finishing books. I struggle to move onto another until I complete one first. So I tend to leave them out for easy access until they’re done. I can’t say this actually helps me to finish them any faster, but I can say that they get in a way a lot. I decided to organize all books and sketch books to the shelving area for when I actually need them. I can easily pull them as I go, and put them back.
Consider Workflow
Not only did I want to focus on basic materials and ease of use, but something important to my lettering workflow is reference material. Whether it’s inspiration, a previous sketch I want to build on or just practice sheets, I needed to organize them and have them at the ready. Those three categories are what I used. Now when I sit down I have a project ready to go, or one of those to pull from to start me out.
Focus
I finally cleared out a small table. It used to house in-progress books, sketches, sewing projects. It is now dedicated to just lettering. My tools and area feel at the ready at all time, and the computer is less of a distraction when I need time away from the screen.
Now, the focus is on the drawing and I feel like I can breath.