The Flat Surface Blues

Clutter, Clutter Everyone and No One to Clean

This was once a dining roon table. You know that place where families enjoy good food and conversation. Instead, at Casa Swain, it is just another flat surface on which to place odds and ends that belong somewhere else. I did finally get the clothes and linens put away but there is still plenty of junk and office stuff that needs to be moved.

Below the dining room table is one of those chic behind the sofa tables that has become a repository for whatever paper work I am trying to get done at the moment. Along with a stack of must read books....oh, when will that day
come? Why do I even mention these tragically mis-used pieces of furniture? The truth is housekeeping has always been low on my list of things to do. However, oddly enough I can no longer work in this clutter. Maybe I am finally noticing it or maybe there has been a change in my personality....say it isn't so! Regardless, whenever I sit down to sew, all I can see is the clutter. I feel as if it is closing in on me...kinda like the sci-fi movie, The Blob. The clutter continues to get closer and closer and my space keeps getting smaller and smaller...not me, the space....sigh!

I could call Merry Maids or another house keeper but I would have to clean up the clutter before they arrived...ahem....so what's the point. Why am I not devoting myself to reducing this blob? The lovely photo below says it all. I am spending my days with Avid Liquid 7.2 trying to get the editing job finished. A long sad, frustrating computer story which needs no explanation. Suffice it to say, my deadline is 15 November and I will make it come h#$% or high water. I want this out of the way before the end of the month so I will be ready for the New Year.

New Year...shock and horror....but I have big plans. I am going to be participating in Eric Maisel's year long creativity support group. Here's a link to what all Eric is doing: http://www.ericmaisel.com I am honored that Eric asked me to be a part of this experimental group. We will get individual coaching from him plus continuing support from a great group of other artist. It is a commitment but something I feel will be invaluable. Sweet Ronnie is giving this to me for my birthday which is tomorrow....11/11.....sheesh, I hope I live until 2011...am I gonna buy me some lottery tickets...11/11/11.

Along with that I am going to fly in the face of the established set of rules for quilt artist and get my minimal series cooking. Already have three tops, one in the quilting stage, the other two just waiting to be layered. This may be the end of my 15 minutes as a semi-well known quiltmaker, but you have to follow the path where it leads. I have been avoiding finishing these pieces and trying to focus on another leaf or earth strata.....not satisfied with either, so this must be the way. Now that I have given myself permission to forget the other designs my fingers are itchin' to stitch.

Have a good long weekend for those of you who are off Monday.

Hopefully tomorrow some of the clutter will have abated......or not.