Studio Tasks to Clear your Mind
You know you should be in the studio because you’ll feel better and you have deadlines to meet. Somedays it’s hard to motivate yourself to work. And sure, naps and walks are important, but so is continuing your studio practice and creating art for yourself and the world.
Here are some ideas to get out of your head and into the studio:
Find your box of scraps and dump them on a table. Start sorting them into categorized piles: garbage, useful someday, and need to use this right now because it’s so gorgeous. Throw out the junk and create a small collage with the really good papers.
Change the blades on all your utility knives
Clean the bits and pieces off your tables, sweep the floors, and then empty all the garbage cans
Sharpen every pencil you can find
Create (or refresh) an inspiration space- a collection of small objects you treasure
Redo (or create) your mood/inspiration boards
If you use paper to cover your tables, replace it with fresh sheets
Find a random object or two and see what happens when you use them on a gelli plate
Go through your paints and mediums: get rid of the dried-out and empty ones and make a shopping list
Clean out a single drawer or shelf
Test all your paint pens and markers (maybe this will become some sketchbook practice)
Find the largest piece of paper you have and try out all the odds and ends of mixed-media supplies that you never use
Is there a kid in your house? Invite them into your studio to color with the good pens
Take two colors, plus black and white, and see how many colors you can create
If you have a secret studio stash of chocolate (and you should) this is the perfect time to have a piece
Do you have other ideas? Add them below.
Looking for more guidance in the studio?
A guide to transform your creative chaos
into an inspiring, functional studio
A studio that works with you, not against you.
I created this guide from years of working in my own basement studio—solving the same storage and organization challenges you're facing now.
These aren't theories from a professional organizer. They're practical solutions I use every day as a collage artist and printmaker.
What's inside:
Budget-friendly storage - Find what you need at thrift stores and around your house. No expensive systems required.
Flexible for any space - Whether you work at the kitchen table or in a dedicated room, these ideas adapt to your situation.
Systems that stay organized - Simple routines that don't require constant maintenance. You have art to make, not organizing to manage.
Includes:
The Complete 40-Page "Organized Studio" Guide
Printable Habit Trackers & Worksheets
Problem Areas Assessment Tool
Quick-Start Action Plans
Studio Reset Checklists