the tragedy of stuff

In a fanciful attempt to organise my creative life, some "normal" attributes of mine have surreptitiously wandered over the boundary into the realm of obsessive. No longer am I content simply to write to-do lists, I have found myself writing lists of to-do lists, or even re-writing lists that I have deemed "too untidy" to be used. In addition to writing seemingly endless lists, I have recently discovered the joy of labelling things - boxes, drawers, notebooks, any container or surface possible. Wherever there may be unmarked storage (be it a chest, package or any other receptacle) you can be sure I'll be near-at-hand with my trusty Dymo machine at the ready.

Some of the shelves in my studio are cram-packed full of small plastic boxes with various labels, containing various crafty bits:

One such box contains "embroidery stuff". I haven't done any sewing, let alone embroidery, since I was at university but, nevertheless, I have a whole box dedicated to embroidery supplies. A box that is taking up precious room on the shelf, but which is full of stuff that I have never used, but for some reason have acquired in an over-ambitious, yet unsuccessful, attempt to embrace the skills of needlework.

It's not like that box is in the minority either - a wall of boxes full of stuff that I haven't used for years (but have always thought perhaps I might get back into): quilling paper, polymer clay, glass paints, stare blankly at me in a forlorn attempt to lure me back. Silent disappointment exuded in my absence hangs in the air, and fills me with a sad guilt whenever I enter the room. I wonder if other people have studios like that too? The pitiful thing is, I can't get rid of them: it makes me feel safe and content to know that, should I wish to ever take up crochet, for example, I have all the materials I could possibly need right there in my studio, waiting patiently in a neatly labelled box on a neatly labelled shelf.

The neglected boxes, and their contents, deserve better. They deserve to feel fulfilled, and they certainly aren't that, sadly sitting on their shelf with nothing to do but idly dream. It's about time that changed - I hereby resolve to use one box, and the contents within, each month until they all feel useful and loved once more.

First on the list... embroidery stuff, come on down!