Search Results for: back to school

I’m an art studio voyeur…are you?

May 17, 2019 by Heather Filed Under: Art, Art & Design, In the Studio, Inspiration & Education, Organize 2 Comments

I don’t mean this in a weird way! I just enjoy being an art studio voyeur…a bit of a peeping tom, ogling and sneaking a peek into artists studio spaces! Art (both the making of and viewing) can be a cure for stress and it’s certainly something I turn to when I need a break.

These photos are from a trip back in 2016 to Athens where a friend (MFA candidate at the time) gave me a tour around UGA Lamar Dodd Studio’s. I had the chance to wander the classrooms and studio spaces of students while it was virtually a ghost town.

We visited the whole textile school, including screen printing, the dye lab, weaving studio, paper making and the ceramics classrooms. There’s something intriguing about looking at work in progress, an artist space, their inspiration boards, materials, and equipment.

There’s so much possibility in the process of making, seeing ideas bubble up and dance across the surface with no idea of who’s behind it and where it’s headed.

UGA Lamar Dodd Studio’s

No Slide Found In Slider.

This is what I mean by being an art studio voyeur. It brings me pleasure to see the possibility of creative dreams on the horizon. In my organizing work-whether in a home, business or studio space, I hope to help others realize how important it is to recognize our creative voice. To create space for our creative dreams brings us one step closer to realizing them.

In the slideshow above, I don’t know who made the work, their background, their inspirations, their process and because no one was around this really did feel like I was art studio voyeur! Taking a peek into a moment of creative birth is a gift!

I celebrate the creative spirit with camera in hand and often questions for the maker. I am happy to capture a glimpse of that spark, inspiration, and creative dreams yet to be fully realized.

This curiosity led me to launch the Inside the Artist Studio series (which I will bring back!) and that thread led me to embark on a whole new adventure where the process of studio work, my interest in why makers make and digging into the cultural implications of our current “makers movement” have led me to return to Graduate School this year.

Starting in July, I will be attending Warren Wilson for my MA in Critical and Historical Craft Studies. I realize that a lot of people might wonder why a professional organizer might be embarking on this path and my answer is, because I’m a Weaver and I see connections where others may not. I am extremely excited to explore the intersections between making and organizing, artist process and observation of that process. There is a certain energy that emanates from both the maker and the objects/materials being used and being in that space to observe, pick up inspiration and carry it forward.

There is Chaos and there is Order in all creative cycles…what do you see when you peek into the creative process?

Save

Is your clutter overwhelming you?

January 1, 2019 by Heather Filed Under: Organize, Paper management, Systems & Techniques, Tips & Resources

As much as we all might like to live a totally clutter free life it may not be entirely possible. If your is Clutter Overwhelming you, taking a look at what clutter categories are in our lives can help us understand what triggers our overwhelm.

**clut·ter verb ˈklə-tər**

intransitive verb

: to run in disorder

transitive verb

: to fill or cover with scattered or disordered things that impede movement or reduce effectiveness

There are many kinds of clutter in our lives. Take a moment to evaluate each category and decide where you can reduce clutter. Know that it might get worse before it gets better...all that dirt that may emerge by way of emotions and literal mess might not be pretty! Hang in there and you will be rewarded if you are can be open to the process. As your thinking about each of these categories, imagine them as you want them to be-intentions are powerful!

Mail-incoming and outgoing (try reducing it by removing subscriptions to magazines, junk mail and catalogs).
Kids-school bags, sports equipment, books, toys, clothes etc…get your kids involved and create a place for easy pick up and storage of transient items.
Office-paperwork, files, receipts, mail etc. Create one designated area and consider using a type of action or tickler filing system to corral it all.
Digital-photos (delete the impulse pictures that don’t turn out well and you would never print!), email (removed yourself from subscriptions and consider creating multiple email addresses for different purposes), digital computer files (create a file hierarchy similar to your paper file system).
Household-things that you have sitting around but don’t love (rotate displays or give items away to friends and charity with no strings attached).
Mental-those endless thoughts that run in circles in your mind, find a way to tame them by taking notes, writing in a journal and releasing them if the are out of your control!

As much as we all might like to live a totally clutter free that’s probably not realistic. Understanding our limitations and having realistic expectations can help us decide where to start. Once you’ve evaluated the clutter areas in your life, prioritize them from worst to best and get ready for action.

“Clutter is a physical manifestation of fear that cripples our ability to grow.” ~H.G. Chissell

There are so many kinds of clutter in our lives. Take a moment to think about each category and evaluate which areas trigger your overwhelm.

Mail-incoming and outgoing (try reducing it by removing subscriptions to magazines, junk mail and catalogs)
Kids-school bags, sports equipment, books, toys, clothes etc…get your kids involved and create a place for easy pick up and storage of transient items
Office-paperwork, files, receipts, mail etc. Create 1 designated area and consider using a type of action or tickler filing system to corral it all
Digital-photos (delete the impulse pic’s that don’t turn out well and you would never print!), email (removed yourself from subscriptions and consider creating multiple email addresses for different purposes), digital computer files (create a file hierarchy similar to your paper file system)
Household-things that you have sitting around but don’t love (rotate displays or give items away to friends and charity with no strings attached)
Mental-those endless thoughts that run in circles in your mind, find a way to tame them by taking notes, writing in a journal and releasing them if the are out of your control!

Once you’ve evaluated the cluttered areas of your life, prioritize them in order of worst to best join me this month for the Clutter Purge Challenge! On day one we will release 1 item, on day 31, we will releas 31 things! That’s almost 500 physical manifestations that are holding us back! Click here to join the challenge, you can join in at any time!

“When you have cleared all of your clutter, you can be of greater service to those around you.”~Michael B. Kitson

Understanding How we Learn

March 1, 2018 by Heather Filed Under: Inspiration & Education, Productivity, Tips & Resources, Wellness & Mindset Leave a Comment

Understanding how we learn can unlock many opportunities and stop us from berating ourselves for not doing things the way we think we “Should”. The word should, should be used with caution…it’s a slippery slope but I’m getting way off track here. Lets get back to understanding how we learn.

Have you ever thought about how you LIKE to learn or what feels natural to you? Are you someone who can pick up a book, follow diagrams and move forward with the making? Do you like to listen rather than read? If someone shows you how to do something can you pick it up and go with it? Do you need to read, write and listen to really absorb new information?
Do you learn by connecting with the person, thing or idea?

What are your biggest obstacles to learning? How do you identify or define them? Maybe you haven’t given much thought to how you learn, since you may no longer be in school but learning remains a big part of life for many of us, whether we are learning for professional reasons, creative reasons or are just curious by nature (that’s ME!).

There are 7 basic learning styles described below and shared directly via Learning Styles Online, where a wealth of more in dept info can be found if your deeply interested!

Seven Learning Styles

Visual (spatial):You prefer using pictures, images, and spatial understanding.
Aural (auditory-musical): You prefer using sound and music.
Verbal (linguistic): You prefer using words, both in speech and writing.
Physical (kinesthetic): You prefer using your body, hands and sense of touch.
Logical (mathematical): You prefer using logic, reasoning and systems.
Social (interpersonal): You prefer to learn in groups or with other people.
Solitary (intrapersonal): You prefer to work alone and use self-study.

In addition to these 7 styles, Experiential learning techniques utilize a variety of the learning styles above but are more specifically defined as “learning through reflection on doing“. Experiential learning and “teaching” through skills transference are a big part of the hands-on organizing process, though experiential learning can exist without a teacher. This type of learning gained more influence in the early 70’s through the research of David Kolb (no relation to the Kolbe personality testing). There are additional learning styles defined within the Kolb experiential learning method, more can be found on them here. Some of his findings share similar theories understood about personality types, which is partially what led me to want to share this information. If you missed my recent post about personality types, see it here.

Kolb states “that in order to gain genuine knowledge from an experience, the learner must have the four abilities described below:

Concrete Experience: The learner must be willing to be actively involved
Reflective Observation: The learner must be able to reflect on the experience
Abstract Conceptualization: The learner must possess and use analytical skills to conceptualize the experience
Active Experimentation: The learner must possess decision making and problem solving skills in order to use the new ideas gained

In most cases when someone wants to become more organized, they have an interest in learning the skills needed and are willing to try new systems as well as reflect on how the process worked for them. This type of learning is familiar in the professional organizing world largely because this type of work is often self motivated, requires reflection, analytical skills to visualize the outcome and problem solving to make adjustments to new systems or processes.

The questions below are helpful in the reflection phase and are defined as the five stage experiential learning cycle:

Did you notice…?
Why did that happen?
Does that happen in life?
Why does that happen?
How can you use that?

Recently, there have been quite a few recent articles written discrediting learning styles as myth. Some of these new theories don’t discredit learning styles completely (some have) and others have shifted towards Learning Strategies, which might actually be a more accurate way to think about how we learn!

Mostly, I think it’s important to understand why we want to learn, how we learn and what we can do to better support our unique, personal process of learning. Science and technology may determine that some of what has been largely adopted as truth may not be fully accurate for all of us. I’d have to agree with that because as much as these theories might seem concrete, how we learn in real time will be deeply affected by so many factors, I for one am grateful for people who want to keep learning about learning. I’ve found some great articles written on the site Learning Science and Cornerstone University if you want to dive deeper.

Ultimately, it’s incredibly helpful when we can better understand our own learning process. Giving a bit of thought to how you learn can make learning much easier and more fun.

What do you know about your learning style or learning strategies? Do you fit neatly into one category or do you find you are a combination of different learning styles or strategies?

Wrangling Donation Resources

January 25, 2018 by Heather Filed Under: Organize, Organizing Projects, Tips & Resources, Uncategorized Leave a Comment

Wrangling donation resources can feel like a huge hassle. Getting organized isn’t just about purging but it certainly helps to motivate us when we know the stuff we no longer need is going someplace it is needed and will be loved.

For some people getting stuff out of the house as soon as a decision is made to part with it is essential (lest you dive back into your own give away bin to take stuff back out!).Have a plan for when and where you want to haul your donations before you begin so they don’t sit around your home or car, tempting you to keep things.

So that you don’t fall into that trap I want to share some of my favorite convenient resources for donations. Some of these are local to the region I live and work in, some are national (with local or virtual options).

Choosing who to donate to…

This can be a challenge for some people, others really don’t care as long as it’s GONE! Some considerations to keep in mind when donating to any non-profit.

Will my donation end up in the hands of someone who can actually use it?
How much $ goes directly to the charity versus overhead/operations?
What are the causes I feel passionate about (pets, homeless, children, housing etc)?

With the above in mind here are some Donation resources for you to consider, the important thing is to make a connection between your passions and those in need. Think creatively and determine where your goods will do the most GOOD!

National: Donation Town, Salvation Army, Goodwill, Fema and Purple Heart

Pet Causes: ASPCA Local Shelters, Pet Consignments like Animal Helpers ReTail here in Charleston (proceeds split between two shelters)

Other Special Causes: Local Homeless Shelters like 180 Place here in Charleston, Schools and Teachers Supply Closet in Charleston (specific teachers or counties offer school drives), Libraries & their book sales, Orphanages like Low Country Orphan Relief here in Charleston, various Churches, Missions and other community or spiritual centers.

When possible, take a picture and list “In Kind” items being donated if you would like to write them off for tax purposes. It’s important to include your full name and contact info, the date and a clear description of each item and the condition they are in. More information about donation receipts can be found here.

It is ultimately up to the donor (you) to assign a dollar value to your donation.

You can determine basic values for clothing and household items using this simple Donation Calculator spreadsheet, or there are programs that will help you do this and include the deductions in your annual tax filing.

When you are ready to donate items, where are your favorite places to go? Do a little homework for national organizations at Charity Navigator so that you can be sure your efforts are gong directly where you hope!

Planner Roundup and Review

September 20, 2017 by Heather Filed Under: Paper management, Productivity, Systems & Techniques, Tips & Resources, Uncategorized 1 Comment

I have used so many types of planners that I thought it might be helpful for me to share my planner roundup and review of what I’ve learned over the years. This is only a review of planners I have personally used or used with clients. Each of us needs to use a system that supports productivity and keeping track of scheduled appointments and sometimes tasks. If you have tried and failed or are not sure what to try, this will give you some ideas of where to start. And remember, if you’re not using a planner of some sort you’re using your brain as a storage device.

Your Brain is Not a Storage Device!I use my planner for appointments, tasks and goals. Some of you may only use a planner for appointments or may use a combination of two systems. Using more than one planner system can work for some people, just like using a paper planner may be best for some and digital works better for others. There are a lot of options to choose from so hang in there as I run through some of my favorite Planners in review here.

Paper vs Digital, I’ve used both and still do to some degree. I am finding a return to paper planners all over these days. There are a lot of tech savvy people who love paper planners and there are others who don’t want to carry anything additional around with them. Making a decision about paper or digital is personal and should be based on several factors including:

How tech savvy are you?
What’s your lifestyle and schedule…do you forget things easily?
Do you love the feel of a paper book and love writing by hand?
Who do you need to share events with (family members, work team etc)?
Did you learn any planner techniques that have stuck with you? If so can you build on those systems?

My Planner Use Timeline…A Planner Roundup and Review of 6 Systems

I started using the Franklin Covey system when I was in High School and learned some pretty awesome skills for productivity, setting goals and planning my time. The Franklin system was developed by Stephen Covey author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I primarily used this system in my later years of High School and college in an effort to become a better student and develop leadership skills and many of these skills and techniques have stuck with me! There are several sizes and styles of Franklin planners and they are beautifully made and can be specifically tailored to your needs. Take the quiz to learn your Franklin planner style here. I honestly think all planners in a way were born from the Franklin system…but that’s not based on scientific study:)

I eventually downsized from the Franklin system (I found it a bit too bulky) and incorporated a more simplified and some may say Sexy version of goal setting and time management with my Filofax. I confess that a good part of my choice to switch had to do with the aesthetics of the simple and sophisticated looking Filofax. I used this system from college into early professional years and this system, like the Franklin predated digital calendars and planners. I incorporated some of the goal setting skills and time management skills I learned from Franklin Covey into my Filofax use…I had a good foundation in place and felt I could easily create my own goals without as many specific prompts.

Along comes the digital world…I flirted with, tried and used Outlook, Google Calendars and other calendars for awhile (probably a good 10 year period) but found that with digital calendar systems I was not capturing my goals as well as I did when I used a paper planner. What I love about digital systems is that they can be entered and shared via multiple devices or people and are available anywhere via access to that digital account. I still use Google calendars for certain things…I’ll explain in more detail below.

I finally returned to a paper planner in the past 7 or so years because I felt the need to see my goals broken down into specific measurable tasks that I could assign daily, weekly, monthly alongside my appointments…on paper. I tried to use the Filofax system but didn’t like how bulky it felt, it was more than I needed. I downsized to a small Moleskine and started learning about Bullet Journaling since there is little structure to the Moleskine system. I don’t feel the need for as much guided structure now since I have years of experience using more other systems.

A few years ago I decided to try Danielle LaPorte’s Desire Map Planner which at that time was similar in size and structure to a medium size Moleskine but with some of her wisdom about Core Desired Feelings and Truth Bombs sprinkled through to keep my goals focused on the bigger picture of how I want to live my life with intention. I eventually went back to the Moleskine system two years ago and will probably stick with that again next year BUT I will be giving away two Desire Map Planners between October and December! Her new planners are beautiful, spiral bound, full of inspiring and motivating prompts and a wonderful tool for anyone who doesn’t need to take their planner everywhere or doesn’t mind something a bit more bulky (the primary reasons I won’t be using them but wish I could!). Follow me over on my Facebook Page and Instagram to learn more about the planner giveaway and share with your friends!

A hybrid system that works for me…I am currently and plan to continue to use a bit of a hybrid system with both my Moleskine (week at a glance medium size) and Google Calendars. I use digital calendars for shared and recurring events and I use my paper planner, with PENCIL-always pencil, for appointments and personal/business goals. I incorporate some Bullet Journal techniques (some of the symbols and color coding) because I like the creative aspect of the system. Some people create works of art with their Bullet Journals! I don’t quite go that far:)

A last note about using digital calendars. I love the color coding and sharing features of Google Calendars and have pretty much used this digital system exclusively. I use the digital format whenever I purchase event tickets and want the info to be available on my device. I also jot a note of the time in my paper calendar-some people might not want to do this duplication! I use color coding to keep track of larger goals for my business like blog themes, newsletter publication and recurring volunteer/meetings. The format is pretty intuitive to use, there are lots of tutorials available and it’s an app that can be downloaded to almost any device. It’s also compatible with iCal (which has some similar features). I’ve worked with clients to use iCal but in my opinion it’s not the best tool for goal setting or tasks, only for setting appointments and events.

So, currently a hybrid system (mostly paper with recurring events digtal) is what works for me! I have shared this technique with others and they have adopted their own variation of a hybrid system. I’ve long wished that someone would come out with a paper calendar that captures everything digitally and it seems that Moleskin will be doing this in 2018, I’ll be giving that a try!

What planner systems have you used, what’s worked and what has not? Please tell me your favorites and don’t forget to follow me on Facebook and Instagram to learn more about the Desire Map Planner Giveaway’s!