Family Day

small vintage suitcase © Karen Thiessen 2011

Yesterday was Family Day, a statutory holiday, which meant that my family had a three day weekend. This is what we did: purged two recycling bins worth of paper, took a partial carload of previously loved goods to a local thrift shop, cleaned, did several loads of laundry, and filled a garbage bag with 5 sad pillows. We also prepared a whack of things to sell, including the cute vintage suitcase in the above picture. I started collecting suitcases before everyone else did, and a few weeks ago I realized that I have far more than what I need, so I'm selling 5 from my collection. The same goes for chairs, I have 16 to sell... among other things. Yikes!

Keri Smith wrote a great post called "Secrets Shared" where she listed 15 Secrets of the Self Employed. Secret #8 resonated with me: Keri has a belief that cleaning out her recycling bin brings her new work. Like Keri, I have a belief that cleaning and tidying my studio brings fresh ideas for new work. Over the past week, I've cleared 84 magazines, several buckets of paper, and other things from my studio. I've also dusted and vacuumed. The space feels wonderful and I can't wait to get to work.