Out of Chaos an organizing newsletter

There is Art in your Clutter

Recently, I heard the wonderful writer, Kate DiCamillo being interviewed by Krista Tippet. During the interview DiCamillo said: “Life is Chaos, Art is Pattern”.  An amazing thought, which happened to remind me of a line from the mission statement I wrote for my website way back in 2002: “we can find the patterns that emerge within your particular chaos.”  I believe that many of you have all the systems and the storage you need, but you just can’t see or use them because of your clutter. My job, my art, if you will, is to reveal the patterns that are already there amidst the chaos.

Shortly after I heard that quote, I came across another one, this time from Michelangelo. He said, “The sculpture is already complete within the marble block, before I start my work. It is already there, I just have to chisel away the superfluous material.” I love the word ‘superfluous’. We just need to get rid of the excess. We don’t need it. It is unnecessary. I also love these quotes because they make me think of what I do as art. That my gift, my skill, is to help you coax out from what is already yours all the beauty and order that you aspire to.

But you too are an artist, so here is the trick:  look at your chaos, your clutter, your piles… and look for the pattern. Perhaps interspersed with all that clutter on your kitchen cabinets are some recipes you want to try, you can put those in a file, or slide them between 2 cookbooks- that’s one thread. Maybe there are some receipts… those are definitely superfluous, pitch ‘em. Keep looking. If you see more than 2 of something, pull it out, ask: where does it go? Did you even know you had a collection of blue glass? Well you do! And now that it is all together on one shelf it looks like a collection instead of clutter, and you can enjoy it- because clearly, you like blue glass or you wouldn’t have unconsciously ended up with a dozen pieces of it.

Some patterns are more like bad habits, like why do you have so many bottles of sunscreen? Because you always forget to pack it? That is a pattern that once you see it you can change. Why do you have so many similar black sweaters? Do you really need so many? Sure, when you try them on they always look good- but that doesn’t mean you need twenty of them. Now that you see the pattern, you know not to buy any more. You might have a bunch of things that just need filing, because you have a habit of paying your bills but not filing them. Now that you know these things, you can change. You can whittle away those extraneous habits.

So, approach your clutter like an artist confronting a block of marble, chisel away the extra, find the patterns and reveal the beauty. Because I promise you, there is beauty.