Just Wondering If Art Impacts Your Life As It Does Mine? And What Do You Do About It???

LOL you sound like me given half the chance. The only reason ANYthing else gets done here is I have a very house proud BF. My life consists of three things and two of those are on this stoopid computer ;)

Close this discussion and don't log back into the forum until you have accomplished what you need. I get so much work done when I am not trolling these boards.

I love your honesty Val. Turning those Halloween pumpkins to face the wall.
For me personally, I feel much better when those nagging things piling up - are out of my sight ( so close the door. Lol ) .
Visual chaos is noise to my eyes - & I can not concentrate.

I do better when I get up - & keep that laptop closed. It can opened for lunch, & then I can see what the world is up to. By that time I have gotten @ least 2 hours of painting in, & 3 hours of chores.
I do realize that I need to get a weekly planner though to keep myself organized & accomplish goals.

Or perhaps, you don't care. If you can focus & function - then who is to say that is not a condition that you thrive in.
It really all depends on how you feel about it.

Abbie I was given the chance and I sure did run with it. I am betting the other thing is your dogs... like me they do take up a lot of my time.

Craig you are probably right...no not probably... worked all day so nothing more is going to happen tonight but tomorrow...that is exactly what I will do. Maybe just check my messages once in the am and then once at night....I have to check my email and then unplug the thing. Maybe it will motivate me to work faster.

Janine...No I don't thrive in it at all...it feels like some sort of weight around my neck. I do need to get it under control because I know I function much better when things are neat and orderly. I just seem to have forgotten how to get back to that place!

Yeah closing the door worked for awhile but I've run out of doors.

Val, I can ban you for 24 hours from here LOL and yes, DOGS are the other part

Abbie as crazy as that sounds...do it! how about for 72 hours....I should be able to get a lot done in that amount of time....I have a BIG mess and I don't think 24 hours is enough especially because it is already night here :)

of coarse if you see me on facebook you'll know it isn't working :)

Val, after I had to clear out my dad's house a couple of years ago and discovered he was a hoarder, I just could not face major cleaning/purging in my house. Give yourself a break.

Then SET ONE HOUR AT A TIME and do a little bit. Do the stuff that bothers you the most first. You're an artist, so you're probably like a lot of us right-brained people, you don't want to do it unless you can do it ALL at one time.

Stop thinking like that. Set that one hour and just do it - at least the stuff that's visibly upsetting you. I finally cleaned out my den, which was the holding area for the stuff brought home from my parent's house and my husband's parent's house (all four parents died in a relatively short time), and it felt good. (we won't mention it's full of boxes again because my husband has been ordering some things online that come in big boxes - I'll fix that this weekend).

You know since it's bothering you, you're getting ready to do something about it......yes?

Mary I think I have been giving myself a break...I tried doing that chore a day thing and setting aside a hour a day and it just isn't working. Yup and you are right I do want to do it all at once! I've even considered taking a weeks vacation to do it....but that thought makes me feel sick.

Actually I am hoping Abbie pops back in and turns me off...might even start doing some stuff tonight.

Val,

You are in the North East, the snow is piling up still.

I am waiting for my spring cleaning.

Dave

Go, Val, Go! LOL. The longest journey starts with a single step.....or something like that....

David I thought of that...spring cleaning...but I know once the weather gets good I am going to want to go out to my tiny garden...and by then I hope to have made a camera purchase and I know That will be a big distraction.

Mary LOL! I do think once I get going I will keep at it. You definitely accomplished a great amount of work at your Dads...that had to be even harder than what I am up against. I hate to say it because it is really laughable...my house is so tiny...in theory it should only take a few hours.

Abbie Where did you go? I am still here!

Val - you have to do it before the good weather because if you are like me, when the good weather hits, I am outside and then on the computer LOL I have things piled up as well and what I do is pick a weekend to do all the cleaning etc that I need to do, do not turn on the computer until after dinner, check emails, then turn it off and the same the following day - I feel so much better when my house is in order and then of course the cycle carries on!

Debbie you are right ...good weather and I am out of here....if I don't get it done now I can't even imagine how bad things will be by the time it gets cold again. I am off tomorrow...I will do that...I have been wanting to move my desk so maybe the first thing to do is unplug everything and not set it back up until after dinner.

It seems like I used to do all my cleaning and get everything done on a Saturday morning...IDK what happened!

It's difficult juggling a full time day job with a full time passion such as art. Other things, the "none necessities" fall behind very quickly. You have to do your day job for financial security and you have to do your art to sooth your soul, and it's hard to find the time for both, let alone all the other "little" things. I am totally with you. I am so wiped from my completely uncreative day job when I get home that I don't want to do anything, I just want to sit on the couch, and soak up some creativity. Usually on work nights that comes in the form of playing on my art sites, reading a book about art technique, or planning and plotting my next project, usually with my favorite shows on in the background. Then on my day's off, I finally get the time to actually create, and it usually takes my whole day. Sometimes I work on painting after work, but I always have a hard time sleeping when I am in the middle of a project and I have to be up early in the morning for work, so I don't risk it often. My house is a wreck because of it, and the anticipation of having to clean it just kills me lol. Also recently my book shelf with all my art books, albums and scrapbooks collapsed (nothing was damaged thankfully), but now I have piles of books sitting around waiting to be reorganized.

Do you best Val, a bit at a time make a to do list.
I understand you like to escape on the computer, and complete your art, that still a good thing thou.
all the best Val!!

Time management is hard no matter what type of job or hobbies you might have. I know it sounds corny, but it helps a lot to write a to do list everyday. It helps keep you organized and motivated. Every time you get the chance to cross out one of the task you have completed it feels like you are taking a step ahead, which is obviously its what you want. Stay positive and don't see things as chores, but see them as baby steps to a bigger picture which is getting stuff done. If you love your art don't ever stop working on it, simply learn to manage time. It might help to drink your coffee and then complete one or two things before getting started on your art work. you will be surprised how much you will get done in a week.

Shana that is it exactly!!! I have a friend that told me to do what she does...she gets up at 3am to clean! I can't even imagine doing that...she said she wants everything to look pristine when she goes to work just incase somebody stops by and peeks in the window. Makes more sense to me to just pull the drapes :)

I live in Minnesota. By the middle of February, half of us are in a deep pit of depression and lethargy. The other half are in denial.

Teresa and Bianca...a to do list is a great idea! And Coffee...lots of coffee!!! Tonight I will make a list of everything I need to do....it might be fun to cross them off...but I think I will ban myself from doing any art until this mess is cleaned up...that might be the biggest motivator. I feel like I am getting ready to take a trip into the unknown...kind of exciting and a little bit scary. LOL maybe I'll even figure out where I put my watch.

Abbie if you do pop back in here please turn me off...72 hours should be enough to keep the momentum going. I am serious...that would be one less temptation to just take a little break and NOT get back to it.

Jim I can't imagine how you do it....wait maybe I can it has been a horrible winter. What do you do? The term "cabin fever" comes to mind.

Daylight and physical activity help, but in the end, we just wait it out. It is after all part of the cycle of life.

since i do this full time, my hand is slowly curling into a ball, trying not to give myself wrist issues, need to do something for the eye strain too. i can usually get some stuff done, usually leaving 2 hours to do other things away from the machine, until the boss comes back and drags me back to work on whatever it was i was doing.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

Don't feel bad Val, you just told my story...so much work and half done projects, but art has the impact on an artist's life.

Jim sometimes I think I would love to live where the weather is always warm but it is just that...the changing of the seasons that keeps me here.

Well I guess Abbie doesn't want to ban me...or thinks I am kidding so I will ban myself. I want to thank you all for your words of encouragement...I am going to set the clock for 5am and as they say...Just Do It! Thank you so much!!!

Val, you should do what Warhol did : at the end of each days, he sweep everything on his desk into a box, label with the date on it.

That is such a great idea, thanks for sharing it Alfred.

Val I hear you , and know what you mean....
Try making it all into an art project....arrange the mess so it has some artistic flair....find something interesting to photograph...do a still llfe...I'm pretty sure Picasso and the old masters did it that way. it's probably why they moved to Impressionism and Cubism...away from realism...things were just to messy for realism. People gravitate toward that which is pleasurable and connecting...maybe embrace yourself the way you are, and get a robot to clean...a Roomba...maybe a goat. You have lots of options

I have a dino Pc, which is in another room away from the majority of the living quarters and it is also away from where I create my artworks. I do not want a laptop because I don't want access at all times. If I have something I need to do around the house, cleaning, etc.. I do it in increments depending on the task. Maybe work for 30 min. -45 min.and check messages in between paint drying or bleaching bathtubs, mopping, etc. I do limit my usage during the day but like to be on after dinner,baths and bedtimes. Then it's my time! :) I also don't have a cell either because I don't like to be bothered. lol I like to drive and listen to music instead when I am out. If there were no cells or computers I would still be happy but I would miss my TV shows!

Hello Val, here it is the truth and nothing but the truth.....a friend came over this evening at 5 pm. He is a neighbor from my old neighborhood. Well, I am cooking he is doing laundry, and then I convince him Bill have you seen Interstellar, he replied no I have not. Well, I did tell him now you are, this was my third time seeing the movie. Ok, he hence left I came back up and get on line and here is your discussion of all discussion. I would not feel bad about a thing.....just about three weeks ago, their were real pumpkins on the steps of a home in the garden district, they left them from Halloween and put Mardi Gras mask on them...lol, insane no. funny yes. Keep the ceramic pumpkins turn em green for St. Patrick's that would be fun....


Well, you will not believe what we do down here, instead of taking down Christmas we leave it up, and decorate the trees like Mardi Gras, this sounds insane but true, everyone instead of taking it down the trees decorate them with Mardi Gras stuff....and putting it up it remains now of course after Mardi Gras the fake trees do come down...but then door wreaths are made for all occasions, my fake Christmas door wreath is green for St. Patrick's Day.


Without question you would fit in well have you thought of moving down south and as fast as you can. We have some of the nicest weather, the food is to die for, the live music is sensational and free you take a walk around the French Quarter and hear it any time of the day or night., we have a festival every week, so In between being an artist, a musician, a doctor, a nurse, a lawyer, a cab driver, a photographer, you name it we do it, and then reward ourselves with attending of the free festivals. I actually have no clue how many festivals there are in New Orleans, hundreds to guess. I mention coffee house, why would I want to spend all my time locked up when I have my own table and picture window to view the world and meet the most fascinating people. Lets see this morning met the father of the daughter who is the actress of the new Walt Disney movie being filmed My Sister's Voice....this evening met a CBS news anchor woman and her friend also an actress in an upcoming movie. Never a dull moment.

And remember I retired in October, I get up no later than 9 get dressed and spend the day at the coffee shop. And yes, I am pretty much planning my acting career, keeping up with all the emails and submitting open casting call of this movie, that commercial and so forth. I then come home at the end of the day and find myself on the computer yet again. Nothing wrong with leaving it there for a little while, you are not going crazy by doing so, just remember only a doctor can tell you if you are going crazy....lol

Heck I still have Mardi Gras alter to dismantle, and pack away. I am at my favorite coffee shop every day, and people will come up and ask you must be wiring a novel, we see you here everyday, I tell them no, I work on my photography business at on line at Fine Art America, and yes I am a actor as well....smiling. Do you want my autograph....lol..

Oh and at the St. Patrick Day Parades here they actually throw everything you need to make boiled cabbage, carrots, potatoes, you name it and everyone goes and screams at the riders, bring all the fixings back to their house and have a open house party. New Orleans is such a care free city.....

Cheers, Michael Hoard Actor, Artist and Photographer.

How about having friends over for a "clean-up party?" I understand a lot of people will do things for food especially if the food is good! When I have a big mess to clean up I need help, it can be too overwhelming to even think about. You could try and pick up one or two things whenever you get the chance and eventually things will be organized.

I tend to let the house keeping go some but I think that's just out of sheer laziness. You mention not taking the holiday decorations down and putting them away. There's an easy solution to that, just don't put them up to begin with, that's how I handle it.

Suzanne has the best idea! I do have a confession. I wrapped my TV entertainment stand with Christmas lights in 2013. I didn't get to the outside that year but wanted my kids to have some lights. They weren't up long and it was time to take them off and I couldn't. Too pretty and it kept the big light off in the living room so less usage of electricity. I left them there and they are still on and there. Festive in my living room every night. But hey! I live in the South. Your not southern unless some sort of Christmas lights are up all through the year!! :)

@Suzanne, now that is a fun idea and actually been to one of those, instead of house warmingm house cleaning. Why heck I would even love to shovel snow, If I had any to shovel......


@David, that is so true, so true if it didn't you up in the first place you would not have to take it down.....hummm.

@Val, leave just a short time longer, spring is almost here, an excuse for Spring Cleaning.....throw a Spring is Here Party.....now that is fun. Val, get a bottle of wine, or a six pack, turn the music up and snap to it, I am sure the winter time blues that is all it is winter time blues....

@JoNel, I like it, I actually have a 5 ft. 3 ft co coc[-cola sign suspend from the massive beams between the kitchen and dining room, my great kitchen to the formal dining room, the two sided coke sign yes had the large Christmas bulbs all the way around except for the bottom, my stove faced the dining room and I had stools on the other side of the counter and was wide as the coke sign.. I still have the sign, but now in a 4th floor suite with a city view... and no way to secure it. the ceilings being somewhat low..not quite 10 ft. ceilings...it sits on the floor and just reaches the top of the picture windows which have the city view... I am from the south and so many of us have Christmas lights up in our yards, and yes on our porches, and inside its festive and colorful and they stay up year round, I like the look of it.

The sign hung from the massive beams between one room to another, when the renovation was done to the house the pocket doors from the living room to the parlor and the doors from the parlor to the kitchen were removed to make all three rooms of grand rooms.... pocket doors from the living room to the dining room were removed the ceiling were 18 ft tall

SO I shut down the computer and went to bed and then couldn't sleep thinking of my soon to be nice clean house. ...so of course I came back here .

Lisa I like Alfred's too ...might be able to find that watch I lost around the beginning of November.

Thank you Alfred!

Mike so I am guessing when I finally get to the bottom of the mess all I will need is two hours a day to do other stuff...that's not bad...maybe an hour in the morning and one at night!

Joseph LOL That is so funny! Maybe I should take some pics...before and after....maybe keep myself from creating such a big mess again.

JoNel it sounds like you have the system down! I like that....the lights can stay...I like them!

Suzanne that is a great idea except I can't tell them why they are coming or they won't show up...except for my one crazy friend who like to clean but then I don't want her to see this huge mess.

David somehow you make me feel men are better at this sort of thing. I think I am going to embrace the garbage bag tomorrow...might just be easier to throw stuff out instead of figuring out what to do with it all.

Michael you have given me the best idea of all...just burn it down and move to New Orleans!

Thank you all so much...I am actually looking forward to tackling this project now!

@Laughing in hysterics, I can see it now you set the timer to the natural gas stove, pack the bags, the mini van, the pets, about a block away you look in the rear view mirror and see this mini explosion...I can just see it happening, you say out loud "oh my, I must have left the candle burning in the ceramic pumpkin....somewhat like a real live script from Desperate Housewives....one of my all time favorites......but all things serious you would as an artist adapt to the culture....then what would I do, I would not have to type here in the discussion, heck you could call me and say Michael leave the coffee shop and come meet me for coffee and beignets at the French Market...lol or, when spring arrives and all the snow melts, friends come check on you, and Val is gone, all that remains are the ceramic pumpkins in the middle of the floor, a note reads inside, gone to see the Voo Doo Queen in New Orleans....lol

And don't forget you do not wash clothes but only on Monday, lol while the red beans and rice are cooking, slowly. and housekeeping usually done in the middle of the week because come the weekend....off to a festival or fresh farmers market......and then you can make costumes for your dogs and walk in a dog parade...that is fun, no cats allowed lol.....

And of course Art my photography impacts my life, here I am suppose to be upload just nearly 800 photos back to my computer which Abbie was so nice to send me the link of, I take a break between each upload....

Hey Val, my house is in it's usual state. Yesterday I worked on the day job for nine hours, went and did some food shopping and then spent two hours on some art. That is a typical day for this week so far. This morning I wrote a nice message to myself in the dust on a piece of furniture (always nice to do something positive). One of the cats got down into the bedroom and went under the bed and came out covered in cobwebs so that was a result, one less place to clean! I have a client coming for a Reiki session so a priority for the weekend is to get that room spotless, and of course the tai chi room has to be clean for Saturday morning class... did clean the upstairs bathroom so feeling virtuous. Any other cleaning will be achieved whilst dancing and singing to loud music as I like to make it an event as it doesn't happen often. :-)

you don't do it all in one day. usually after lunch i do a little of something each day. right now i'm organizing the basement. i had to help move my father into a new building and took a lot of stuff home (he's a dentist). that i'm taking apart and sorting out. over the last week or so i built a bird bath from an old spit sink. now that its done, today i'll do another 2 hours worth of stuff until its all done. the secret to doing a lot is to not look at the entire job, just a small part of it. and you make a goal. today i will do X, Y, and Z but if i can also get done 1, 2, and 3 then i'll be ahead for tomorrow. but if i can't get it done, then oh well. before you know it, it's all done.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

Art can be an escape from the mundane for many people. I always looked for ways to make may engineering work more like an artform and that was reflected back into my art endeavors.
I've also through out my career have tried my hardest not to let art become an obsession although finishing my film nearly pushed me to obsessive behavior.
I don't know which interest came first.
The interest in the sciences or the interest in art. Most likely the formed in an asymmetric manner.

Dorothy...How you keep a great big house clean seems like it must be a daunting task...it funny I look forward to getting this all done and only having dust to worry about :)

Mike...you are not kidding there is no way to get it done in a day...I am just looking at what is right in front of me....made the mistake of going up to my third floor and opening that door...have a lot of construction mess up there and it almost sent me running back to the computer.

Drew...yup I think that's what happened...obsessive behavior...well that and thinking I could quit cleaning and cooking :)

Michael... LOL...seriously, your suggestion of moving away in a minivan is what I am keeping right in front of me....I am planning a move in the possibly not to distant future...that thought makes it easier to drag stuff out to the trash!

Day one is done and my first floor is almost done! I am enjoying this vacation from art...that is how looking at it...been working on something everyday for three years so I guess it's time to take a little break. Until this mess is done I will not allow myself to work on anything or spend much time on the computer doing anything. For anyone needing to get a lot done:.. Just pull the plug for a bit...it is totally amazing how much more time I seem to have....Thanks so much for all your suggestions....I am implementing them all and it is WORKING!!!

Yay!!! Well Done Val

the easiest way is - grab something if your going in that direction and drop it off. and if your going down, bring something from there and bring it down. this way your motions aren't wasted. i'll place things in a box headed for the basement and then come up with stuff from there. its an easy way. just don't look at the mess as it is. i also find when it comes to construction stuff, vacuum as you go. i find it just looks neater...

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

See, we are not completely useless, Val. I'm glad you are getting some of it done.

I moved a pile of books the other day and discovered I had two copies of the same book, both of which I ordered recently. Gotta watch that.

I did actually clean my toilet last night (well, one of them. Nobody uses the toilet upstairs so it has that nice mineral ring). Do I hear applause?

Val, it feels good to actually get something done, right?

Dorothy, I had to laugh about writing a message in the dust on a piece of furniture. I thought I was the only one that ever did that ;-).

Yes, it does occupy my life the same way. You know how you see a 12 year old glued to his PlayStation? Well, that's me with art.

--Roz Abellera

So proud of you Val - it does feel good, doesn't it ?
You will be surprised how your art will take new turns when you come back all refreshed.

Dorothy - you gave me an idea . Just stick the laser pointer under the bed ( or furniture) and let the cat have at it for about 10 mins. & voila' !
Dusting complete.

We are Artists - we can be creative about this.

LOL, Janine, that's a great idea.....

Janine, great idea! Now, to get at the cobwebs...

Mike, what kind of hand issues are you having? I've already had 3 operations on my hands, 2 of which are from computer use. Now my middle finger on my right hand is going into contracture. I wake up with it completely curled under and I have to force it to straighten out...extremely painful!! I had the same thing happen to my left hand and I had the tendon released surgically. I think I will have to get this contracture released now too...it's my mousing hand. Gah! It's always something! I think I'm going to wear some sort of brace at night to keep it straight as the pain caused when straightening it out made me cry this morning : '( and I'm afraid it's going to stay curled permanently before I can have the hand surgeon look at it.

Hey Val Congrats! Makes you feel better eh? I took some of my own advice and cleaned today, organized some junk drawers, am working on closets and making a roast chicken dinner because I have to have tonight free as we just picked up Season 7 of Sons Of Anarchy, watched first disc last night and will carry on tonight, so good! SOA takes precedence right now over working on my photos LOL

I don't really mind cleaning my house and keeping it clean it is just that I really hate dusting and that is my biggest allergy which causes me to have to take an allergy pill, use nasal spray and my inhaler every day but I still won't dust on a regular basis and we have a very expensive filter on the furnace which works great cause I would be a lot worse that what I am now with the allergies

@Mike - you're right, that is the way to do things, saves steps and time and my husband always vacuums as he is working on stuff cause you don't want to track the mess through the house

@Joy - that must be awful - I had a finger that wouldn't straighten, went to the specialist and a shot of cortisone did the trick for me

its sort of like writers cramp. mostly my middle finger is having issues. since i'm using the pen for the whole day, its kind of cramping things up. i don't think its carpal or ulnar. i do know the bone in that finger seems larger there, since it's a mousing finger too. i try to keep my arm massaged and do stretches i got at work. i think part of it is that my finger keeps relocating itself a bit due to the pressure. my hand isn't really in pain more than it's cramping up. i do have to force my hand straight again. in a relaxed pose, it's a bit like a lego hand.

i would probably go to a chiropractor or something before getting surgery. once you have that its never really the same again. usually the muscles that are the culprit are the ones on top near the elbow, i'll use accu pressure, or guasha, or even my homemade jigsaw massager, i saw on youtube. why pay $500, when a $2 jigsaw and a table leg foot and parts will work just fine, provided i don't hit bone.


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

Just pick one thing to do each day - something that won't take more than, say, a half hour to an hour. do just that one thing - don't get snookered into another project until that one is finished. It might take a while - but eventually - it'll get cleared up.

Perhaps we should all just 'drop in' on you one day - give you a 3 or 4 day notice and no chance to tell us no - bet you'd think of something - like leaving home for a day or two. LOL

Hi again, Mike...sounds like a contracture, like I have. My hand surgeon is tops in his field and he cured the contracture in my left hand very nicely. It hasn't bothered me since. It's an outpatient procedure, and I watched the whole thing. They put a tourniquet on so it's a bloodless surgery. My surgeon works with famous musicians from around the world, so I have great faith in him! He's done all my hand surgeries so far. I had a carpal tunnel release, the contracture release and had a nerve sheath tumor removed already by him. It will be a $50 co-pay, so not a big deal. Less than going to a chiro (not covered under my ins.) for even one visit. I also am learning to play guitar so I have to have both hands working. I did have an ulnar nerve compression as well, but physical therapy (like 10 sessions) took care of that.

But yeah, sounds like what I have. They get more and more painful and hard to straighten out, the longer you have it. Best to nip it in the bud, but that's just my opinion :)

Debbie, thanks for your concern. I can't have any more cortisone shots, and those shots only seem to work temporarily for me. I think I'll be seeing my hand surgeon soon.

Dorothy...not too big of a Yay...at first it thought this would take a few days...now I thinking a few weeks! I think you deserve a big Yay for having to keep rooms spotless....don't know if I will ever achieve that!

Mike...that Idea works great... today I relocated stuff that way to the rooms it belongs saved a lot of trips up and down. BTW I love your new avatar ...very sophisticated and chic...and for some reason it makes you look exceedingly smart :)

Joy and Mike....please take care of your hands!!!

Mary...Oh my not useless at all!!! I pictured you cleaning out your fathers house and feel like I shouldn't be complaining...that had to have been such a daunting task and so emotional. I know what you mean about duplicates....let me know if you need a flashlight, I found the mother load.

Roz...you do get it...I hope your mess it not as bad as mine...if it is, start now...this is very freeing!

Janine...thank you! It does feel good! I feel like some sort of weight is being lifted...IDK about my art but at least I won't have dust bunnies stuck to my feet when I do it. LOL...I wish I had cats that cleaned...mine just move things about...little things I find on the floor that had to have been put there by a cat. You are right I am trying to be creative about this and look at everything in a new light.

Debbie...YAY for you! It does feel good to get things in order! We will have our spring cleaning down and out of the way by the time it gets nice. I really look forward to doing just the normal daily maintenance! To have allergies has to be awful! Now that I am looking around and moving things...the is SO MUCH of it!!! I am not to the point to even worry about that yet.

Roy...I like that idea...I will make a list of smaller projects for the days I work...that way I can just pick one and get it done...I don't usually feel like doing a lot after work. Oh no...I think that would be great...I would not hide at all...you can all come and I'll put out a great spread and give everybody a paint brush and bucket...get the whole place painted up and after a nice gift bag of assorted memorabilia...or we could have a reverse auction...you know I pay you to take stuff!

Thank you guys so much!!!...I really needed something to get me going and keep me motivated. I have gotten a lot done in three days even with working the last two....I am saving the construction room, the worst of it for last. I took a quick peek...I need to see a lot more progress before that one. Haven't touched a bit of art and that feels so weird...but then I move on a clean something else. Tomorrow I will go for supplies...some plastic bins for things I can't depart with...and more garbage bags

Mike and Joy...seriously please take care of you hands!!!

Thanks, Val!! All I can say is "A clean house is a sign of a broken computer".

Please visit my profile guys, thanks!

soon you'll run out of stuff to clean and have to clean the neighbors house.

you'll turn into one of those crazy people that clean all day long just to feel sane.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

ronnie what does that have to do with the subject?

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

Joy...you are welcome...do it :) LOL You are right! Amazing how much I am getting done staying off of it most of the day!

Mike...tell me it's true...I am going to run out of stuff to clean? And Like it??? LOL

Ronnie...maybe you have a pic of a really clean room or something.

where i used to work, some of the people there, had that disease. they couldn't settle themselves until everything was clean, neat and tidy. imagine not being to relax because there might be dust on something, or a print on a table, or a book out of place. they would rush home and with an OCD like tendencies, they would start scrubbing toilets, wiping fan blades, give it the white glove treatment. otherwise they could not possibly sleep at night or with themselves. it seems this horrible affliction is related to not having any kind of creative or artistic abilities, and it was the only thing that really gave them pleasure. it was sad, i tried setting up a collection, but no one understood the horror these people lived.

where as i, have no problems with this illness. as long as everything remains balanced, i'm fine. its sort of like the quarter game where it takes just one coin to mess up that 4" ledge of coins on the edge. and then it just kind of tumbles down. and there is only so much room under the desk to kick it under.

it was the same at work, there were people that would look at my area and have cold sweats - my boss being one of them. super neat freak. i remember when we had a 5 year anniversary party, and i drove with my boss and manager. and watched the main boss align all the vents so they were perfectly straight with each other. it was fun to watch.

anyway, that's what you might get once you get the taste of it.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

Mike...LOL...nope definitely not getting that one!!! Gives me the cold sweats thinking about cleaning! I know people like that...they can't wait to get home from work to clean...I think you are right...it has to be some sort of weird disease!

I've had the flu this past week and haven't cleaned a thing...but I see much improvement...this week I will tackle the construction room...and once the snow melts I am going to start hauling out stuff for trash day. I seem to have collected way too much stuff....don't want it anymore....less stuff = less cleaning!!! or at least I hope that is what that equals.

Really the biggest motivator is... I want to get back to doing art...I haven't touched a thing since I started this stupid cleaning project and it is starting to get to me.

just think of it as losing weight.

Janine that is a great way to think of it!

My mother died last summer. I had to clear out an entire 3-bedroom house and get rid of everything - one way or another, dispose of a lifetime of accumulation. I unloaded of all the furniture, clothes, jewelry, books, pots, pans, and every old thing in the basement. Pulled up all the old carpet, cut and rolled it, paid to have it hauled away. Got rid of the piano. Filled 3 of those green "bagsters" and had them picked up. Numerous trips to Goodwill with the car stuffed full. Picked up every fallen branch and stick in the yard, cut, piled and disposed of them.

Every last bit of accumulated clutter, piece of scrap metal, old magazine, all the prescription meds, TV sets, phones, every last empty jar and coffee can in the basement, had to go. Then, I cleaned the entire house top to bottom, got it on the market and sold it.

I have been there, and done that.

Jim I am so sorry about your mother. That had to be a really hard thing to do emotionally and physically. You definitely have been there!

Yes, it's a harsh thing to do, but to be honest, the really bad part was over wtih by that point and there was relief mixed with the sad duty of disposing of all the memories. The big problem was that I lived 30 miles away and had to make about a thousand trips out there, in traffic.

Jim I guess it could be healing in it's own way but to have to all that back and forth.

Well, not to totally hijack the thread - my point is that when faced with something like this, you have to just start somewhere, get into a routine and keep up the attack. Once you start seeing some progress it gets easier.

Last night I worked late, then had to haul it back into work in the morning - on my day off - to attend a meeting in which we were required to do "teambuilding exercises" that were reminiscent of kindergarten activities. The contempt my company has for its workers is both casual and astonishing. So that ruined my day. As for tomorrow, my place needs a good cleaning, but now I'm looking at it and thinking "eff cleaning" and "eff doing any art" too.

@Mike, I have the same problem at work about the middle finger stiff up. I went to the doctor - he said I have "trigger finger" and need small surgery. I went back to my office and move the mouse, phone, calculator every thing to the left and start using my left hand for many years and it work. I am no longer have trigger finger in my right hand.

Jim...no I love your input... Puts things in perspective. You are right...I just keep at it and slowly I am seeing improvement!

J L ...As a "pee on" in my company I am amazed at the ideas corporate can come up with. I always think...they pay you how much to come up with that? As to the cleaning ...just do a little...anything at all...that is exactly how my slide into the mess started. First you don't do anything one day and then the next and pretty soon it feels good not doing any cleaning at all until you wake up one day and have such a big mess you don't even know where to start! Save your self before it is too late...just clean one thing!

To-Tam...you are fortunate to be able to switch hands like that...not an easy thing to do!

I had to make a choice this weekend. Barnet Boy was ill so no prospect of going out and doing anything exciting. So, cleaning or art. Would you like me to point you to my new range of duvet cover designs LOL?

In mitigation, whilst waiting for the coffee to brew I cleaned the upstairs bathroom. Feeling virtuous now.

You unwind a big mess the same way you created it: one small thing at a time.

I've made a lot of progress on my own storage area by following this simple plan: every time I go in there for some reason, I find a couple of things I don't need, take them with me when I leave the area, and throw them out on the spot. Things are starting to make sense.

Dorothy...lol and how many new designs did you make??? That is exactly how...well almost exactly how I got into this mess. I sure am looking forward to doing art again AND a bit of cleaning. I can remember back when I cleaned regularly and I could get the entire house done, including the grocery shopping, washing the car and the laundry finished on a Saturday morning leaving the rest of the weekend free! That is my goal and I think it will work once I get everything the way it should be.

Jim...you are right ...the mess got created one small mess at a time but that took at least a couple of years....I can't wait that long to get it cleaned up but it isn't going nearly as fast as I thought it would. That is a good plan Jim...will start using that too..every time I go to a different room I will do something or throw out something or fix something..

Craig...should have listened to you right from the start "Close this discussion and don't log back into the forum until you have accomplished what you need."