The previous post was written over two years ago. What does this mean? It means that those are still currently some of my latest sketchbook pages! Because I have so much awesome stuff collected that I get overwhelmed and don’t know what to do with it all.
Sometimes I’ll put things I really like up on the wall.
For example, here's a pic of my cube at work. I like being surrounded with images and designs that I think are great and inspiring and fun(ny). Also, somehow, visual clutter helps me to better concentrate.
Here's my work space at home. Lots of stuff up on the walls here, too (you should see the rest of the apartment...). Look past the non-wall clutter; I'm in the middle of reorganizing... And yes, that is a lightsaber on my window sill!
If it’s not on a wall or given to someone else that I think will enjoy it, it currently resides in a drawer in a closet.
Here is said drawer, out getting some fresh air.
What it looks like dumped out on the floor.
I tried to sort through it, but I got overwhelmed and gave up. Started making small, categorized piles though!
I'll show some to you! Here's a small sample of packaging I like that I've collected.
Some wrapping paper that I've collected. Yup, I'm one of those people. Mostly not to reuse it (though believe me, I have two bags full of gift wrap/tags/tissue paper/ribbons/you name it, featuring recycled materials as well), but because I think it's really cute/cool and I like looking at it. By the way, the black wrapping paper with the little white faces down on the right is something that my sister Liz (of rippin-kitten.com fame!) made for me one year! So cute and amazing!
Some illustration/design/art work that I like.
Some things that I liked the look of, but probably should have never collected. Including: a paper towel, a tissue (not used!) that has cute monkeys on it, a chocolate snowman wrapper, a haw flakes wrapper, an empty sugar packet, and a non-empty sugar packet.
Some things that I've had for a long time. (Why do I have a photocopy of me with my arms cut of??)
Actual sketches! I also keep old ideas for projects that didn't work out but I'd like to revisit one day, and unused printouts of work in the early stages that I liked or thought was cool.
Lots of sticky notes and things written on little pieces of paper.
Some other categories that I could make with the rest of this stuff:
- stickers
- design and production information/cheat sheets
- note cards that were sent to not me, but I liked them so I rescued them from the trash/recycling
- ads
- paint/color chips/samples (I think this will be it’s own post someday)
- doodles/drawings that people made for me
- stationery
So what on earth should I do with all of this?? I’d probably be a lot less anxious person if I didn’t hold on to so much stuff. Being able to purge unnecessary things from one’s life and to live minimally is a concept that attracts me to no end. But what do you do when you’re obsessive about objects and visual stimulation and ideas? How do I better store and present this information for it to be a useful and effective tool, rather than just a pile that I continually add to and fret about? Visual experience and concepts and objects help inform my work as a designer and artist, but I think I’m at the point beyond taping things in to sketchbooks.
And also, because this was my first knitting project ever, I did a garter stitch (knit every row) for the whole blankie. This is meant to be a light blankie for during the summer, so that pattern calls for 
