What is in your tool box this year?

Something in my studio stinks.

It isn't a cat box, we moved the barn cats back to the barn.  It isn't in the cabinets because I've excavated all the nooks and crannies.  It might be the carpet, it was used when the old owner installed it.  That was 25 years ago and since that time they have sculpted in oil clay, tooled small bronzes, died leather, carved stone, smoked...... well you get the idea.  Things were okay until I took out the roll up door and installed the new french doors.  I think it has made the studio more sealed and is keeping the air stagnate.  The other possiblity is that I bombed for spiders and while it is supposed to dissapate, it might still have a residue on the surfaces.  Ultimatesly it means the place needs a deep cleaning, and painting and the floor needs to be resurfaced.

I must admit, its a good time of year to start re-organizing and cleaning.  What do you need to re-organize?  How about your tool box?  Artists who do shows have several of those.  There is the art tool box that lives in the studio.  It is a generalized tool box (the term is very loose) that has the things we use to create art in a fixed place.  Sometimes it is a flat surface with everything scattered on it; brushes, thinner, pencils, pastels, tubes of paint.....  Sometimes it is an actual tool box that we toss everything into.  Then there is the tool box for the business, files of old records, our current tax records, show information, sales records, press packets, resumes current and past.  Then there is the tool box that we take to shows that carries everything small that we need on location to set up and present a professional face to the public.

We juggle so many things during the year, it is a good time right now to go through and make sure everything we might need in the coming year is in good repair.  I need to make a list of everything that needs attention, starting with the big thing, my resume. Following that with my taxes and files.  I must admit, re-organizing and cleaning the studio is farther down the list that it should be but that will be like eating an elephant; one bite at a time.  

Take a few minutes this week to consider all of the things you rely on for your art and make a short list of what you believe needs some attention.  You don't need to share it with anyone.  You own it, it is yours and if you don't get to everything on it; I won't tell.  We'er artists, we have a lot of balls in the air.  Sometimes we drop a couple.  Don't worry over it too much, balls bounce.