Mission Briefing: A New Wing of the Lair
The creative studio awakens!
Every hero eventually upgrades their headquarters. Even Batman will add new devices as technology advances. The key is using the unique talents a hero already possesses.
My talent is I have a creative spark within me. What was once considered a spare room or a storage space has slowly been transforming into a new creative wing of the lair.
This upgrade isn’t just about furniture placement. As I’ve been organizing everything that didn’t have a home, I started noticing categories emerging.
It’s transforming from a storage room into a space I might actually use.
The Room That Was (Before the Upgrade)
Before I used to think of the room as the spare room, or second bedroom. Even storage room seemed fitting.
It’s what I’m used to referring to the second bedroom as. You know how most people have a junk drawer in the kitchen? I tend to end up with an entire junk room.
I stored all the extra things I didn’t use on a regular basis in that room. Piles and piles of boxes. It felt overwhelming to decide where to begin when I started this phase of my home organization plan.
Of course, it had some emotional similarities to my life:
- Random things all over the place reflected a disordered life.
- Unfinished transitions led to the familiar thought: “I’ll deal with this later.” (Hello, Procrastinator.)
- And chaos… well, I’ve definitely felt plenty of that.
Needless to say, this room has always been a challenge for me to keep in order or even find a use for. But that has changed.
The Awakening Begins
My resolution for this year was a challenge to myself: to keep a clean, tidy and organized home.
Using ChatGPT to help plan this goal has proven to be surprisingly helpful. It suggested to me to first unpack things one box at a time. Then to sort into categories. As there was limited space with all the extra boxes, I had to use part of my living room and part of my bedroom to host the piles of things. Now the whole place feels messy again, but I know it has a purpose to it.
Once the categories started to emerge and the closer I get to finishing the unpacking (only two more boxes left!), I started to see the room transform. The categories are all mostly creative things.
It no longer feels like a spare room. Now it feels like a creative studio. A room I can actually see myself going in and working on various creative projects.
Current Progress: The Studio in Development
It’s important to note this project is still a work in progress. I’m trying to finish it by the end of this weekend or early next week at the latest. While there’s still a lot of stuff left to do, it now feels like this room has a purpose other than just a storage room.
I have assembled storage racks. I’m almost done sorting through my things into category piles. Then I’ll clean the floor and assemble the desk. Once I see how much space the office supplies take up, I’ll decide where the remaining categories will live.
It’s interesting to see what the categories are. Here’s a list:
- Office supplies
- Art supplies
- Large art supplies (paintings, portfolios)
- Crafting supplies
- Photos and other memorabilia
- Tools and utility objects (light bulbs, batteries, etc.)
- Comic books and other fandom collectibles
- Piano and musical things
From seeing the piles emerge, and after some thoughtful questions from ChatGPT, the room stopped being a junk room to me and began being this creative studio.
The room has come alive!
Unexpected Side Quest: A Positive Work Update
While the creative studio is coming online, something unexpected has also shifted in the outside world.
As I mentioned in my last post, things had been stressful while I was under review at work. I’ve been working steady at trying to get quicker and quicker in doing certain tasks, and allowing a little more time for those I still find somewhat challenging.
I’m pleased to report that my efforts have not been in vain. They are no longer going to keep track of how much time I take on working on my assignments and I can now work at my own pace again.
This doesn’t mean I’ll go back to taking things slowly though, even when the workflow is slow. It means I no longer have an assigned cart with a time limit on it. I still plan on getting through the quicker jobs first and as quickly as possible, but I’ve gotten much better at multitasking and time management.
I’m already starting to feel the heaviness in my shoulders release. I feel like I can breathe again.
Why This Room Matters More Than It Looks
Transforming the idea of this room from a junk room into a creative studio is very important to me. I’ve always considered myself a creative person and love the arts.
I want to get back to doing creative things again. Whether that’s painting, drawing, sewing, or writing, a room with a dedication to it feels more like a room calling to me.
This studio represents possibility. If I have no real creativity in my work-a-day life, that doesn’t mean I can’t have it at home. It has actually excited me about the possibilities moving forward.
Of course, most of that will have to wait until this whole project of creating a clean, tidy, and organized home is finished.
Almost like magic, while unpacking the last box, I found unused and unopened multi-purpose labels. It’s like the Universe is personally approving my creative studio idea.
Diana’s Wisdom
This room is also her room, as she has reminded me so feverishly. It has a window where I purposefully have kept the blinds up and a cat tree in there so she can easily climb into the window, watch the birds and squirrels, and sleep in the sun. It also houses her litter box.
I think she’ll enjoy having a desk and keeping me company in the room—or rather me keeping her company in there. It was her creative studio first, after all.
Final Thought: The Lair Continues to Grow
Discovering a creative studio inside your own home doesn’t happen every day. As I continue working on the lair, I’m already imagining the creative projects that might come next. I’ll still dedicate time to daily tidying and weekly cleaning once the place is done by hopefully the end of March. But after the place is done, I’m anticipating using my new creative studio a lot.
When you have been organizing things, what surprise rooms or categories have you discovered? Share them in my comments. I’d love to hear your story.