Your Creative Mess Doesn't Define Your Worth (But It Might Be Blocking Your Best Work)

That voice in your head saying "real artists have organized studios"? It's wrong.

Your worth isn't measured by color-coded supplies, Instagram-perfect workspace photos, or whether you can find your favorite brush in under a minute. You are not your creative chaos.

But here's what I've learned from twenty years of working with creative people: while your mess doesn't define you, it can definitely get in your way. When finding your supplies takes longer than using them, something needs to shift.

The Creative Shame Loop

Shame never organized a studio. It just made people avoid theirs.

Here's what happens:

• You feel bad about the mess

• Feeling bad makes you avoid your creative space

• Avoiding it makes the mess worse

• Which makes you feel like you're "not cut out for this"

• Repeat until your studio feels like evidence against you instead of a place to create

Your space didn't get chaotic because you're undisciplined. It got this way because:

• You've been focused on creating, not filing

• You see potential in everything (which can overwhelm storage)

• You work in creative bursts, not steady systems

• Most organizing advice ignores how creative minds actually work

Bay Area Story: The Quilter Who Stopped Quilting

Elena in Santa Rosa hadn't touched her sewing machine in months. Her sewing room had fabric stacked on every surface — you couldn't find the cutting table.

Thread spools covered the shelves. Some still had their labels, others were wound with mystery colors. A baby quilt she'd started lay buried under patterns she'd printed but never tried.

"I used to love being in here," she said. "Now I can't even find my seam ripper."

We worked in stages: Day 1: Cleared obviously unusable stuff — dull rotary blades, dried fabric markers, thread that had gone brittle Day 2: Gave her current project space to breathe
Day 3: Put patterns where she could find them without digging

By the end of the week, she was sewing again. "I'd forgotten how much I missed this," she texted with a photo of her first finished block in months.

[Kayla: Link to The Jane Way De-Stuff Kickstart Checklist.]

From Shame to Strategy

Change how you talk to yourself about creative mess:

Instead of "I'm such a slob," try: "My creative process is messy, and that's normal."

Instead of "Real artists don't live like this," try: "My space needs systems that work for how I actually create."

Instead of "I should be able to keep this organized," try: "I'm figuring out what works for my brain and my art."

Bay Area Story: The Photography Corner Comeback

James in Mill Valley wanted to get back into film photography, but his corner had become a dumping ground. Old cameras mixed with dried-out markers. Film canisters sat next to unrelated craft supplies.

We sorted by category: photography gear in one area, everything else somewhere else. Suddenly he could see what he had — including lenses he'd forgotten about.

Two weeks later, he'd shot his first roll in three years. "Having clear space made room for clear thinking," he said.

Quick Reset You Can Do Now

Pick one creative surface — your desk, worktable, or supply shelf.

Remove everything that's not related to your current project.

Put back only what you need for the work you're doing this week.

Notice how different it feels when your active supplies aren't competing with everything else.

Need some guidance? Try my 5-Minute Stuff Reset to get you started.

Ready to make your creative space work for you instead of against you? Book Your Free Hope

+ Relief Call — let's figure out what's getting in your way.