Home Forums The Think Tank Creativity Creativity and Hoarding?

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  • #991405
    Art_Rabbit
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        Do you have a tendency – like me :wink2: – to be a hoarder because of your creativity? To buy too many supplies or save stuff to “upcycle” perhaps more than you should?

        If so, let’s give each other some encouragement to achieve a healthy balance. I was on the way to becoming a bad hoarder of everything, not just art and craft supplies. But I’ve managed to get rid of a lot and am working on organizing and on my mindset.

        There are hoarders in my family – and I think I’ve “caught it in time” – but it’s not a one-time thing. It’s a matter of changing one’s outlook in a million little ways. And learning to make many individual decisions, monitoring for the bad ways when they try to creep back in. :eek:

        I think it’s a frequent temptation for creative people to like to have a “stash” of supplies – we just have to not let it get out of hand. And what we buy we should use, not go out and buy more as I’ve been guilty of doing.

        #1196098
        stlukesguild
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            I swing back and forth between hoarding and brutal, self-imposed editing. For years after I had last made an attempt at assemblage (3-D collage) I continued to collect pieces of wood and other materials that caught my eye. The same was true after I stopped making collage. I still had box after box of old books and papers.

            Beyond “hoarding” books and CDs I now hoard color pencils, pastels, and paint. I also hoard images… in art books, art magazines… and in the form of digital files taken from the net. I have over 150,000 images organized under genre (painting, sculpture, architecture, photography) art period/style, artist, etc… as well as files of images of things such as “toys”, “furniture”, “dancers”, “clothes”, “celebrities”, “hair”, “hands”, “settings”, “landscapes”, “nudes”, etc…

            Saintlukesguild-http://stlukesguild.tumblr.com/
            "Beauty is truth, truth beauty—that is all ye know on earth and all ye need to know." - John Keats
            "Modern art is what happens when painters stop looking at girls and persuade themselves that they have a better idea."- John Ciardi

            #1196101
            La_
            Default

                i used to collect things for collage notions or whatever
                turns out i’m just not craftsy so i have and am purging steadily these days
                and not purchasing that which isn’t necessary
                i’m an oil painter, i accept that now

                the internet makes it easy to get rid of a lot of reference books and material, no more magazines and the like for me, just special books

                too much clutter becomes overwhelming so i could never be a true hoarder … far better for me to strive towards mimimilism

                i do like a cluttered desk tho, all my current things handy

                and a cluttered, but properly placed, working area for painting

                la

                _____________________________________________
                When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know Peace

                #1196099
                3243
                Default

                    I swing back and forth between hoarding and brutal, self-imposed editing. For years after I had last made an attempt at assemblage (3-D collage) I continued to collect pieces of wood and other materials that caught my eye. The same was true after I stopped making collage. I still had box after box of old books and papers.

                    Beyond “hoarding” books and CDs I now hoard color pencils, pastels, and paint. I also hoard images… in art books, art magazines… and in the form of digital files taken from the net. I have over 150,000 images organized under genre (painting, sculpture, architecture, photography) art period/style, artist, etc… as well as files of images of things such as “toys”, “furniture”, “dancers”, “clothes”, “celebrities”, “hair”, “hands”, “settings”, “landscapes”, “nudes”, etc…

                    Eighteen years ago, I was contemplating a photo-collage novel. That would have required a frightful amount of magazines, books, and newspapers, more than I had room for.

                    I still have a lot of art supplies that I’m slowly getting around to using (I’m one of those artists who is afraid of running out of a certain pastel color/paint/etc. that I need) and a ton of books. Now if only days were 48 hours long as opposed to 24 so I could read them all…

                    In the book of love's own dream, where all the print is blood.
                    Where all the pages are my days, and all the lights grow old.
                    When I had no wings to fly, you flew to me, you flew to me.

                    #1196105
                    Use Her Name
                    Default

                        Is it only me? I really see a difference between the hoarding deemed an obsessive compulsive disorder by psychiatrists, and accumulating things that may be useful in your work later. If I bought new materials for every project, the cost would be insane. The mere fact that you use it, means it is not hoarding. Real Hoarders collect for no reason, with no clear plan, and cannot let go of any of the junk that they have accumulated.

                        No longer a member of WC. Bye.

                        #1196097

                        For a long while I used to have a four-drawer high filing cabinet of flat collage back when I did a lot of collage work in my paintings. It took me a long time to turn it into two file folders. Folders, not drawers!

                        #1196111
                        Art_Rabbit
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                            Eighteen years ago, I was contemplating a photo-collage novel. That would have required a frightful amount of magazines, books, and newspapers, more than I had room for.

                            [COLOR=Indigo][B]I still have a lot of art supplies that I’m slowly getting around to using (I’m one of those artists who is afraid of running out of a certain pastel color/paint/etc. that I need) and a ton of books. Now if only days were 48 hours long as opposed to 24 so I could read them all…[/B][/COLOR]

                            You sound as if you could be my twin! :lol:

                            Is it only me? I really see a difference between the hoarding deemed an obsessive compulsive disorder by psychiatrists, and accumulating things that may be useful in your work later. If I bought new materials for every project, the cost would be insane. The mere fact that you use it, means it is not hoarding. Real Hoarders collect for no reason, with no clear plan, and cannot let go of any of the junk that they have accumulated.

                            I’m on the cusp – I have bought many supplies in the past for projects I intend to do but was not always realistic about how soon I would do those projects. And I also collected a lot of scrap paper and found objects for future collages. Moving and downsizing forced me to go through and get rid of some of that but the rest I do need to use quickly or not hang onto.

                            As I mentioned, there are hoarders in my family (one extreme case involving a house fire and social services) so I’ve seen what I could become if I didn’t get a grip. And I’m coming along with it.

                            I have OCD and ADD (among other D’s :wink2: ) which are two frequently cited issues among hoarders. The OCD makes for the compulsion to collect, I believe, and the ADD makes for the procrastination, impulsivity, and indecision. All bad for trying to stay clutter-free.

                            And, I’ll admit, as with many who feel the urge to hoard, I feel more comfortable with things than with people (because things are more controllable!) though not to an extreme, and more so when I’m stressed. I do have friends, and luckily most of them are introverts like me so we understand when someone says “I just need some down time,” or “I’m all ‘peopled out’.” :cool:

                            Thanks everyone by the way, for not judging – hoarding has sometimes been a source of shame and embarrassment, but I do feel that I am taking positive steps now that I understand more about why I was doing it, and now that I feel a desire for a more streamlined life! :thumbsup:

                            #1196100
                            brusher
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                                I am guilty of hoarding, and the last couple of years have had an ongoing “clear the decks” project. It is easier with clothes & some books; with art supplies, not so easy.

                                As time has gone by the hoarding problem has somewhat taken care of itself – Not because I am cured, but namely, because there is no room or surface space to work, due to all the clutter! Books on their bookcases are blocked off by piles of stuff in front; brushes, etc. now are in plastic boxes – not a great solution, but I had them neatly standing in holders – all over the place! And a lot of stuff just collecting dust from standing there. By “stuff” I mean plastic well-palettes with bits of paint, figures (small statues for sketching), chinese brushes & paints, rice paper, etc. Yipe!

                                I have had periods of time when I was using these supplies all the time, though, every night and (when on vacation) every day. It was an instinctive, sensual experience, I felt that each brush had its own “personality” and the different papers also! I still believe that, but it doesn’t feel so much like it these days, probably because I am busy and just plain tired.

                                So there is some light at the end of this cluttered tunnel.

                                You are right, these underlying disorders are the cause for hoarding. But I think that artists like their toys, also. At least we are not like the people you hear about in the news who they find in a house full of newspapers, etc. :) My husband and I visited an acquaintance many years ago. This fellow’s “furniture” was neat stacks of unread newspapers, all tied up in twine! His apt. was so full of these newspaper stacks, it was very hard to move around. NYC has many stories of eccentric behavior like this. Of course it’s not the best scenario; but you cannot dictate to people how they should live.

                                I have some sketchbooks which are still in their original shrink-wrap, and I may donate or give them away. It has gone way beyond ridiculous. And still the art-supplier retailers tempt us, with their many sales :).

                                One problem I have had is buying something that I already have. I try not to do that, but on occasion it has happened; the thing that I already have might be somewhere “around”, and I just forgot about it! It is very bad when you don’t have room to make art, because supplies are the way, on the floor or in piles or shopping bags. I bought a small rolling cart with shelves that helps somewhat, but still there is a lot of everything.

                                Luckily I tend to work small so my clutter is all small stuff – pencils, vine charcoal, colored pencils, paints, brushes, ink, etc. Individually the purchases were not that much. But over the years the bulk of “stuff” has grown.

                                One thing that is good to recognize though, is like the fashion industry and home product industries, etc., the art supply manufacturers bring out new lines of the same old stuff, with new names and marketing. But it is actually very similar to what we may already have.

                                So take heart, Art Rabbit, it sounds like you are doing well. I am still on the fence on what to do about the Dr Martin’s dyes I bought in the early 90’s, which were used, but there is a lot left. Of course they are fugitive, but . . . and they are really old, but . . . (!) :)
                                Cathy

                                #1196106
                                NRC
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                                    I have art supplies purchased which are still in the boxes they were shipped in …. some a couple of years ago. I have boxes of frames (a very good sale don’t you know) which I store at my Mother’s, in her basement, as there is no room here in our cottage. She hates the boxes stacked in a corner for she has a place for everything and everything in it’s place. In late August I gifted some art supplies to a co-worker who I thought would very much enjoy them. Today, I’m participating in the Christmas Card exchange and had to work very hard not to purchase the same supplies I gifted. Isn’t that the way: don’t use something for years and shortly after getting rid of the item you will have a need for it. I would have rather used the Aquarelle w/c crayons and coloured pencils than learn all over to use acrylic paint. I do think however, a dedicated room for art would help. For now all is stored where there is space … in a spare / freezer room with all the other boxes :( I’m not cluttery with other things but art supplies are just so full of promise, and beautiful colours that I can’t seem to help myself.

                                    Nell

                                    [SIZE=1][FONT=Arial Narrow][COLOR=Navy]I'm a fixer-upper. I like the puzzle of it all. I like to get myself into trouble and try to work my way out of it. I'm never going to run out of substandard stuff. [/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=1][FONT=Arial Narrow]Robert Genn[/SIZE]

                                    #1196107
                                    maryinasia
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                                        I don’t have issues with hoarding. I can hoard anytime i want to.

                                        Some things, like quality watercolor paper, are not available locally, so I stock up when I’m out of the country.

                                        Other ex-pats give me their craft supplies when they leave, and I use them for craft parties, letting the guests use them up freely.

                                        I have the blessing of a clutter-free living room and an art storage room. Of course, I could call it a studio, but I prefer to paint in my (usually) clutter-free living room.

                                        #1196112
                                        Art_Rabbit
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                                            I enjoyed reading the replies since I last visited this thread. ;)

                                            One thing occurred to me to add, and it’s something I picked up when reading some self-help book on hoarding. Hoarders are often imaginative people who “think outside the box” and this can actually be part of the problem. I’ll speak for myself here – as an imaginative person I can think of too many alternative uses for stuff – like the potential collage supplies, or a container that might be useful – you get the idea.

                                            And art supplies can be used so creatively in so many ways. But as brusher points out, we have to have a workspace to use the materials and make them into art.

                                            I’ve given away a lot of stuff to the parish school and they may be getting some more . . , :clear:

                                            #1196121
                                            Art Attack 88
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                                                my place is always messy and over time stuff does accumulate, but then I get to the point where I’ll try and get rid of everything that I don’t need (so I don’t have to clean for a long time). When I was a child (which wasn’t that long a go) I would have a hard time throwing stuff away and had more of an emotional attachment with the items lol. So when I was younger I had some hoarding tendencies but it wore off as I got older.

                                                #1196118
                                                opainter
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                                                    I’m in happy denial. :)

                                                    AJ (opainter), C&C always welcome
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                                                    #1196113
                                                    Art_Rabbit
                                                    Default

                                                        I’m in happy denial. :)

                                                        Hey, if it works for you more power to you! :wink2: I just hope someday not to be paying an arm and a leg for a storage unit. It’s a long story how I got to this point, but I’m now at a place in my life where I can accelerate the process of either using up the extra supplies or blessing someone else with them.

                                                        Sentimental things – family photos and such – and my books – those are things I desire to keep, and will allow myself to keep within certain boundaries. Junk paper, catalogs and such I’m learning to deal with much more quickly than I did in the past – and I try to give myself “bonus points” the more of them go quickly to the trash. :smug:

                                                        It’s an ongoing process of developing a stricter mindset and at the same time not giving in to anxiety, i.e., “B- but what if I get rid of this and then need it someday?” :eek:

                                                        #1196117
                                                        mariposa-art
                                                        Default

                                                            Is it only me? I really see a difference between the hoarding deemed an obsessive compulsive disorder by psychiatrists, and accumulating things that may be useful in your work later. If I bought new materials for every project, the cost would be insane. The mere fact that you use it, means it is not hoarding. Real Hoarders collect for no reason, with no clear plan, and cannot let go of any of the junk that they have accumulated.

                                                            Thank you. I feel better now. :thumbsup:

                                                            I have a LOT of art supplies. I’ve been stocking up, dedicated to it, because the prices are only going to get higher. All my life, I have had a problem (as I know many artists do) with “saving” the “good” supplies until I have something really worthwhile to paint. And so I used the cheapo stuff, holding off using the good stuff . . . indefinitely.

                                                            So, I got some good supplies (not always top of the line and super expensive, but much better quality) and am USING them! I have a lot of them now; there’s no excuse not to start using them. There’s plenty more where they came from, as I have an ample supply.

                                                            Right now I’m painting bigger works and am getting more prolific, and find that I’m going through my paints (in particular) faster than I thought I would. So is this “hoarding”? I don’t think it is, quite, because I’m going through the stuff, sometimes faster than is comfortable. (But that just gives me an excuse to buy more!) :D

                                                            But yeah, I have a LOT of supplies. :angel:

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