A New Twist On Organization…

As the name says, Mrs. Organized and Organize.com is all about how we can help you to make “neat, clean and easy” a lifestyle and not just something we get right every now and then. With the wonderful advise that has come from the ladies at Buttoned Up, Gloveables, The Laundress, Russell + Hazel and Truly Mom, we are one step closer to making that lifestyle a reality. Their tips and pointers gave all the right moves to becoming a woman who does it all and still has time for a personal life. However, one thing to remember when organizing your professional life it to carry over all that you know and apply it to your personal life as well. So to help get you in the right direction, every Tuesday will feature words of wisdom from one of “Our Favorite Organizers”. We already welcomed Maria Gracia, founder of Get Organized Now! and today we welcome Jeannene Langford, Creative Entrepreneur and owner of JCL Creative Studio. She is going to share with us how to be an artist and how to organize your “creative space.”

“This first picture is of the wall space over my computer station that I call Color Central. Here I keep any color guides I get from trend services or any palettes that I have created for the projects that I am working on. Because we are so visual it is so important for artists to have things on display. The trick is keeping the space organized and not overwhelming. At any given time I am usually working on at least three projects. The Stainless Steel Bulletin Boards are really versatile and easy to adapt to my extremely different display needs. I also find it great because the shelves and hanging hooks allow me to get things up instead of being on the surface of the table, which is never big enough. There must be some unwritten universal law that attracts paper to flat surfaces, at least in my studio, so anything I can do to keep my creative table clear is a must.

On the wall next to my desktop computer is the Wall Mount Magazine Rack for my design accounts. Each company has a specific color assigned so I never get the files mixed up. When I ordered this I thought it was a good idea but only after I got it and started to use it did I realize how effective it is. It saves so much space. I made the folders out of some paper I had because I wanted the bigger pockets but regular letter size folders work great too.

The second photo is a shot of the center table (notice I did not call it work table) and the cabinets that hold both collage supplies and office supplies. I LOVE the red Hardware Storage Cabinet. It has 44 drawers and at first I thought it was going to be hard to fill. Before I got the cabinet, I was keeping some of the contents in an old cupcake tin and other stuff in a plastic compartment box. Now I have a few spare places, but I bet by the end of the year those are going be filled for sure. I hated trying to keep track of all of those little things and this system makes it easy. The 5 Tier Cart is great for project storage. I like to be able to keep things together that I am working on and with this system I can easily be working and at the end of the day clean up. The shelves are easy to remove and very lightweight.

When I’m not working on my newest adventure, a start up that stems out of my passion for inspiring creativity and beauty in people’s lives, I do illustration which I license for craft and stationery products, branding design and consulting. I also schedule in at least 2 days a week for my fine art which is very abstract using oil, engraving and encaustic. I love the variety. I might be designing with felt one day and doing a logo the next.

A lot of my ideas start from sketches and mock-ups on the table then I move to my computer and scanner and work from there to develop the designs. It really is important to have everything at my fingertips and organized because when you have a creative idea there is nothing more frustrating then not being able to get it out.”

NEAT Things I Love Today:

When getting home from work, my hands are always full with my purse, keys, mail…you name it. My saving grace is the 3 Piece Office System that is posted right when I walk in the door so I can set everything down all at once. I pin invitations or coupons on the corkboard, hang my sunglasses and keys on the hooks and put my outgoing mail in the letter holders. It is my “House Central!” Even Mr. Organized knows to put any important notes or messages on my board to be sure I get them.

Happy Organizing!

- Mrs. O

3 Comments July 22, 2008 on 10:44 pm | In Uncategorized