“Out Of Clutter, Find Simplicity.” …Albert Einstein
Can clutter be beautiful? I hope so because chaos is what I am all about. Clutter is my natural environment.
Maria rescued this old and discarded lamp from a dark corner of our basement. It was one of the very few items left from Florence Walrath when we moved in.
Maria rescued it, cleaned up – we think it’s probably from the 1930s or ’40s, and rewired it herself. I love the way the old lamp throws this soft light around my study, and it even makes my clutter look beautiful, at least to me.
Can clutter be beautiful?
I think so.
My philosophy is that anything can be beautiful if it looks beautiful to the photographer. I love seeing this curious old lamp so happy and at home in the midst of some of my clutter.
I think of her like a queen surrounded by her subjects.
I need to work among what I call “creative clutter.” I also need to toss it out once in a while, or it begins to scare me. It can fog up the mind.
Clutter can lead to simplicity, as Einstein suggests. It always suggests thinking.
I know few creative people who don’t live in clutter. I’m proud of my mess; it’s a non-linear window into the workings of my mind. It makes me feel important.
When I worked in television, I had a secretary- assistant (the last time). She spent many hours trying to organize and get rid of my clutter. Eventually, she gave up on it.
Clutter means I’ve been thinking and have been busy. I guess I do find it beautiful.
The home you and Maria have created has inspired me to let my Bohemian More is More flag fly. Since my mother died earlier this year, I am slowly creating a personal Art Museum just for me. I recently read A Perfectly Kept House is the Sign of a Misspent Life, which led me to immediately embroider that title and make a pillow. I got that idea from Maria’s “Dishes” magnet.
When I see your clutter, it is inviting, unpretentious and indicates for me that you choose to live your life free of “shoulds”.
For me, rescued items add a lot of soul to a home. There is a difference between clutter and hoarding. Jon, you have mastered the art of creative clutter.
I love that line, a life full of shoulds..I need to write about that. Thanks so much for your note, and congratulations on being yourself…I lived a lifetime of shoulds, and my life began when I stopped…
We had no clutter in the home where I grew up because there was money only for the necessities. As a result I have always had some degree of clutter around me—books, craft projects, art. In response my daughter has far fewer possessions but still has a small amount of clutter. Her daughters now have surroundings almost as bare as my childhood home. It seems these things move in cycles.