Creativity through chaos? Not for me.
by piecurious
My temporary makeshift office. A bare space on the periphery of the clutter and chaos.
I’m still in the throes of unpacking and re-nesting, struggling with the waxing and waning feelings of dislocation and disconnection, excitement and curiosity, that come with moving into a new space and a new place. I’ve learned fairly quickly what I already knew: my creativity does not thrive in chaos. The cookbooks and bread books that I longed for during our month-long separation are scattered throughout the apartment, but I cannot even conceive of breaching their covers yet. There are boxes to unpack. Nooks and crannies to scrub clean. Curtains to hang and walls to be painted. My sourdough starters are languishing in the fridge as my baguette pans gather dust, having yet to see the interior of an oven. But soon.
Normalcy will return. It has to.
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Time – that’s all you need. Once you get the basics organized, you’ll be fine. After moving in July, I had to make a wedding cake 10 days later. The task seemed daunting till I unpacked and organized my equipment. Once that was done, I felt better. You will too.
Congratulations on getting your place and starting the process. The baguette will wait.
Oh boy, Heather! You made a wedding cake ten days after moving into a HOUSE?! Inspiring. And here I am whining about my measly apartment. Although I should mention that I have never moved into a place that was so shockingly dirty. It’s taken me an entire week to stop recoiling in horror if any part of my body made direct contact with a surface. But I’m almost there! Thanks for the thoughtful and encouraging words!
And it will. It just feels like infinitybut the process is exciting:) good luck with painting, cleaning and unpacking!
I like those wide window frames; looks like an older character home. Likewise the wood floor and outsize skirting-board. I bet it has high ceilings, maybe even coved. I had a house like that once, it was built in 1936. Old houses have such lived-in atmosphere and presence.
Cleaning your new place to your satisfaction is an indispensable part of the nesting ritual; as much as we despise it, scrubbing away the previous owners or tenants is the beginning of a sense of permanence, of the place being “ours”. It only looks hopeless when everything is scattered everywhere – as soon as you begin to establish little islands of order (as you appear to have done already, from the picture), your place begins to emerge from the chaos.
I’m sure you won’t be able to stay away from baking for long.
Mark – You’re right on. It DOES have gorgeously high ceilings and baseboards that reach a foot or more up the walls! The place was built in 1850 and is stunning. I fell in love the moment I set foot in the door.
I love the imagery of the “little islands of order” within the chaos that you create… I’m still not yet finished scrubbing, but I have now created many of these little islands and it’s really beginning to feel like home.
So yes… the baking… coming soon :)
Pie curious – Are you in town? We should meet sometime.
Kat
Yes! Just moved here two weeks ago and I’d love to meet up…. maybe even for a coffee at the Box Social? I’ll connect with you on Facebook.