Clutter vs. Comfort in the Studio
One thing I’ve learned about myself over the years is that I simply can’t work in a cluttered studio. A cramped studio? Absolutely. A packed studio? No problem. But clutter — that’s where I draw the line.
During my studio redesign, I noticed something interesting. Someone walking into my studio for the first time might find it overwhelming. There’s a lot in a small space, and visually it can be a lot to take in. That part doesn’t bother me in the slightest. What does bother me is clutter: piles of paper, shelves holding things that don’t belong there, odds and ends that have no intentional place.
Because my studio is already so full, even something as small as a pen left out of place can make the entire room feel messy. For me, keeping things tidy isn’t about aesthetics — it’s about mental clarity. I try to make sure that everything on a shelf is there on purpose, and that nothing is just “temporarily” living somewhere it shouldn’t be.
As I start off 2026, I’m finding myself slightly irritated by a pile in the back left corner of the studio — the beginnings of my next project. It makes the room feel tighter than it should, but I’m tolerating it for now because I know it’s temporary. Once the project is finished, the clutter will disappear, and the studio will return to its normal state.
That knowledge makes it easier to live with a bit of discomfort for a few weeks.
Of course, I know not everyone feels this way. Some people prefer a studio that looks lived-in. A bit of mess feels creative to them — comforting, even. And that’s completely valid. Your studio should be a place where you feel at ease, and however you achieve that sense of comfort is the right approach for you.
One area where clutter tends to creep in quietly — often without us noticing — is cabling. During my redesign, as I cleared off my main production desk to start fresh, I found a surprising number of USB and audio cables plugged into ports that weren’t connected to anything at all. They had accumulated slowly over time: unplug this, connect that, test something else — and before you know it, cables are everywhere, serving no purpose.
That discovery got me thinking about maintenance rituals. Do people set aside time to clean their studios? Weekly? Monthly? Yearly?
I already have a nightly routine after teaching — a quick dusting and tidy-up so I can sit down the next morning and get straight to work. But I’m starting to think that may not be enough. As my studio is an active workspace used every day, I may start setting aside a weekend every couple of months for a deeper clean and reset.
For now, it’s just a thought — but it’s one that feels increasingly necessary.
Because in a space as dense as this one, clarity doesn’t happen by accident. It has to be maintained.
