How to Organize Your Art Studio

In my last blog post, I spoke about why I work best in an organized studio. I teach the artists in my membership program The Painterly Way how to organize their studios in the way that serves them best. They’ve really enjoyed learning about this so I thought I’d share a few tips with you. 

No matter the size of your studio, creating an organization system will make it a productive place for creativity to flourish.

Organization Tips:

• Hang floating shelves on your walls

• Hang peg boards on your walls

• Install hanging storage units on the back of entry or closet doors (clear shoe pocket organizers are perfect for paints)

• Separate your supplies into containers (try jars and old vases!)

• Use a rolling utility cart for storage

Also, periodically I go through my art supplies and purge what I don’t use. I hate to throw things away, so I find that swapping unloved art supplies with my local art-loving friends is a way to let go of unused supplies guilt-free—and a fun way of getting new-to-me supplies!

Workspace Tips:

• Use a large tabletop

• Get a painting easel with casters

• Make extra wall space for hanging art

My Studio is a Work in Progress

While I’m happy with the organizational system I’ve created for my studio, I feel that it needs to be revisited and evaluated on a continual basis. I’m always on the lookout for how to make my space more comfortable, inspiring, and supportive of my art practice. I make room in my budget for improvements to the studio such as lighting, shelving, and other helpful upgrades. 

Each time I make my studio more useful and organized, I reduce friction and make it easier to create my art.

What studio organization tips do you have for me?

I’d love to learn how you organize your studio in the comments.