For the last few months of 2019, it was very apparent to me that I needed to spend some time reorganizing my jewelry studio. The problem started when I reorganized my space after getting my metalsmith bench. As I continued to design on my new cold bench, there were a few issues I found myself continuing to work through.
First, my jewelry workplace organization has evolved since I started. Another problem was the ever-growing stash I had acquired over the 15 years I’ve made jewelry. My space also continued to be littered by more and more half created unfinished projects.
Everything culminated when I was creating my Cracked Ice jewelry collection. I kept being distracted from creating by my desire to organize. This was the last straw and I proceeded to start cleaning my space. Here are the jewelry studio organization tips I used to create a more workable space.
Organizing my Beads in a Consistent Way
Over the last 5 years, the way I stored my beads evolved. When I started, I placed beads in baggies because they were more easily carried from one location to the next. Now, the easiest way to see my bead stash is to have the items hang on my wall. Over the course of weeks, I spent hours restringing these beads and organizing by color. While it took a long time, it was worth it, in the end, to be able to see everything I have.
Sorting Through my Bead Stash
As I was stringing the loose beads, I kept finding styles that I no longer liked. Turns out that over time, my design style and the supplies I gravitate towards has changed. I took this opportunity to compile all these together into a bin. While it’s easy for me to hang on to things, I recognized that keeping supplies I didn’t like wasn’t going to serve me well. Letting go helped make space for the new supplies I bought in Tucson this year, and exciting supplies I’ve had that I forgot about.
Sorting my Bead Wall
Once I had sorted through everything, it was time to consolidate on my wall. I find it visually appealing when my wall is organized by color, and with everything in one place, I had to expand horizontally across both of the wire racks. The end result is visually pleasing and holds everything.
Organizing My Drawers
Inside my workspace drawers live… more supplies. While I had the organizational mindset, I decided to tackle my drawers. I operated in the same mindset as I did for my bead wall: getting rid of supplies I had outgrown and color-coding supplies as appropriate.
Finishing Half Created Projects
One of the other things that distracted me from creating new collections was the half-started projects that littered my surface. Once I had completed with my raw supplies, I took the time to finish each and every project that had been on my mind in one way or another. As I finished each item I became more and more excited about freeing up my creative mind and giving thought to each item.
Jewelry Workspace Organization Tips
When I completed my organization project I had more space than ever to create jewelry. Instead of feeling cramped when I work, I now enjoy the setup much more and can more easily find supplies. Hopefully, these jewelry workspace organization tips help you get your space in tip-top shape!
What tips do you have for organizing your space? Share your favorites below in the comments.
Great tips!