Creativity and Clutter

Posted on by Wynne Leon

What is it about empty space that we have to fill it? I’m in the battle of my life and that’s the question that keeps coming up for me.

Okay, battle of my life might be a little dramatic but here’s the scenario. For any place that I declutter and clean in my house, it appears to be an invitation to my kids to fill up again. I find this incredibly challenging.

I’ve been inspired to declutter by the amazing Boomer EcoCrusader, Michelle, who has great suggestions about simplifying our lives. But in the podcast conversations that we’ve had with her, we’ve never talked about the struggle to keep things clutter free.

To be fair, it’s not just my kids. I have a nook in the kitchen where I leave my purse. When it’s cleaned out, I find it to be a very convenient place to stash things when I don’t do the work to find a permanent home for them.

But other people’s stuff is more annoying, right?

So I took a break from decluttering to look up the origin behind the idiom, “Nature abhors a vacuum.” Wikipedia (and other sources) credits it to Aristotle. His hypothesis was that when there is a void, the denser surrounding material would move to fill it.

Surprisingly, this little tidbit helped me reframe my struggle. It implies that if I declutter, the sheer number of “things” we have should go down. If nature abhors a vacuum and works to spread things out – at least there will be fewer things to spread.

It also made me think of creativity and writing. When I’m overloaded or life feels hectic, I’ve learned to write things down. To create a list for order or a post to make sense of struggle and it often brings perspective.

Like with this post. I’m already feeling better about the never-ending work to bring order to chaos of all varieties.

(featured photo from Pexels)

45 thoughts on “Creativity and Clutter”

  1. There are people who make a career out of decluttering. Then there are the hoarders, who make life out of keeping everything, “just in case.” Both projects are never-ending. Such is life. You are doing better than most of us, Wynne.

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  3. i think the ‘water seeks its own level’ principle works here. i so get what you’re saying and glad you are writing lists and organizing to better manage the natural chaos of life. it helps me as well.

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  4. I think clutter bothers me because it takes away the option of how that space can be used. I’m really into everything having its place and I don’t like when things are not where they’re supposed to be and end up cluttering some other space instead. This applies to counter space, time, brain space, and everything else … options just make me feel good and lack of them does not

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  8. Decluttering is a major goal of mine. I’ve emptied out a significant portion of things in one room, but I admit it doesn’t look any less cluttered. Your post makes sense and is somewhat reassuring–but I still could get rid of more STUFF.

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  9. Clutter of any kind is a persistent challenge, for sure. We clutter our minds and lives with stuff that impedes creativity and healthy living. The battle to keep both our homes and minds clear of clutter is indeed a daily challenge.

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  10. Great post, Wynne!
    I laughed at this “But other people’s stuff is more annoying, right?”

    But of course. Ha.
    Now kids they are the storm of the vacuum that move everything everywhere, more like a blower.. I KNOW. 🤣

    It’s a monthly affair, I’m seeing as I’m going from drawer to drawer and back the to first.
    💕

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      1. oh good we need some laughs from the crazy clean up attempts. I’m actually making headway but that’s only because I literally dumped most of the house and the grands aren’t here everyday … TG! The animals destroy enough!
        It’s like my house.. done with the back remodel and now the other side news cabinet repair, paint, new reefer.. NVM. 🤣

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  11. It feels so good to declutter, but the space does fill up. I’ve found that I can focus more on my work if I’m in a spare space. I’m going through a stressful, busy time too. I started on taxes yesterday. My husband went from a W-2 to a LLC and it’s tons more complicated. Then I’ve been doing media contacts for an upcoming fundraiser. It’s HOA newsletter time — and I have hours of reading and quizzes for my photography class.

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  12. Thanks for the shout out, Wynne!

    Looking around my house at the moment, I see lots of clutter. It’s an ongoing struggle. It is more difficult with kids, though. I only had the headspace to get really serious about decluttering after they were grown up.

    And yes to lists! I always have lists on the go. Just the act of writing something on a list gets it out of my brain and frees up space to focus on other things.

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  13. Decluttering is so therapeutic whether in the literal or metaphorical sense, Wynne. i get the sense your battle right now is a bit of both! Aristotle’s quote about nature and vacuums ring true; it’s such human nature to naturally fill a void with something, whether a nook in our home or a space in our calendars. Sometimes, just letting it be is the way to go.

    Hope the rest of your week is clutter and vacuum free!

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  15. I used to be almost asleep when I’d think of something I’d want to remember the next day. The problem is by the next day, sometimes that thought has gone into the ether. Now I get up and write it down. Letting go of the thought temporarily helps me sleep better too.

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