The Hidden Cost of Creativity

Just a couple of years ago, I was standing in a basement lined with storage bins, craft supplies, vintage inventory, and thrift-store furniture waiting for attention. It was overwhelming, and I remember asking myself: How did this happen?

Looking back, though, I think the storage problem started years earlier.

Before The Clutter

Before the clutter, there were ideas.

I worked as a graphic designer at small ad agencies in the Midwest at the start of my career. It was demanding but also a very creative time in my life. I can look back and remember a design detail that sold the idea or a layout that finally clicked. Those moments were gold to me.

In 2010, I left agency life to stay home with our two boys.

It would be four years before another creative spark crossed my mind. I remember sitting on a bench at a bouncy house playland in the mall. My two boys loved this place and we’d ended up here quite frequently. They would play for hours and I would sit and absorb everything on this new website called Pinterest.

Pinterest was addictive and full of possibilities. It was really the first time I let myself imagine creating something of my own. Don’t get me wrong, I was so grateful for the time watching my kids grow, but something was missing.

What I did next would shape the next decade of my life. While my youngest son was in preschool, I nervously launched my first WordPress blog. It didn’t pan out but the spark was lit.

The second blog was the one that stuck. I made it stick by filling it with hours of ideas.

As my craft blog grew, so did the need for supplies. Bins filled up. Furniture collected in the garage waiting for a makeover. Thrift store finds piled high with good intentions attached to them.

Hoping to make a little money, I decided to open an antique store booth. My first one didn’t work out—location is everything. The second one was great and I started selling right away, even the upcycled projects and crafts I had made.

Great right? Well yes and no. I had my own tiny store space but I was creating a new problem for myself. The booth required furniture pieces, inventory, and buying ahead for the seasons, which meant even more storage bins stacked in the basement.

This balance was fine until it wasn’t. Sales slowed to a crawl and change was in the air again. I closed the booth and started selling online. I honestly thought I would take back my time and my basement but that didn’t happen.

I simply traded one creative pursuit for another.

Creativity has a storage requirement of its own.

Mentally and physically.

Everything has to live somewhere.

What I Do Now

Today I’m much more thoughtful about what I bring into my home. I still pick up new finds when they’re amazing, but I don’t impulse buy. I actually go thrifting less (this helps) and take on fewer projects. If something needs a coat of paint or a makeover, I’m less likely to pick it up.

I now prioritize keeping the main spaces of our home—the kitchen, dining room, and living room—clutter-free. I can work in there during the day. I often take photos, craft, package items for the shop, try a new recipe dragging out all the pots and pans, but at the end of the day everything gets put away. I’ve learned that calm spaces fuel creativity.

It takes a little more work.

Am I perfect? No.

Creativity continues to evolve—and I don’t want that to change. These days I’m just more careful about which ideas I invite to the party.