Welcoming mess!

In high school my room was notoriously messy. Clothes covered the floor, homework was all over the place, and I could never find my car keys. Over the years I have gotten much better at keeping my space clean because it helps me keep my mind at ease. I make my bed every morning and try my best to put clothes back on hangers and directly into the closet if I don’t want to wear them. But dare I say, I’ve missed having a messy room…

It’s 2024. You can buy a 14-piece set of plastic storage containers to organize your fridge for $35 off Amazon with the single click of a button. Media, influencers, and self-help books are always emphasizing the need to organize and de-clutter our spaces. We’ve been conditioned to think that mess equals bad and that we need to avoid it at all costs or else our productivity suffers and our stress skyrockets. Sure, a clean space helps me feel at ease, but I have also been wondering what I might be sacrificing when I hyperfocus on a pristine space void of clutter.

“Kat, what might that sacrifice be?” CREATIVITY. INSPIRATION. SIGNS OF LIFE.

A rigid or restrictive mentality affects so many of our habits and creativity is at the top of the list for me. To create we need fluidity; we need inspiration from art, music, design, architecture, and other people. We need mess! I spent some time scrapbooking recently and my desk was covered in magazines, different colored paper and pencils, endless stickers, and photos. My brain was forced to choose between different options, collage items together, and use different mediums to create my finished page. There was a point in my life where the chaos on my desk would have entirely overwhelmed me and caused me to stop the project. Now, I am re-learning to not only allow mess but to embrace it.

My creative mind is a part of me that I felt like I lost during college when I became so focused on the coursework and extracurriculars that I began to neglect my hobbies. Creativity became reserved for class projects instead of personal interests. I remember feeling I was super boring and unable use my imagination fully. I am beginning to honor this part of myself again and spending more of my free time pursuing my creative endeavors. I recognize the importance of art in my life and find myself welcoming it back in with open arms. As part of this journey, I am challenging myself to allow more mess into my life.

I’ve been reminding myself that a messy home or a messy space is a sign that life happens there. A pair of shoes in the living room, glasses on the nightstand, or a stack of books left on the coffee table is indicative that people are living and existing in a space. While it’s nice to have tidiness, it’s just as comforting to be in a space that feels alive: “Clutter and mess show us that life is being lived… Tidiness makes me think of held breath, of suspended animation… Messes are the artist’s true friend.” – Anne Lamott. 

There are certainly pros and cons to have a messy space, but the same can be said for extreme tidiness finding room for both in my life has proven to be beneficial. It’s easy to feel we are being judged for our “messy” lifestyle when we are constantly bombarded by the de-clutter industry. I know that I have implicitly (and honestly explicitly) judged someone’s messy space. Now, my mindset is beginning to shift for recognizing mess in all its glory and different forms! Cheers to embracing mess and creating spaces that are lived in.