ORGAN IZING

JIM FRANCO

This photographer and video director by day is a ceramicist at night (and very early in the morning).

HOW I GOT MY START

I have for years loved handmade ceramic pieces. About four years ago my partner said, “I bet you could make bowls,” and it started me thinking. The fi rst time I made a cylinder I immediately became obsessed with throwing on the wheel.

MY CERAMICS STYLE

Simple and quiet. It’s about crafting a piece with a form that is almost plain.

WHAT I LOV E

The immediate sense of completion and change. I take a ball of clay and transform it into a useful object. If I’m lucky, it might also satisfy my sense of design and proportion.

I’M INSPIRED BY

Painting. Seeing the work of other ceramics artists.

WHERE TO BUY

jimfrancoceramics.com; $40–$300

ASYA PALATOVA

The owner of Gleena (which means “clay” in Russian) specializes in soft, sugary colors and vintage illustrations transferred in metal ink.

HOW I GOT MY START

Evening ceramics courses as an undergraduate at the University of Cincinnati. Then, while I was working as a graphic designer, I was accepted into the graduate ceramics program at Rhode Island School of Design.

MY CERAMICS STYLE

Is infl uenced by summers spent at my family dacha, a Russian country house. It’s a source of endless inspiration.

WHAT I LOV E

Creating a new shape or glaze. It’s like Christmas every time you open a kiln.

I’M INSPIRED BY

Being outside. Some of the plants, insects, and birds I see end up as imagery on my pieces.

KAT TEUTSCH

This professional photographer launched Claykat Ceramics when she starting making too many pieces to keep.

HOW I GOT MY START

When my 19-year-old cat, Isis, passed away in 2014, I wanted to make an urn that would remind me of her beautiful blue eyes. Once I started throwing, I was hooked.

MY CERAMICS STYLE

Organic in shape, inspired by textures and colors that I fi nd in nature. I like to create pieces that are diff erent from the last piece I made.

WHAT I LOV E

Being in the studio alone, listening to music, and working with clay. It takes patience and can be very calming.

I’M INSPIRED BY

Things I love—the ever-changing green of the forests or the blues from the ocean and sky.

WHERE TO BUY

claykatceramics.com; $20–$250 Q

RULES of ORDER

You don’t need matching baskets to manage your clutter. Professional organizer Fay Wolf shows us a better way.

There is no right way to organize, says Fay Wolf, a self-described “recovering perfectionist” and author of New Order: A Decluttering Handbook for Creative Folks (and Everyone Else). In fact, the concept of organizing can be so overwhelming that many people never try. Her advice? “Embrace the imperfection of it all, and forget being Pinterest-perfect.” You don’t need to buy an expensive storage system. Wolf believes most messes can be fi xed with recycled containers and commonsense labeling. Here’s how to get your house in order.

1CHANGE YOUR THINKING

Let it go. “Once you decide to let go of an item, you free up physical space in your life as well as inner clutter, because you never have to concern yourself with it again,” Wolf says. Shed the idea that you are either organized or not, that you have it together or you don’t. Organizing is an ongoing practice, which means you’re never done. Don’t let the size of your project stop you from getting started. Doing something—anything—is better than doing nothing.

2GET MESSY You’ll need a staging area and fi ve boxes (or grocery bags or laundry baskets). Label each with one of these categories: donate, trash, recycle, shred, and other rooms. Focus on the items that are out of place or those that weigh you down physically or emotionally. Place stray items into one of the fi ve boxes. You don’t need to deal with every item, and you can start in any room. But, get ready: Your home will look worse before it gets better, and that’s OK.

3STORE LIKE WITH LIKE You’ve let go, and you’re still staring at a bunch of stuff . These items are the keepers. It’s time to deliver items in your “other rooms” box to where you will use them. Be logical. Group like items together—electronic chargers or photographs or crafts supplies, for example. Put binder clips with pencils, and create an offi ce supplies category. Merge bandages and ointments with fi rst aid supplies.

4BE CREATIVE WITH CONTAINERS

Once you’ve collected things into narrow, useful categories and know the room where they ultimately belong, corral them with containers. The good news is you probably have what you need on hand: Use assorted boxes—checkbook, iPhone, jewelry—to store desk supplies, and pill bottles for tiny items like thumbtacks. Other

It’s OK to take your time with decluttering and organization. We’re busy people. There’s no need to rush it as long as you do something.

—FAY WOLF

LEAR N MORE New Order: A Decluttering Handbook for Creative Folks (and Everyone Else) by Fay Wolf, Ballantine Books; $20

Free labels!

Customize and print our tags to organize every room. BHG.com/BHGLabels

MORE RULES ...

no-frills containers that do the trick: shoeboxes, shipping boxes, bowls, hinged-top breath-mint tins, and resealable plastic bags (good for electrical cords).

5PUT A LABEL ON IT Labeling is all about making things easy for you to access. It can be a permanent marker on a shoebox, or a length of masking tape on a tub. Or it can be a printed label from a label-maker. As long as you can see the label and read it, you can fi nd your things and return them when you’re done.

6STOP THE PAPER Your fi rst line of defense against paper clutter is opening mail as soon as it comes in the house. It doesn’t mean you have to deal with it immediately, but you will be amazed at how much less there is to think about once envelopes, packaging, inserts, junk mail, and catalogs that you don’t need are recycled. Go one better, and unsubscribe from as much as possible: Check out catalogchoice.org and paperkarma.com. 7MAKE TECHNOLOGY WORK If you’re buried under digital clutter— e-mail, notifi cations, and social media—try these tips. “Snooze” e-mails that don’t require your attention, and choose when they return to your in-box. Try Boomerang for Gmail. Do a mass unsubscribe to e-mails with mailstrom.co or unroll.me. Turn off social media notifi cations on the phone and computer.

8KEEP A JUNK DRAWER Even the most organized people have a utility drawer, and “there’s no shame in that,” Wolf says. Make your drawer work better by fi tting it with small containers that bring order to loose bits and pieces. Q

September 2016 | BHG 37

THE POWER OF TWO.