Take a good, long look at the photo above.
No, it’s not a crime scene. And no, I haven’t been burgled. This is the current state of the RainbowRegalia studio. It is a visual representation of "I’ll clear that up in a minute" and the slow, mounting realization that I have been saying that for about four years now.
I know what the "professional" business blogs say. I should have a tidy mind. I should have my pliers alphabetically arranged, my vintage 10p coins sorted by mint year, and my glitter collection organized into a Pinterest-perfect rainbow on a dust-free shelf.
But let’s be honest: if I waited for this room to be tidy before I started creating, I’d never make a single thing.
The Great Pliers vs. Panicking Debate
When I walk in here, I usually have three options:
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Spend an hour searching for a flat surface to work on.
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Spend that same hour actually cleaning the mess, only to be too exhausted to actually make anything.
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Or... just grab my pliers and make the damn necklace.
Option three wins every single time.
Creativity is Chaos (And I’m Owning It)
My Pliers & Prosecco philosophy has never been about perfection. It’s about accepting that "beauty from the broken" often starts in a bit of a heap. Between navigating the "fibro-fog" and just the general domestic madness of life, the pressure to maintain a "perfect" creative space is just another stick to beat myself with.
So, yes, my studio is currently a disaster zone. There are boxes of packaging competing for floor space with vintage beads, and my desk is more "archaeological dig" than "workspace." But you know what?
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The "Love You, Bye" necklaces are still heading out the door.
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The Meanies earrings are still making people laugh, even if they were born next to a stray bottle of resin.
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And I am still finding magic under the mountain of copper and turquoise.
I am choosing creativity over tidiness. I am choosing the pliers over the panicking. And when I finally can’t see the floor at all? Well, that’s when I’ll have a glass of Prosecco and clear a path. Until then, I’ve got things to make. 🥂
RainbowRegalia studio tour, creative chaos blog, messy studio reality, Pliers & Prosecco, Irish designer workspace, Beauty from the Broken, slow fashion studio, handmade in Greystones, chronic illness creative process, authentic maker blog.
2 comments
Thanks Mum! 🤣🤣🤣
Despite my very clever, creative daughter’s untidiness (you should have seen her bedroom when she was a child 😭🥴🫣) she has managed to make the most beautiful matching necklace and earrings from upcycled jewellery, found in a charity shop, for my dear sister’s birthday. Her talent knows no bounds.