All About Curating

This week I’m going to be talking about curating, what it means, and how it affects our lives. Who knew, right? I think when most people hear the word, curator, they think of a museum and the people who bring together a museum’s collections. But curating is actually intertwined into our everyday lives more than we think. Take your home, for example. What you’ve created, the collections you’ve accumulated, and the furnishings you’ve gathered are works of your curation.

But let’s be honest. Over time, many of us accumulate more than we need, our taste and style evolves, and oftentimes, we’re left with clutter. That clutter can actually affect us in negative ways, becoming much like a constant noise, interruption, or a chaotic element in our lives. And all of that curation has pretty much gone out the window. But the great thing is, we can start anew, and it can be life changing. What if this spring, rather than just spring cleaning, you curate your home? From holiday collections to linens, to that broken side table you were going to fix up but never got around to? What is your style? What do you love? What can you eliminate? No matter what you have, or what you don’t, you can create a curated home. Tips: If you get overwhelmed by the thought of curating your possessions, take it one room at a time. Start on one side of the room, and work your way across. Pull unwanted items out of the room and place them outside the door, to stay focused and to see the results of your work as you go. Once you’re finished with that room, take the unwanted items to their new destination. To the garbage can or recycling bin for unusable items, the car for donated items, and a designated area in your home where you can process things to be sold at a yard sale or on websites such as ebay or craigslist. To avoid burnout, give yourself  little breaks in between rooms. Have a sandwich, take a walk to the mailbox, or enjoy a few minutes leafing through your favorite magazine. Moving forward, avoid buying things only because they’re on sale. Make a list of items that you really want for your home and keep it in your purse. When you’re out and about you can reference your list to help you stay focused on what it is that you really want in your newly curated home.