I don’t remember my childhood bedroom that well. I had a dresser. A bed. 70’s style shelves on the wall (HINT: they were plain wood planks supported by steely metal brackets).
I had wood cut-outs on the wall of Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the whole gang that my dad made me. (Peanuts was very big back in the day…).
I also had huge cardboard boxes under the bed where I saved my craft supplies and scrapbooks. (Also a thing in my day. We cut out pics of our current crushes from Teen Beat magazine, glued them on the pages and doodled their names and lots and lots of hearts!)
One thing I remember clearly was: it was always a mess.
My mom was beyond frustrated.
I was constantly told to clean my room.
I tried, I really did! I just couldn’t figure out how to do it.
For a long time, I thought that meant something was wrong with me.
What I know now is this: I didn’t have a system.
I had a dresser that didn’t make sense.
A closet bar so high my clothes might as well have lived on another planet.
And nowhere obvious for things to go.
So they went on the floor.
Not because I didn’t care—
but because the setup didn’t work for how my creative brain worked.
That story followed me for years; and so did the shame. I thought I was just a naturally messy person; disorganized, undisciplined and even lazy.
Until I lived on my own and started organizing my space for myself. I realized NONE of those things were true–ARE true. It wasn’t a ME problem; it was a system problem.
That’s when everything shifted.
I realized I’m actually really good at solving space challenges. Trust me, we lived in some tiny spaces with huge space issues! Through those experiences, I learned to figure out how to make each home work for me, for my family, for my real life.
I still love figuring out why a room isn’t working and finding a system and solution–instead of blaming the person.
Now I get to help women—especially creative women in midlife—organize their homes in ways that actually support their lives.
Based on who they are.
The season they’re in.
And what they need their space to do now—not ten years ago! Because when your space works with you—not against you—your creativity soars, you reclaim hours lost to sorting and searching, and you’re finally free to focus on the dreams and desires of your heart.
If you’ve ever felt ashamed of your space, I hope this reminds you of something important:
You’re not messy.
You’re not lazy.
And you’re not behind.
Sometimes all it takes is a system that finally works with you.
This is exactly the kind of thing I love helping women work through—feel free to reach out if you want support.
–Sue