Admit it: aren’t you tired of my writing about how much stuff I have, but that I have no place to store it?

I know I am.

For too long, my focus has been on the negative side of upcycling  – the clutter that can come from never throwing anything away. I found myself feeling stuck with rather than grateful for my harvest of obtainium.

So, last week I started a GoFundMe campaign. I wanted something that would help shift my thinking from “not now” to “not yet.” Putting my goal out there for all the world to see seemed like a good start.

Of course, I wrestled with my inner editor, who reminded me of all the narcissistic GoFundMe campaigns that exist. Why would/should anyone help fund a way for me to store the stuff I collect? I’m sure a lot of people would love to have a storage shed in their backyard, so why help pay for mine?

Then I found a picture of a storage shed that looks like a little red barn and I realized that’s what I’m asking for: an actual barn raising – help from my community for something I can’t do alone. The barn I’m raising will be mine because of its location, but it will serve as a way station, where discarded materials will move through my hands; one person’s abundance fulfilling another person’s need.

I honestly believe my little red barn is just a prototype for creative reuse on a much larger scale. My enthusiasm for creative reuse catches the attention of like-minded folks, but I need something I can bring to show-and-tell when I start discussing how my avocation might someday become a vocation and provide a service our community doesn’t (yet) know it needs.

But let’s not forget the most important reason for this campaign: it will free me from ever writing about my lack of space again. This site should be filled with project ideas, inspiration for creative reuse, and suggestions for ways to make something of whatever you have. That alone should produce enough support to help me raise my barn.