Do you clean up your workspace before filming?

Me personally I don't record basically because I'm afraid of my environment not being "perfect" especially when I paint. When I paint and really paint. It's a disaster and it's in the most inconvenient place ever. I swear it would be on the ceiling if I felt it right... I've always had that fear. But on the flip side I consume media and my favorite inspiration from my favorite creators are as dirty as you can get unorganized and raw and real. So coming from myself I know your fear. Coming from someone who is a fan of so many. It's inspirational and real if u don't clean up. It helps regular people feel like they aren't shameful just for being human.

I may have worked in professional corporate video production for too many years. I always police a background. Distractions can confuse attention from the subject. The exception is if the background tells a narrative. Then it becomes key.

Honestly, in my experience the mess works better. I've got hard drives stacked next to teacups and half sorted memory cards all over my desk and the few times I showed that in a story, people responded way more than to anything polished I'd put together. I think with so much generated content floating around now, anything that looks too clean almost reads as fake. The coffee rings and the unsorted prints prove a person actually sits there and works. I stopped tidying before recording and nothing bad happened. If anything it felt like a relief, not having to perform some version of a workspace that doesn't exist. Just let people see the real thing.

Honestly, I love the mess because it is honest. It gives an unfiltered, unromantic view of the work. If someone wants to get into it, they'll need to be prepared for the mess.

Kind of I have to have where I'm working cleaned to start but halfway through it looks like a bomb went off it stays that way to whatever project and it's done and then I clean again before I start again

It is of my opinion( on these matters amongst peers correct) your environment in which you create, most def af and Ef CT’s how you operate. I’m not rich, rather poor in fact so take it it’s no salt cuz I ain’t got none left. Create create create create. If your worried about anything else become a cleaner. If you can’t clear your mind of this that and first I gatta then blah blah blah. A tidy space to work is important to me when I start a piece, then it is not. That space becomes part of it. It’s the space between yourself and the work that’s… art. A reflection of time. The mess is that reflection. The piece is the time. I’ve had a few pops night

I do some selective tidying but mostly don’t worry about it. Cropping is helpful too if there’s something that bothers me.

I clean up but maybe I will consider leaving it as is. I seem to need organization before I start each piece because my work space is not very big and clutter drives me nuts.

I tried to be the polished version of myself online and I think everyone saw right through it! We joke about it now. I think people can sense how authentic your space is by how curated it is. How many of us have 3 to 73 projects going at once, at least one cat, and a cup of coffee sitting in our studio? Come on - we all do - lol. I'm not saying be a slob, I'm just saying if we are showing our human side and the process of creation it can get a little messy sometimes.

I clean up approx 2-3 times in a year.

Because suddenly there is simply tooo much rest-paper around me, after my motifs have been torn out from rice paper and napkins and magazine, etc. …

Otherwise i simply looove the chaos in my studio,💥💥❤ That’s where the real magic keeps unfolding 🎨✍🌈🦄💫

I think reality is what people relate to! Messy is real!

I love the mess and yes that's what I film when I do. The good, not so good, the messy and the chaos.

I don't do filming of my art' but maybe just maybe I should do it lol

Ні.а для чого?Натюрліхом і вйо! ).

I think a relatable story gets more views and followers.

Absolutely NOT! 😂

In my everyday life, its chaos from when my eyes opens to finally laying my head down at the end of the night. I create in my chaos no matter how messy, real and inconvenient at times it may be. Thats real life.

@malcolmturcotte Yes! I think authenticity is greater and also the clean up version too! Shows the balance or realism and professionalism-both of which we all are! #realityrocks #prettyprofessionalism #varietyisthespice

I agree that mess works. It does for almost all my viewers. I like real life. If you are teaching you might not but when I do inks mixed with stuff and with mixed media I need it out

Sometimes I do. But not always. Instead I edit by taking things out. However I doubt I will continue doing this.

I have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. But it this isn’t weird enough I don’t have MS. Instead I have chromosomes floating around. How fun.

It depends on what I’m shooting. I usually like it tidy, but it’s not always hard to hard-core cleaning unless we’ve got glass or some kind of reflection.

I usually try to tidy up because for me it’s a bit of a distraction and I’m trying to focus on what I want to share and I’m looking at things that I said I needed to clean up. Some people work better in chaos than others, I’m not that gal.

No, I don't really tidy up, but sometimes I crop the image a little 😁

Hey Malcolm! The instinct to leave the mess in was the right one.

Authenticity flat out beats polish for behind-the-scenes content. A pile of hard drives and coffee mugs on your editing desk tells people this is where real work happens, not a set dressed for a camera. The pattern across artists posting BTS content consistently is that the raw, unfiltered version outperforms the tidy reshoot almost every time, because it proves there's a real human behind the work.

A few things worth keeping in mind:

- Film first, evaluate second. If something in the background is actually distracting from what you're showing (a piece of mail with your address, something embarrassing), crop or reshoot that specific angle. But "messy desk" is not that. Messy desk is personality.

- The gear bag dumped on the tailgate is exactly the kind of shot that stops a scroll. Photographers especially connect with that because they've all been there. Keep shooting those.

- Use the mess as a storytelling hook. "This is what 15 years of hard drives looks like" or "every one of these prints has a story" turns clutter into content. Caption does the heavy lifting.

- Consistency matters more than production value. One unpolished BTS video a week builds more trust than one cinematic studio tour every three months.

You already noticed the engagement difference yourself, which is the most reliable data you'll get. Trust that signal and keep posting the unfiltered stuff.

Want to take it further? I can help you map out a month of BTS content ideas based on your editing workflow and nature photography setup.

Other resources you might find helpful:

- Daily Marketing Advice · June 7, 2026 · turn your process into content people want to watch — Shows why messy workspace content actually strengthens audience connection and trust, directly addressing concerns about filming imperfect spaces.

- Daily Marketing Advice · August 5, 2026 · the mid-week studio tour nobody asked for — Marketing advice arguing that showing your messy, unpolished workspace builds authentic connection with your audience.

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For me it depends on what I’m recording. Sometimes I’m happy to leave my “creative clutter”, but if I have anything personal out, I will always put it away.

Technically, I selectively tidy up prior to recording.