I love all those studio publications–Where Women Create and Cloth Paper Scissors Studios and the books and the websites and, well, just anything that gives me a glimpse inside the space where other people make stuff. I love them all. But.
While I’m sure there are lots of very, very neat people out there, people who can make stuff all day long–paintings and novels and cakes and clothes–and never, ever leave a mess behind, and, at the end of the day, leave their studio space spotless, I am not one of them. See?
Photo by Earl Zachery
Just like everyone else, I’m envious of the people who have huge, brilliantly-lighted custom-designed studios. Those are gorgeous, and I actually know some people who have those. But that’s not me: my studio spaces are rooms in our funky little old house that, in the lives of regular people, would be living areas. You know, where you ate meals and stuff. Since I don’t have the space or the time or the disposable income to have a fabulous just-for-me studio, I’ve learned to make do, and I’ve gotten to see other people’s spaces where they’ve learned to make do, too. And I’ve discovered that those are the spaces that intrigue me, the ones that draw me back again and again to see how she stores her markers under the table in the corner of the living room or how he’s set up the rack to hold the spools of quilting thread over the dining room table. It’s seeing how other people have adapted ordinary spaces to the work they do and how those spaces look after a day of someone working in them–that’s what captivates me. I want to see more. I want to see where people actually work, even if–especially if–it’s some weird little space that totally, totally works only for them. I love those! And every time I see them, I get ideas for how to make my spaces work just a little bit better for me–that’s what it’s all about. You share what works for you, and someone else goes, “Oh, man! That would be PERFECT for the painting area on the front porch!”
And because I have this fabulous forum right here, I thought, “Whoa! We can show each other our studios!” In fact, we thought it would be so cool that we’re going to make it a part of our CreateMixedMedia newsletter, where we’ll share studio photos and a link in each issue. To get started, Julie has set up a Flickr group, The Everyday Studio, here, where you can join and start uploading photos. Make sure you add your name and contact info- and, if you like, a link to your website or blog so people can go see what you do. Tonia and I have generously shown you our own spaces, where you can see completely different styles that are each perfect for the person who works there. Nothing fancy, nothing scary. Just places where people make stuff (although I’ve got to tell you, that drill press is pretty impressive!).
The rules? We don’t need no stinkin’ rules! Your studio can be wherever you work on whatever it is you make, and we want photos of how it looks normally–not like it would look in a perfect world if you had a decorator, a studio assistant, and a cleaning service. Just your studio. Bonus if it shows you in it!
While the photos don’t need to be fancy, we would like them to be spiffy–you know: good lighting, clear-and-not-fuzzy. Additional detail shots would be way cool, too. There are a couple up there already so you can go and take a look. That shot of my sewing studio should make you go, “Gah. If she’s not embarrassed to show that room, I can show mine, too.”
So come on–we’ve shown you ours; show us yours!
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