I work best with a studio and a schedule. I just do, even though I like to think I can and will work anywhere at anytime.
I love to travel and I always think I’ll just whip out my supplies on the table of a cafe or while sitting on a rock under a massive, sun dappled tree (really, this is one of my most common art daydreams), but I never do.
Sometimes I’ll sketch when I get back to my hotel or Airbnb, but that’s where it ends. No plein air for this girl. I mean, usually I remember to take photos and once I get back to my studio I use them as references for a painting.
(Edit: I started sketching at museums last week and I loved it, so maybe now I’ll be more likely to work in public!)
Every single productive period of my life, though, I’ve had a room (or a specific section of a room) all to myself to splatter, pour, cut, and otherwise make a mess of in the name of creative progress.
This can work while traveling, too, of course. Sometimes as soon as I arrive to my temporary new home, I’ll set up a desk or table with just my art supplies (no food, no books, no clothes - it needs to be used only for art). Whenever I’ve done that, I’ve definitely made time to paint or sketch or otherwise document my trip.
At home, though, I’ve just started settling into my current studio. I started setting it up in December, I think, but between unpacking boxes, preparing for the holidays (which for me, in December, means three birthdays, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve), hosting friends and family from out of town, homeschooling, and making actual art, my studio organization and design languished.
Forget making it look nice - I was lucky if I could walk in without tripping over half-wrapped presents and semi-unpacked boxes. The holidays have passed, though, and I started tackling the studio little-by-little. It was getting pretty close to done…
….But then I decided it was time to give the kids their own bedrooms, so now it’s time to move the studio across the hall and give this room to one of them.
Actually, the move shouldn’t be that hard at all. I’m guessing one afternoon should do it, so I’ve set aside Saturday and Sunday to get it done (including moving the kids’ rooms around).
I’m getting pretty excited - most things are pretty organized now, so hopefully I’ll be able to move directly to the decorating stage of the process!
Tonight after the kids go to bed, I’ll have the house to myself, so it will be inspiration time! Check out my Pinterest board to see what I found!
Any suggestions? Do you have something you love or would love to have in your studio?