My new studio space

I’m rewinding this back to about a month ago, when I walked into my garage and finally realised that the space which was meant to me my new studio space just wasn’t going to work. It is too cold in winter, and with the door closed has next to no light and if I was being honest with myself, I just didn’t find the prospect of working in there very enticing.

It would mean being physically away from my family most of the time and call me crazy, but I like being around my family. In the thick of things. I also like being able to chat to my husband at night whilst I paint or draw, and just to be around for all the 100s of questions my girls have to ask me urgently.

For over a decade now I have been craving a studio space. Somewhere I can just call my own. Rather than having to pack up all my things from the dining table, move the easel to a different corner of the house or get out of someone’s way.

Now don’t get me wrong. I made it work. Poorly and, at times, quite grumpily, but I made it work. I will admit, it did feel like my art was burdening everyone else. And I also felt selfish for wanting my own space so badly. Ever since I started uni, it has become a more pressing issue. I’ve got work everywhere and each day I pull it all out and then I pack it all up, which is unbelievably frustrating. It became draining and eventually just killed my motivation to create because it felt like a chore.

My husband and I have discussed many options. However as my funds are limited due to staying home and going back to uni, renting a separate studio wasn’t feasible. The space had to be somewhere I could get for free or dirt cheap.

Enter in our little two bed unit. The home that keeps on giving.

We’ve managed to fit in myself, my husband, two children, a cat and now a dog (and not a little one). It is also a home office, a place of rest, a portable gym, yoga studio and most times, it is absolute chaos. We also don’t really want to move. Why, you ask? Because we’re in a brilliant location and simply because we love it.

After much deliberation and planning, we finally (I can’t believe this took us so long) made a space for my art practice. Yep, after almost twelves years, I now have a beautiful little space that is mine.

My small nook of tranquility

Thank you, universe.

I don’t have a lot of supplies, books or anything extravagant so this space works brilliantly. All the things I need right now are in that blue trolley. My table tilts so I have my work angled to make it easier on my back and it is quite wide so I can work on a piece but also set it aside and work on my laptop easily. Even though I tend to get covered in whatever material I’m working with, I keep my art supplies pretty neat. Too much stuff and my mind goes bananas, so a workspace in the lounge isn’t so bad.

And the feedback from my family is that. ‘Thank goodness, Mum has finally shut up about it.’ It is safe to say that I have.

For a lot of other artists this may not seem like much, nor big enough but I love it. After shoving my artwork and art practice into where ever it would fit, this feels like a dream come true and the light that fills this room is second to none. I consider myself beyond lucky.

***

But let’s talk limitations, because there are some that come with a space like this and I want to be honest about it.

I’ll also say that right now, I’m choosing to work with them, rather than fight them. The relationship is going well so far!

Limitation One - working smaller

I have to work small, or smaller than I would prefer. I like working big. I always have. It allows me room to use my whole body in the work, move around and think about composition creatively. However I’ve packed up my easel (for now), and I’m re-thinking working small. When I say small, I’m not meaning tiny or miniature. More along the lines of an approximately A4, A3 or A2 size paper, canvas or board. Yes, I know for some artists that would be huge, it just isn’t for me. I see this as a positive challenge, one that I’m enjoying actually. It is forcing me to rethink works in terms of imagery, details, composition and technique. All of which I want to work on. So for now, I’ve put aside the larger works. Bye bye easel.

Limitation Two - art materials

I’ve had to pack away some of my art materials because they just don’t fit in my trolley and I can’t stand clutter. So I’ve culled. Well, I’ve packed them away but it’s all still accessible if I need. Gone are my acrylic paints, excess colour pencils, watercolours, gouache, clothes for cleaning up, extra oil paints, a ton of sketchbooks and things I didn’t even know I had.

I forced myself to choose which in turn gives my head the breathing room it need to just focus on a few materials that I love using and want to explore further. This limitation I don’t see as limiting at all. In fact, it has made me a lot more focused. I only have a basic watercolour and oils palette, charcoal, graphite, colour pencils and a few pastels. That’s it. Everything I need right now is there and I’m not thinking about what I should use constantly.

This aspect hasn’t been challenging at all. For someone who struggles to focus, it has been quite freeing.

Limitation Three - privacy

My art space is in a space with everyone else. I don’t mind this at all, however I can see how it might not be ideal for others. Especially if privacy is crucial to your idea development processes or just for your creative practice in general.

During the day, my girls are at school and my husband works in a different room so it is just me, my art and the most perfect silence. When the girls are at home, I’ll be honest, I just don’t do a lot of art. But they do respect my space. From a very early age, they knew not to touch my art. Supplies yes, go nuts, but artwork, definitely not.

At night, I can return and it is mostly quiet or I can tune all the happenings out with my headphones. Something I don’t mind doing at all.

The only living thing in our house that doesn’t respect my space, or anyone’s space, is our cat. She knows no boundaries. Every space is her space and I’ve given up trying to convince her otherwise.

***

Having a designated area just for my art practice has been a game changer for me, even at this small scale. I can leave work out and just return to it whenever I feel like, even if it for five or ten minutes.

Is a space for art, separate from everywhere else necessary? Definitely not. I didn’t have one and for a long time it worked, or at least I made it work. But it got to the point where I was demotivated and just fed with the whole shuffling-things-around process every day, just so everyone could have the dining table back.

Having somewhere like this for my art, is also a commitment to myself and my practice. That I am finally taking my creative practice seriously.