One of the most important aspects of having a perfect studio is being able to find exactly what you need in a really fast amount of time. There have been times in my studio when I was in the groove, painting along and creating a painting I was really excited about. Suddenly, I need something. Maybe it's a tube of white paint, my tube wringer, a new palette knife or more wet wipes. Regardless, I stop what I am doing and start looking. And looking. And looking. Of course I can't find it because it's not where it is supposed to be.
Minutes later, regardless if I have found the item or not, I am out of my groove and not feeling creative. What a wasted opportunity! It’s really important to keep your studio organized. The purpose of having a studio is to paint and be creative. It's not a storage room for absolutely everything that has to do with your art. It should be a clean and well lit space that has everything you need to create art at your fingertips. It is especially important to be organized if your studio is small. It might be time to take a day or two and re-organize your studio. Take the time to plan out a very logical and organized plan. Create “areas” in your studio based on the flow of how you create your art. I have a dry and wet side in my studio. My painting supplies are stored and I actually create my art on the right side of my studio. That's what I refer to as the "wet side". The "dry side", or left side, is where I do my computer work, marketing, framing and mailing. You need plenty of storage, both flat and vertical. You also need a place to write and a place for your computer. But do these need to be located in your studio? Absolutely not! If you have the space then go ahead and create storage and a work station. If not just locate them somewhere else. It's not likely to need to do these two things simultaneously while creating your art. Finally, add some creativity to you studio. Take some time to scour flea markets and tag sales to find some really fun but inexpensive storage containers. Re-purpose things to use as bins, baskets and shelves. Build some small shelves on the walls to hold your paintings. Especially the wet ones! Just remember that once you get your studio organized you need to keep it that way. The best idea is to always clean up and put everything back in it's place at the end of your painting session. Of course, that's easier said than done!
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I have always had my art studio at home. I am lucky that I have the space available and have my own area, with good light in my home. I love the fact that I am often in my studio in the morning, planning my day, with coffee in hand while in my pajamas. (Ok, I am being really honest here!) I love that I can run in the house and start dinner, while another layer of my abstract painting is drying. And I love that at the end of the day I can close the door of my studio and “leave the office” even though it’s only 20 steps from my house.
Think about all of the spaces in your house that you could use as an “art studio”. It may be a kitchen counter, a table, a bedroom desk, an old kids room or the picnic table outdoors. You may share a creative space with a family member, or you may even have an extra room in your house to have art studio of your own. Size isn’t really that important. Rather, you need a space that can hold your art supplies and be accessible to paint without too much set up. Would you consider having your an art studio located outside of the house? I think there are both pros and cons. Space outside of your home isn't as convenient and often costs money. But if you are the person that needs to "leave the house and go to work" then an out-of-the-house studio is probably for you. Don't forget that when renting a studio, you aren’t necessarily just gaining access to workspace, but also to connections to the wider art world that you may have never had otherwise. So many artists struggle with the seclusion of working alone. A studio with other artists can offer camaraderie and tons of social interaction. You just might be happier and produce better art! Also, having other artists around causes you to become more accountable to others. And it also might offer you access to artist’s workshops, seminars, courses, residencies, fellowships and opportunities to exhibit. Many artists believe their success might never had happened if they had restricted their studio space to their homes. So there is really no right or wrong answer. It completely depends on you. It depends on what you, as an artist, want for your art studio to be the best you can be. Being an artist is a tough job. We work very long hours, have a lot of deadlines and need a well organized space to be creative. So when deciding on a how to create the “perfect studio” there are a lot of things to consider. It doesn’t matter if you are starting fresh out with your first studio or looking to improve what you have. Just do it. Because you really can create the “perfect studio”.
This week I am going to share a lot of tips for you to consider to make your studio perfect! So follow along with me and I think you will be happy with the end result. Some artists have studios that are open to the public. Other artists have private workspaces in their homes. Some artists studios are located in a barn or in a boat storage space. Other studios are in warehouses, sheds, tree houses, and even out of doors. It’s important to realize that you just need a space that suits you, your art needs and your budget. Whether your art pays the bills or is simply a hobby, you want your art space to allow you to experience creativity and inspiration. Your studio belongs to you, which means that you should decorate it however you see fit. Maybe you prefer blank walls, or perhaps you would rather plaster your area with pictures, photos and quotes that really inspire you. The first thing you need to do is choose the right spot. As much as we would all love to have a very large and cool space with floor to ceiling north-facing windows, for many that just isn't possible. And that is fine! It's more important to have an area that is easily accessible and comfortable. While you might not have a lot of options when it comes to choosing your studio space, consider everything. Don't discount a room, just because it's your dining room. If you consider how often you actually use your dining room, it just might be the perfect spot! I do think you need to try to have a separate space for your studio. Eating in the same room could be problematic as some of your art supplies may contain toxic chemicals. So if the dining room looks like the right spot, don't plan on eating in there too! Although many of us think that the size of your studio is the most important thing, don't let it play that big of a factor in choosing the location. Remember you need space to paint. You need an area to store your basic materials. Often a huge area can collect clutter and can be distracting. It's more important to find a well lit and bright room that inspires you to create! Check back tomorrow as I discuss if your studio should be inside or outside of your house. Whenever I go out of town it takes me a while to get "back in the saddle" upon my return. I travel a lot but it's unusual when I am gone for longer than a week. After spending two weeks in New Zealand I had a lot to do to get back on track. Not to mention pretty awful jet lag.
What are some of the things you should do to get your art business organized when you return from a trip? The first thing is pretty obvious and that is to go through the mail, check messages and check email. Things have changed in that now when we travel we can easily stay on top of of email and messages. I barely remember the days when a return from vacation meant dealing with hundreds of emails. (Thank heavens for cell phones!) After I caught up on mail and a few phone messages, I cleaned out my studio. Things were pretty crazy in the Carriage House before I left and by crazy, I mean that my studio was a mess! So I spent a few hours and fortunately, my studio looks great again. The last thing I do when I get back from a trip is to schedule out my calendar. I have an editorial calendar for my blog and I am now scheduled out for five weeks. (What that means is that I have scheduled all of my blog topics for the next five weeks. I love being organized and ahead of schedule!) I also go through my calendar and schedule out projects and appointments for the next month. Having a regular routine when you return from a trip can really take the hassle out of traveling. My only issue is that I need more time at home. I leave again this weekend. I am heading to Atlanta as I have a boot camp scheduled next week! So it looks like I get to go through this routine all over again next weekend! OMG. Ok. So I have been on vacation. I spent two weeks in New Zealand with my family. And it was fabulous. For the first week I pre-wrote all of my blog posts so I didn't miss a day. For the second week I was just on vacation. Sorry but sometimes a girl has got to take some time off. (And thanks for all of your emails wondering "where "in the heck" were my blog posts?")
So I am back. And trying to get caught up. As you all know, it's hard to take vacation when you own your own business. There is nobody back in the office to take over while you are gone. There is also no one that can finish your paintings. So stuff piles up. In a really big way! I did hit a big milestone while I was in New Zealand. My Instagram account @my100yearoldhome surpassed 10,000 followers. That was a really big goal for me and I am thrilled I reached it! But please understand, I worked really hard to reach this goal. Speaking of Instagram, this week's AHA show is going to be about some new things happening with Instagram. There's a lot of talk about Shadow Banning and if you don't know what it is then you had better listen to the show. Because I can bet that many of you have accounts that have been "shadow banned" by Instagram and you don't even know it. There is also a really cool app you can use called linktr.ee. It's a great solution for a common Instagram problem that you are going to want to know about. It's good to be back. I am not home for long as next week I am teaching a Marketing Boot Camp in Atlanta, GA! I cannot wait!!! Nine weeks ago I started a new Instagram account called @my100yearoldhome. The account is all about our 102 year old home, my love for farmhouse style decor, my Rae Dunn collection (and quest for the COOKIES canister!) as well as tips, recipes and much, much more.
I have previously shared that this endeavor has been a lot of fun. Most importantly, I have met the most amazing women through my new Instagram account. I have also learned a lot. I also started a blog (called My 100 Year Old Home) and now have linked pages to a new facebook account and a Pinterest page. And the best part? I only need 150 more followers to reach my goal of 10,000. I have been fortunate to be able to share a lot I have learned about this Instagram journey on the Artists Helping Artists podcast. I thought I knew Instagram really well, but that wasn't the case. I do think you really can't understand Instagram fully until you are in the trenches and using it everyday. Trust me, this is so true! If you aren't on Instagram then sign up now. If you are on Instagram then add a new account to help find something that you are passionate about. Trust me, it's so much fun. And don't forget to follow me @my100yearoldhome. I am still trying to reach that 10,000 goal! It's hard enough keeping track of my schedule when I am home. But now that we have been in New Zealand for a week I am still having trouble with the time change.
It's just so strange that today is actually tomorrow back home. What I mean by that is it is currently Tuesday at 12:09pm. But in California it is Monday at 5:09pm. That is just so odd to me. The good news is I feel a bit like I get a "practice" day since today hasn't really happened yet. I know, you are starting to think i am crazy. Crazy is going on a helicopter ride to the Milford Sound and stopping the helicopter on top of a glacier. We did that yesterday which of course is really today for the rest of you. We are heading out to try an ATV ride which sounds pretty fabulous. Can't wait until we leave on Saturday because we travel 13 hours and arrive home before we left. Now that is crazy! |
Leslie
Mom. Wife. Artist. Marketer. Teacher. Radio Show Host. Archives
July 2017
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