When Your Home Is Your Studio (or is it the other way around?)

Look closely. Bet you thought this was a photograph of a real quilt.


I've had this photo in my file for a long time and have no idea who did it. If someone knows who the graphic artist is, please let me know. I'd like to give very full credit!


In the meantime, today it represents a perfect meld of home and studio. How many of us work in our homes or live in our studios? I do. My floor looms, thank heavens, are in an airy larger shed on the property, but my more immediate art--my writing, painting, and beading--live here with me in my new little cottage.


Since there simply isn't room to carve a studio from my living space, I'm creating a sort of "living studio." All my choices for decorating and arranging things in my limited space are based on whether or not they serve my work with words and colors. Watercolor table in the sitting room? Why not? It's a feature. Desk in the bedroom? No, that's a bed in the writing room.


This last juxtaposition worried me before I moved in. I've always had separate office and bedroom, and I have to admit I was concerned about not being able to relax, what with my work staring me in the face every night. But I've discovered that I sleep very well surrounded by what I love. When I look at my shelves of books about writing, poetry, creativity, and children's literature (even those stern dictionaries in five languages), I see possibilities for creating my future. If anything keeps me awake these days, it's too many ideas!


If working at home is a problem for you, there are ways to shift the orientation of your living space to support your creativity.

• Ask yourself what sort of home would feed your creative dreams. Give more space to what you love and give it a place of honor. Surround yourself with things that make you want to be creative. Cut out the clutter that keeps you stuck in the uncreative past.
  
• What about setting up a dedicated workspace? Think about how that would change your life. Clearly, the more of your home that is dedicated to your art or craft, the stronger the constant creative energy will be, pulling you in and jump-starting your work. But even if all you can manage is a convertible corner or a roll-out unit, it's a seed waiting to grow.
  
• Think about what you would pack in a portable studio. A space-saving backpack stuffed with miniature versions of your favorite tools is a possible solution for a crowded living space (and a great idea for taking advantage of odd moments on your job, by the way).
  
• Another question: What sort of inspiration would a fairy sprinkle on you? Got it? Now sprinkle it around your house.

One of the best ways to grease your gears is to keep a steady stream of exciting and interesting ideas coming into your brain. What sort of inspiration tickles your fancy? Literature, music, motivational tapes? Films, friends, the Buddha? 

Select things that make you want to strive for the very highest within yourself, images or objects that remind you of who you really are: a magnificent spiritual being, a naturally creative soul. Surround yourself with messages in a language that speaks to your heart. Put them in places where you can't help but see them. What is it that touches you right where you live and makes you want to be your very, very best?

-- from The Day Job Survival (and Escape) Kit

Time and Space are two of the issues I look at in The Day Job Survival (and Escape) Kit --hopefully coming soon to a computer near you. And am I glad I've finally got a living studio. Time to edit!