Have you seen glossy magazine spreads of gorgeous studios or home offices where people make art? They have amazing decor, tiny details of inspiration around them, and a beautiful clean desk, of course. Well, that’s not me, unfortunately. 😭
Last year we moved to a new house that is just big enough for the 4 of us, but doesn’t have a lot of extra room. Now with the pandemic still affecting so many lives, my spouse will be working from home indefinitely, and space is even more of an issue.
I have taken space where I can find it for creating collage art, and the space I have chosen is in the laundry room. I stand and create in a small space, next to where people dump their stuff when they come in the door. I’m next to dusty shoes, and empty containers before they get taken out to recycling.
I hate it, and yet it’s what I have, and I feel like I should be more grateful. It’s my very own space; I don’t share it with anyone. I also have some nice cabinets above me where I can store papers.
I haven’t been motivated to keep it organized longer than a few hours, though. I’m not proud of my space and have no reason to show it off, so I don’t really try to keep it looking presentable. I gave up last night again, and just worked on top of the mess.
Still, I’ve been productive. In the photo below you can see the pages in my latest eclectic-page gluebook. I just create right on top of the mess!
No need to worry, right? I do lose track of things pretty easily, as you can imagine. I can last about a week like this, but then I have to try to straighten up a bit.
My other space, where I record, is in the family room. When we moved in last year, the only place for my desk was wedged in between the TV and the games/toys cabinet. There’s no privacy, but I make it work by recording when the kids are at school.
What’s on my desk? I’m recording a video about what’s so great about postcard art.
I keep telling myself that this is all temporary. Someday I’ll have a more permanent place. We’ll see. If I stay here, that will be fine too. After all, I’ve been making do just fine with what I have.
Best practices for swapping and exchanging art
Impressive recording space! And at least your collaging “mess” is confined to a small area. I have a large desk that is forever cluttered. . .
I do like my small desk. It helps keep the paper jumble contained. 🙂
P.s. – nice Kitchen!
Thanks! The whole space is “open concept” and I’ve come to the realization that I like walls. Otherwise, I have to keep everything spotless! If not, you’d see mess anywhere direction you turn.
I too have to laugh at those magazine photos of large, tidy and perfect studios. Just not like what I see visiting my artist friends. Thanks for sharing real life with us…so refreshing! Fort
Thanks, Linda. I do enjoy being inspired by seeing others’ creative spaces, but they do depress me a little. Who knows, maybe I’ll have my own studio one day, and I’ll change my tune 😉
Wow, how nice to see a real artist’s space and honest talk about how you just “make do” with what you’ve got. I hate those magazines because they make me feel inadequate and dirty. I’d have to win the lottery to be like those artists because I’d have to be bleeding money to afford my own backyard art cottage/Wendy-house-for-grownups and a maid to keep my space constantly organized and clean, because there’s no way I could keep it that camera-ready and maintain my sanity. Also, yes, walls. Walls are your friend. I’ve always thought those open-plan spaces would only work if I was living alone, because the noise level alone would drive me batty. Seems like you’re making it work, though. I find THAT more inspiring and helpful than any of those magazines!
Thank you for your supportive comments, Carrie 😉 And yes, walls are definitely our friends. An open concept was great when my kids were little and I could watch them playing legos while I was making dinner, but now that they’re older, I find the lack of walls a true nuisance. Besides the noise level, there are also kitchen smells that carry throughout the house. Who wants to be smelling asparagus or whatever, in their dreams?!!
Your desk looks like mine! We have to tell ourselves it’s okay. I have to tell myself constantly that it’s okay not to clean up after doing this or that, or put this away or that away. I have a room to craft and I’m lucky, so much so, you’d think I could keep it clean. I’ve survived so I must be doing something right.
It’s okay if your space is limited because your creativity hasn’t been affected. Your art is amazing! It’s okay to be in between the tv and the game cabinet because you fit in perfectly! You are a part of everything in your home and you’ve made it work for you. You’ve taken what you’ve got and made it very special. You’ve survived too so you must be doing something right too.
Thank you for sharing your spaces. It helps us to validate and share on a personal level. Joyce…..p.s. I don’t think I could work in one of those clean craft rooms, with perfect white cupboards and perfect pull out drawers! I’m a visual person and need to see my stuff. I have bookcases small to big and a pegboard that suits me just fine.
I can tell you are grateful for the space you could find. Maybe you need one of those huge art closets; I think it’s called the art box. I looked into it but they are very expensive! Your desk suits you because it looks like a collage. I have all my paper crafts in a breakfast nook that is in our open basement. I didn’t want to make it fancy so it’s not. It’s messy but I was able to purchase 2 shelves so I feel less cluttered than a few weeks ago.
Margarete,
I feel your pain! It reminds me of when I lived in a 660 sq ft 1 bedroom condo. I don’t know if you realize how small it was but it was VERY small. At that time I wasn’t interested in the paper wonderland but quilts instead!! What a challenge that was. I had absolutely no room for a sewing machine anywhere that would make sense so I had to put it at the foot of my bed inside of a sewing/craft table. I was miserable trying to manage a queen size quilt in my tiny bedroom. But, I made do because I loved making quilts and still do today, but not as much as then. I also free motion quilted my quilts too. which is very labor intensive on a domestic machine. Finally we moved to a small house but it has 3 bedrooms, one of the bedrooms I’ve turned into a studio and it is definitely my happy place. It is absolutely packed full of all the stuff I create because since then I have taken on journaling , gel printing, polymer clay, spinning, and knitting. So once again there is no where for everything I want to create. I have totes below my tables full of whatever papers, embellishments, etc…the other side of the double table is devoted to sewing. The closet is filled with boxes of paper, fabric, etc..You see the more space you have the more you will take up. Don’t worry about others seeing your creative space, its the place you love if they know you and love you then they get it!! If they don’t well, thats ok too.. There are some options out there like Ikea, flea markets..etc.. don’t worry about looks just go with what works. Maybe put shelves up in your laundry room or use the space next to the bar near your kitchen. Use a folding screen to partition your space if you feel you want privacy. Use a found table top between matching plastic organizer drawers… think outside the box… collage your space maybe..Sometimes it takes time when you move in a place to get a feel for what works for you. Don’t be afraid to prioritize your spaces too…Good luck..you do a wonderful job with what you have!!
Thanks so much for your comments, Gina ❤️ I appreciate the thoughtfulness of your response. I used to quilt with my sewing machine, too. Free-motion quilting is really challenging! And I can’t imagine how you would do that in a small space without being able to spread things out. Wow!! I’m so glad you are in a bigger place now, though it sounds like you’ve burrowed in and filled up your creative space once again 🙂. It sounds great, actually. Thanks for all your tips. I will make my laundry room my happy place!
Hi love your creative space ,lot’s lot’s ideas.I work on top of stove with glass cutting board ( on top of burners )i only use for crafting .Lighting good and right height to work at.My cats don’t usually bother me too much there .Eventually will organize apartment to have other space for crafting but not now,too many books to move not enough energy or time .I am new to collage but find myself thinking of projects to do and where to obtain vintage paper ephemera . I love this very relaxing pastime
Wow, Judith, You’re the first person I’ve heard of who has a creative space on a stove top! 😉 Way to find a place that works for you 👍 I’m glad you’re enjoying collaging.