There is a magazine called “Where Women Create” and I have enjoyed it over the past few years as I started creating on a more regular basis. They share the stories of women who have worked hard to be in a place where creating is more than a hobby and the spaces that they create in are varied, but wonderful. Often the kind that one fantasizes about moving into someday.
I’m fascinated by people’s stories, especially their journeys and their process. As I looked at all of the creating spaces that were shared in this magazine, I found myself wanting more of the pictures and stories of their spaces that they first started in and wondering if their current spaces really looked that fantastic on a daily basis.
I know mine doesn’t.
Where do you create? What does that space look like? Is it solely for creating or is it a mixed use space? Does it make you happy no matter what it looks like or do you crave something different? Do you have matching bins? Do you keep it clean? Can you even find anything? Do you have to pay your bills there too? Are you in a corner, a basement, or an attic or even a closet? Were you able to take over a whole room? Do you have a dedicated space with enough room for you and all of your tools?
My current creating space houses my many creative adventures – drawing and painting in various forms, photography, writing and book creating, for starters, as well as my computer, because it assists me in my creative adventures. I also pay my bills here, check in on my daily runnings of Domestics, order items online, work on projects such as photo albums, write thank you notes, and plenty of other tasks. My family often sits here to use my computer and I always find stray items from my kids hanging out on my desk.
I have a desk and some shelves in a room that I share with my kids and my cat and their hobbies, as well as a TV and a small couch. That is my creative space. I affectionately call it “my studio”.
It’s messy. All we need is a bathroom, a fridge and a hot plate and we could call it a studio apartment. We are jam-packed into this room and we love it.
But I can definitely be found fantasizing about a “real” studio. A space that is large and airy where there is always available table space. Maybe even a patio with a cozy chair where I sit with my coffee to get grounded before I start creating. In this fantasy creative space, each creative adventure of mine has its own space and every tool has its own place. I have hidden storage for the projects that I am working on that I can’t just pick up and put away yet. I even have some cozy room for my kids to be in this “real” studio with me. There are lots of windows and I am surrounded by things that make me happy and inspire me. Ahhhhh…dreamy.
In reality, would I ever be able to actually do real creative work and keep it looking like I never worked in there? I doubt it. But I know that there are people out there who can pull this off. Are you one of them?
A theme that I noticed as I read the articles of the women who were highlighted in this magazine and their journeys to the wonderful studio spaces that they had moved into was the complete love that they felt for the first places they created in, their starter spaces. Those spaces were often just small corners or rooms in their homes that they carved out to create in. They were messy, not full of matching bins and where they might need to tend to other tasks too. I know that I absolutely love this small squished in over-worked creative space that I am in right now.
As we prepare to move, I find myself looking at new places wondering where my next creating spot will be or if there is even room for one. The super cool fun places have outbuildings that could be mine, all mine. But I know I would still want a space in my home too so I could be connected to my family when they are home and I need to create or am inspired to do so. So many questions. Is there a bright space for my food photography? Do I have room to start my online country shoppe and store the items that I will sell? Is there a dedicated space that can always be ready instead of me having to clean and clear before I can get creative? Why did I have to be a dreamer? Can I really raise chickens with their pasty butt and all the other scary things my chicken books are advising me on? Will all of the clear lidded containers I purchased really make my kids pick up their toys in the next house like I believe?
Do I really want to keep my messy roommates?
It’s my Happy Place but I do enjoy wondering what my next space will look like.
If you want to share your creative space and the juicy details on what it really looks like on a daily basis, add a comment here or head over to the The Awkward Bird Facebook page and share your pics. (I showed you mine, now you show me yours!)
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