Have you ever wondered how cool it could be to have a home art studio?
Imagine yourself sleeping till late, waking up at chipping birds and, after breakfast, going in your own studio in your own home and working at your favourite piece.
*music stops dramatically*
I don’t know how to say this but…this is not how it works most of the time HA!
I’m not saying that having a home studio is a bad thing, it’s absolutely amazing. But working from home might not be the fairytale you think it is.
Although this is very personal and you have to evaluate how you feel and what your goals are, but there are three main things I would like you to consider before setting up your home art studio:
COMFORT
Working from home is so comfortable. And I’m pretty sure this is the only good part about working from home.
You don’t have to leave your house, nor even your bed if you put your bed in the studio…You can wear your pyjama all day every day. The kitchen is only a few meters away, and you can sleep till late.
Phew that’s too much comfort, isn’t it?
In terms of productivity, I think that waking up early and getting prepared as if you are leaving the house is the key to success. It’s like you are saying to your brain “let’s get things done” instead of “we can go back to sleep whenever we want”.
Also, if you spend your days indoors, be sure to get enough sun exposure throughout the day.
FOCUS
A studio is better than your kitchen table. It is vital for avoiding distractions which are a real problem nowadays.
I mean, I couldn’t even write this blog post without getting interrupted at least 5 times.
Instagram is my nr.1 distraction I have to admit it. I search for a message, and I end up scrolling down till 2015 posts lol. Then I make an insta story about that, and I spend the rest of my time replying to my followers.
I don’t know what about you, but I need absolute silence to be productive, and if it wasn’t for the studio, my partner would be forced to watch tv with ear cuffs. HA!
Just like when you are parking your car, and you turn off the volume of the radio to SEE better? That’s me.
OVERWORK
Working from home doesn’t mean working 24/7.
Whether you are a full-time artist or you are doing it for hobby, you shouldn’t spend more than 8 hours a day at your desk.
You should also have regular interruptions every once in a while to stretch your poor muscles (practice what you preach, Sandy!)
With the fact that you can start working whenever you want, it’s easy to work too much for too long. Setting some boundaries such as “lunchtime”, “snack time”, “more snack time”, “work out time” will help you not to burn out.
All in all I cannot say that having a home art studio is that bad but certainly you have to set clear boundaries.
And at the end of the day, if you don’t like it you can move it back and rent a studio away from home.
Btw: If you want to know how I’ve set up my home studio read this blog post.
Home Art Studio: Pros and Cons
October 29, 2020
Love your blog Sandy !!
I’ve learned a lot from it !!
It’s so rich, informative، instructive , sarcastic sometimes and deeply profound!!
Thank you so much for sharing your passion and experience with us!!
Manal Galal
Hi Sandy,
I thought I’ll start by reading one post, but I kept reading with a smile on my face.
I started learning Islamic Geometry just last year and I have been sharpening my skills through short courses from then. I have a few doubts that I have no answers to, if you can help me. How do I go about designing my own patterns? I only have what my teachers have taught me.
Dear Nafisa,
I’m glad you like my blog and find them useful
It’s really hard to invent a new design. Almost everything that you may create already exist on this planet. I myself haven’t created any NEW pattern. I just analyse what already exists and recrete it using my tools and colour style.
In general it takes time and practice to understand the underlying principles and also a lot of trials and study.
For example look at @ambigraph page on IG. He is great. He is always studying and applying the rules to further develop some patterns. And he has been doing it for years, before I started. And also that’s his job so he dedicates a lot of time to it.
But if your question is: how do I analyse patterns? Well that’s another story.
In that case you find a pattern on Google and try to apply the things you have learnt. It’s easier said than done but you can make it.
I hope my answer is useful to you.
Absolutely useful. Thanks a lot.
I found it interesting when you talked about art studios and how they’d help you focus on your work. My sister started painting as a hobby, but she wants to make a living out of it in the future, and since her apartment it’s too small, I believe she’d benefit from looking for an art studio to work in. Thank you for the advice on how an art studio improves your creativity.