I'm so excited about a recent breakthrough I had over the winter.
I was so cold in my basement studio, as it didn't have any heat, and my light is poor also down there. My dear friend Lauren, offered to share her space, so for about 2 months, I hauled my equipment up there and was working at sculpture and jewelry in her beautiful studio, an upstairs of a barn.
One thing I discovered, was how wonderful it is to work together with a fellow artist who also is a mentor. It was so great to have feedback, and a word of encouragement; boy, was that motivating! Not all artists are meant to be alone, and I've found I need fellowship.
That said, it was exhausting going back and forth an hour each way. Sometimes I stayed up there two or three days, depending on what I needed to get done, and of course, missed my hubby and doggies! So, I was daydreaming one day, and praying, asking the Lord how could I fix my studio space so I could work here without being cold and depressed in a dark space. I was staring at an old armoir in our study that was filled with books. Opening it up, I looked inside, and a light bulb went on -- could this possibly fit my saw and grinding equipment? I measured quickly, and found, EUREKA!, it did!!! After one full solid day, of reorganizing our very disorganized study, cleaning, bringing up another desk, and storage cabinet, I was able to organize a cutting/grinding station in the armoir, a glass cutting station next to that, and on the opposite wall, my jewelry making station! What so great, is that I can relax on the couch, look through my books for ideas, go on the computer(not shown) and watch tv and listen to music!! The only thing that's missing is my friend Lauren....so to balance this new life out, I made a promise to myself, to make time for a "retreat" every couple of weeks, to see her, and also, to get involved with other artists locally. This woman can't be an island unto her self....because it's my friends that inspire me, and push me to a higher level because they see what I'm capable of, more than myself!! We truly need each other, and I wouldn't have thought outside the box, if it hadn't been for Lauren showing me by her example how she turned an old barn loft into a knock out of a studio! It got me to thinking, how can I use what I have? We sometimes do have all we need, it just has to be rearranged and re-invented a bit!