Where Art Happens
I recently had a conversation with a family member about the all different places in which an artist can create and where art happens.
Prior to watching my creative interests develop, she believed that most artists had a studio outside their home that they traveled to, or that they had dedicated work space in their home.
I can certainly understand that thought, since that is often how artists are portrayed in movies or television (that, or the starving artist myth is perpetuated – which is a subject for a different blog post).
The truth is that you can create anywhere. You can make art in a great big beautiful rented studio just as well as you can at your own kitchen table. Yes, I phrased it that way on purpose – a huge studio is not necessarily better than a small space!
Maybe some artists do go somewhere else to create. Maybe they do have a large, dedicated space that they can call their own.
Or, just maybe, they use the space they have available and adapt it to fit their needs.
This is where I currently create most of my work: the kitchen counter.
Maybe it is messy and it certainly is not ideal, but it’s what I have to work with for now.
Do I aspire to have a larger/prettier/better space this is all mine? Sure. But if I wait for the perfect space and the most ideal conditions…I will never create much of anything.
Make art where you are.
If you want to create, it is up to you to make it happen. You have the responsibility of prioritizing your creativity, of carving out a space for your art to be made. Use what you have. How can those things serve you?
Some people use a corner of their living room. Some borrow space from the kitchen counter. Others don’t even have a dedicated space, but get out their supplies when they want to create and put them away again when they are done.
Whatever kind of space you have, you should actively pursue your passions and bring beauty into the world.
To illustrate my point, I searched online for all different kinds of creative spaces. Here are a few that I found.
If you are putting your creative process on hold because you feel like you don’t have the space, think about how you can carve out small or temporary places in your home. And if you are really feeling stuck, I have some more ideas for you coming up soon!
Leave a comment and tell me where you create. I want to hear all about it!
Emily! Fabulous read on how important it is to create because it is what you want to do and what you are feeling inside NOT because you have some magical studio space (although, that is a pretty sweet thing too)! I think about this very subject quite a lot and it’s so nice to have your perspective! Great article. Thank you.
Thank you, Holly! It would be pretty awesome to have a magical creative space…but you can’t put off creating until then!
That was such a fun tour. I loved seeing all those spaces. I’ve created everywhere! Small, a bit bigger, in the car with a travel pack. You’re right! Art can be made anywhere!
Now you’re jumping ahead of me! That’s the topic for the next post 🙂