The Importance of Workspace

"There's got to be a place where I can work alone!" I've heard this from artist and author friends so many times that I've lost count. But... It's true! Whether you're a knitter, crafter, painter, writer, or simply a creative person with more ideas than space to work and store your supplies, you need a space to work in. A space you can call your own. Not the kitchen table, or the living room sofa, or a corner of the den, but a place to go that's all yours, with a door or curtain that you can draw and hang a sign saying  "WORKING! DO NOT DISTURB" and mean it.
As my children moved out on their own, I changed their rooms into work spaces. At the time, we lived in a small home that was filled by the four of us and left little space for my creative efforts. Yes, I did use the kitchen table, yes I stored my supplies in a box under the bed, and no, I didn't have a precious studio. It was a nightmare, for certain! My son, the elder of the two children, was the first to find his wings and fly off to independence. His room immediately became my studio. It wasn't a large room, but it gave me a private place to work, one where I could close myself away and hunker down to create my masterpieces.
Later on, we moved into a larger home and with no children living with us, I had the extra space to myself and opened a studio where I taught classes. Those lovely shelves were filled to the brim with art supplies, paper, surfaces and the like. I was in my glory. As time went on and we moved into another home, there was a one room guest house in the back yard that I turned into a studio. My students came with me to keep painting, playing and having fun in classes. As time went on and interest in decorative painting lessons declined, the cost of keeping the studio open became prohibitive. After all, income must be enough to cover costs, right?
Still, I wanted my own space to work after I closed the guest house up and discontinued studio classes, so I moved into a small room in the main house. It took some time for me to figure out how to fit all that stuff from a 500 ft. square building into a 110 square foot den. I had shelves, book cases, cabinets, and a 6' table to accommodate. Yikes! I finally got things under control, and found that the space I have may be smaller, but cozier. The one issue I have is the coziness keeps me from being a slob, a messy slob. If my space starts to become smaller because I have too much clutter hemming me in, I realize I have to clean the area. Aargh!
My point being, a place of your own is as important as having a bathroom. Literally. While you need that place, you also need a place to create, because creating is an essential part of who you are and what makes you tick.

On that note, I'd like to share a few Zentangle pages from my latest book, Zentangle By the Sea and also the cover of my new upcoming book Heart Strings, an interactive Zentangle and coloring book.

Thanks for stopping by!