My art studio is a very personal place. It’s my happy place, my sacred creative space.
When I was a budding artist I dreamed of one day having a big beautiful studio space to work in. A creative nest all of my own where I could spend my days making art. I now live that dream (to a certain degree) and I am very grateful for it.
But, I didn't start with the big studio, I started at the family kitchen table.
My studio spaces have grown and changed as I have needed them to. Each studio change along my journey has often coincided with a significant step in my path as an artist. The spaces have changed and grown with my business.
In this post, I am sharing my studio journeys with you. Including the pros, cons, and costs of each. I have not written this post to brag or show off my studios. Nor do I want to suggest that one studio type is better than another. When it comes to a studio space, I believe that any place you feel comfortable and inspired to create is right for you! Each artist is unique and will have different requirements for their ideal studio setup. I hope that this little peek into my studio experiences will help others who may be interested in this side of an artist’s life or are looking into studio space of their own.
My first ‘studio’ AKA the Kitchen table (photo taken around 2011?)
Home Studio 1: The kitchen table
Size: 2-meters square
Cost: $0 (thanks Mum and Dad)
Timeframe: 2006 - 2011
For many years, when I still lived at home with my parents, I worked from their kitchen table.
I would take over at least half the table with a sewing machine and a pile of threads. I would have to pack my sewing machine away after each stitching session. Sometimes I left it all out for a few days at a time, thankfully my family was very understanding. Dissolving and mounting had to happen at a separate time after the machine was all packed up, often in the kitchen sink.
It was not ideal setup by any means, but I made it work. You really don’t need a fancy space or even a designated space to make art. I created most of my honours year project here as well as my next two exhibition collections.
Pro’s
Convenient and cheap
This setup works well if you make small artworks that are not too messy.
Cons:
It can be hard to find a good workflow when you have to set up and pack up your workstation each time.
This setup really only works if you have an understanding family/housemates that don’t mind you sprawling all over the common spaces in the house.
This is not a long term solution and not ideal if you want to work professionally
Shared studio space at University
Size: 2-6 meters square
Cost: Included in my university fees (don’t ask me how much of a student dept I have).
Timeframe: 2006 (Honours year of my Fine Arts Degree) and 2016 (Final year of my Natural History Illustration degree)
Shared studio spaces are generally big open-plan spaces where artists are given a designated area to set up and work in for a period of time. There are generally no (permanent) walls between studios.
While some professional artist spaces and collective are set up this way, they are most common in places like art education institutions where the senior students are given studio space for their final year projects. Shared spaces can be great for some and a major distraction for others.
I worked in a shared studio space in the final years of two of my university degrees, Fine Arts (2006) and Natural History Illustration (2016). Basically, these studio spaces consisted of a desk and some movable partition walls in a designated room alongside other students. I could work there as often (or as little) as I liked within the university opening hours.
I tended to find that I didn’t work well in these shared studio spaces. I would be easily distracted by other students (I am always up for a good chat) and I didn’t have all of the tools and materials I may need on hand at my little desk. I always worked better at home or at my other studio space, so I rarely used my shared university studio space outside of class times.
Sorry, I don’t have any photos of my shared space studios. Probably because I didn’t spend all that much time in them.
Pros
Great sense of community, you are literally working in the same room as other artists
You can set up your own workspace and leave works in progress
Cons
Limited space to work in
Limited storage
Can be noisy/distracting
No privacy
Possible security concerns, many people have access to the same room when you have your work, supplies, and personal effects providing opportunities for theft. Thankfully this was never an issue for me, but I have heard some horror stories of works being damaged and personal items/tools going missing.
My home studio AKA the master bedroom of our little townhouse. 2012
Home Studio 2: The spare room
Size: 20 square meters
Cost: Part of the mortgage
Timeframe: 2011 - 2013
When I moved up to Newcastle with my (soon to be) husband I decided to focus on my art business in earnest. It was truthfully a hobby before then. I had the chance to create a designated room in our new home as my studio. No more kitchen table sprawl for me. What a dream!
I took over the master bedroom as my studio and kitted it out with free or found furniture. I loved having my own designated studio space at home that I could decorate and use how I liked. I worked in this space for several years before I outgrew it. I even filmed an episode of the TV show ‘Colour in your Life’ there.
Graeme Stevenson and Myself in my home studio during the filming of my ‘Colour in your life’ TV episode (2012)
Pro’s
A designated space means you can curate the space. Everything has its ‘spot’ and you can create a cosy, personalised work zone.
You can close the door at the end of the day and leave everything set up knowing it will all be there when you go back the next day.
Super flexible work hours. You can work whenever you can/want.
I got to cuddle my cat during the day.
Cons
This setup was fine when it was just my partner and I living in the house, but it would not have been sustainable once we had kids (unless we moved to a bigger house)
I found I was easily distracted working from home. Household chores would take up more time than I would like and I would often find myself switching on the TV at lunchtime and losing an hour watching a rerun of some trashy midday TV show.
I was never comfortable bringing collectors to my home studio for consults/viewings. So I didn’t offer this at the time.
I outgrew my home studio within a few years. I just didn’t have enough space to store everything I needed and I feel it limited the scale of the works I could create.
The cat would occasionally drink from the shower then come and walk all over my work - dissolving the water-soluble fabric in the process. Several pieces were lost due to his soggy shower feet. Lucky he is cute.
My cat Scout was equal parts joy and distraction when I had a studio at home.
Studio 22: Newcastle Community Art Center
Size: 39 square meters
Cost: $340 per month
Timeframe: 2014 - 2016
When I outgrew my home studio I went on the hunt for separate studio space. I learned about the Newcastle Community Arts Centre (NCAC) which (at the time) was housed in an old school building that had been transformed into a hive of artist studios. NCAC was an amazing setup, with over 40 individual studios rented out to working artists for a heavily subsidised fee, as the building was council-owned. Unlike most shared artist spaces, each studio was its own, lockable, room and the building had character to boot!
I was delighted when a space became available and in early 2014 I moved into Studio 22! My studio was a huge space with amazing natural light. Because it was an old classroom it had this great big old blackboard on one wall that was great for scribbling inspiration quotes, important dates, and to-do lists.
The best thing about the space was that I was surrounded by other working artists. While I had my own studio and I could close the door whenever I wanted, it was always nice when someone popped their head in for a chat. It was great to have other artists just down the hall, people who understood my business. People that I could ‘talk shop’ with. It felt like I had colleagues in an otherwise rather lonely career.
Sadly, the council eventually sold the building and we all had to move out. This is apparently a pretty common thing for these types of spaces. But it was a fabulous three years full of great memories, friends and art.
Pros
Better work-life balance. I set myself ‘work hours’ and could ‘go to work’ and leave the house and it’s various duties/distractions behind.
This studio felt like a huge validation step in my art career. I was paying rent, so I had to be serious about my business. It made me really pick up my game and take myself and my art seriously.
I was surrounded by other artists/peers and had a great sense of community.
I was able to bring collectors to the studio for viewings and commission meetings.
NCAC had a gallery and hosted open studio events which helped promote me locally
Cons
I now had to pay rent, which was kinda scary (even though it was super affordable when compared to equivalent commercial rents)
There was no sink in my studio - I had to take a bucket down the hall for water
I had to adjust to working around other people/artists. Some of my neighbors worked with stinky solvents, others didn’t like me playing the radio. Artists can be interesting folks and I had to learn to work within the community and manage any eccentricities I encountered. But for the most part, the other artists were great and I am still good friends with many of them.
Studio 22 - Newcastle Community Art Centre
Meredith in her studio space (Newcastle Community Arts Centre) Photo Credit: Stephanie Owen 2016
I often have the girls with me in my new studio. They are a cute distraction.
My own separate studio space
Size: 66 meters square
Cost: $350 per week
Timeframe: 2017 - current
When I needed to move out of NCAC, I, like all the other soon-to-be studioless artists, went on the hunt for a new studio space. While we tried to find something as a group that would replicate the setup we had in that beautiful old school building, we just couldn’t find anything close (not within our budget anyway). So, I started to look for solo spaces and I found a great little mezzanine level space in a warehouse-style building a few suburbs from home.
This studio is essentially set up like a mini apartment (complete with bathroom and kitchenette) so it was perfect when I had my babies with me in the studio. I could work in one room of the studio while they slept in the second room. It was a great setup to try and establish some sort of work/life balance during those early years. Both my girls have spent many days with me in the studio. It’s like a second home for them.
This studio was also a big step for my business. I now need to pay commercial rent so I really had to focus on the business side of things to ensure I could cover the rent bill each month. It was further validation of my art practice and I truly love coming to this space on work days. It is like my second home as well.
Pro’s
My own private, lockable workspace space that I can access 24/7
The space is set up like an apartment so I have easy access to water, a private bathroom, and a kitchen
The ability to bring my children to work with me and they won’t bother anyone (except me).
Professional studio space where I can bring collectors and host small private workshops.
Cons
Expensive - commercial rent ain’t cheap
I am quite isolated and no longer surrounded by other artists, which I really miss.
The light in this studio is not as good as my precious two spaces. Not a major issue, but I do miss the light.
I now have to worry about things like parking (and parking fines)
I have planned out my current studio space for maximum efficiency. Every process I use in my art making has its own designated area. Plus storage - you always need lots of storage!
I hope you have enjoyed this peek into my studio spaces over the years.
I don’t think I have found my ideal setup yet, nor do I think I am in my ‘forever’ studio. This is simply my studio journey to date and I hope you found this peek into my past and present studios helpful or inspirational in some way.
Best wishes,
Meredith x
Some other blog posts of mine you may enjoy:
Working with a baby in the studio - let’s talk about it.
Three things I wish I had done from the start of my art career
How to get organised for an art exhibition (and make galleries love you in the process)