Operation Work Office/Studio Space!

Hello!

Two weeks ago, I talked about making some new goals for organizing my life. One of those goals includes organizing my life when I'm at work, off the clock, but working on other stuff. AKA "Work Studio Time."

Normally, I hide in the smallest dining room in our little restaurant, ear buds full of music, and work on Little Raindrop... whether it be editing, drawing, or researching. But a lot of the time, regular customers will come in and ask for me, or family or friends will stop by, or even co-workers who should know better, and I'm constantly getting interrupted!

Not that I'm being ungrateful for the company, but really... I'm trying to work!

Many ask, "Why are you even THERE at your job when you should be at home in your studio?!" Because, most importantly, I prefer to be sure that Hubs gets to and from work in one piece. When he's really tired, he'll fall asleep at the wheel. The forty five minute drive from home to work is one straight line with a few lights, and at night there are hardly any streetlamps and there are tons of deer and other wildlife that we are constantly swerving around. It's better to have four eyes than two, and we both know this from experience. How many times have one of us not seen the animal, but the other one did, and just in time? Too many.

My other reason is this: when no one bothers me, I actually get a TON of work done! I'm not distracted by laundry or television or napping. The only other thing to do there is more work...but of a different kind. And I'm sure as heck not going to go wait on tables when I could be making a book.

So I got an idea last week. There was a private party coming in, and they were going to use the small room where I usually work, so I needed a quiet spot for myself. I went snooping around and found a cozy spot in the storage room behind the bar...

This room needs some organization!
Follow the chair...

...to my new spot!

Not a lot of working space, and the view's pretty rotten,
but it's SO quiet back here!

It worked like a charm, being in that cozy storage space. Much like a Cupboard Under the Stairs, I could live in my own little bubble, get what I needed done, then step out into the real world and I'm out of my working zone!

Then I realized how dysfunctional my working space was. I needed more space, more boundaries from the alcohol, and holy heck was this room a mess. So I took it upon myself to tidy up, and make my space a nice little nest!

Behind that wall of soda cans is my cardboard barrier...

I covered the splintery shelves with cardboard...
and now there's a cozy little nook!

Just add some books... and...
VOILA!

Close up shop with a cardboard flap!

Now I know it's rough around the edges, but it works for me! And Hubs is going to be making it so I have access to a plug, and some lighting! And little by little, I'll make it feel more at home. :)

I've already worked in here for a few hours, so the space is fully functional for my needs! Finally, a way to check "out" of the real world so I can dive into Little Raindrop's world!

Organization is Key... to Creativity!

Every once in a while, I get too antsy to do anything creative. 

There are too many things on my To-Do list that I can't concentrate even on one of them. I find myself flitting from project to project, opening one book as I remember I should be looking up something in another, starting one blog post while I think about the next blog post idea. 

This is a sure sign that I just need to sit and organize. Or stand and clean. 

So that's what I'm doing today. 

I'm cleaning and organizing my studio, so that when I'm ready to work I'll know where everything is. And yes, I'm nerdy enough to label it all. (I love you, P-Touch label maker!)

The piles on my desk, table, and floor (of papers, clippings and ideas) are being sorted through, tossed and filed. 

There has been a wall of junk clogging up my studio doorway and hallway. So I'm cleaning that up, too. I want creative energy to flow right in! (And it truly is hard for myself to get in right now, much less the creative energy.)

I'm sitting down with my master To-Do List and Goal sheets that I re-write every few months. (When I FIND them.) I keep them in a handy folder, and write them by hand and highlight important things in pretty colors. It is something I find calming, because once that is organized I know I won't forget anything. 

I've also got a lot of cleaning up to do on Chapter One of Little Raindrop. Yes, it's still in the sketchy stage, and I haven't done any final art. But I want to make sure it's clean and neat and ready for the book dummy that will need a good thorough critique prior to finishing. 

Organization is important, because when you're me and you get less than 24 hours a week to work on your current project, you need to streamline your work time. Organization keeps forgetful people like me in line and punctual. And when I know all of these things are being accomplished, that time is not being wasted, and that I'm not forgetting anything, organization makes something magical happen...

...I can sit, relax and create! *sigh*

Also, I get a great excuse to find nifty things at the Container Store online! Alas, if only they would open a shop here in Rhode Island. I LOVE that place. Love it. Looooove. 

Have fun organizing!
~Melanie

At Last...

...my studio is complete!

All it's missing now is that homey, lived-in look, (and a giant cork board on the wall) but I'm sure it will get there quite soon. I'm so fond of it, I took pictures! Let us gaze upon the loveliness...

 

While cleaning and collecting all of my art supplies that have been dispersed around the house over the past few years, I have learned a few things:

1. I am the Queen of Post-Its. *see proof at the bottom of this post

2. I actually DO have enough rulers and straight edges. It always seems like I only have one, and I can never find it. Apparently these things like to hide in weird places.

3. Finally putting together my studio is the BEST thing I could have done for myself. Seriously, I love it.

Since its completion, I have already spent a few creative hours in my new studio space. I'm trying out some new techniques to see what works best for me and my drawing style. Today I took page out of Judy Schachner's book and tooled around with the technique she uses to illustrate her Skippyjon Jones stories. I LOVE the textures she achieves using acrylics on watercolor paper, and the way she layers her vivid colors like so:

Spread from "Skippyjon Jones and the Big Bones," by Judy Schachner

I figured it would save me some time to work with an image I already had lying around, so I tried out this new look on my little logo. I outlined with black Prismacolor pencil, and added a few touches with some Caran d'ache water soluble crayons. Not bad, but it seems to be missing something:

I'm also going to play around with this pelican that I drew a while back, and see how that goes.  I outlined him in pen and ink, which I find to be very satisfying...much more so than a black pencil. I guess I'm not into colored pencils that much right now.

And, since I've achieved the goal of making my little creative space, it makes sense to attempt yet another goal:

Get on a Schedule! 

I've got a log sheet on my door so I can write in the times I work, and I will also set aside working time from 10 am until 2 pm, four days a week. That's sixteen hours each week I will be devoting my time to illustrating.

Sounds like Awesome-ness to me!

told ya so...

Yes, Yes, You Need a Nest!

Not one made of straw and scraps, Silly! You need a place to yourself, where you can write and create to your heart's content! A place that inspires you, gives you room to breathe, where you can close the door on the rest of the world for just a few more minutes...

How do I know this? Because the books told me.

But how do I really, truly know this? Because I can't get anything done!

I look at the kitchen table, (my current studio space), covered in my artsy mess, and can't bring myself to sit at it and work. I would tell myself things like:  "It's too messy. The kitchen needs cleaning first. I really should vacuum. The house needs dusting before I can play. There's a good show/movie/nothing on, I'll just sit here on the couch and watch instead."

And in the meantime, the deadlines I have so kindly made for my book dummy are whoooshing by, and I am totally losing faith in myself.  Will I actually be able to meet a deadline I have created?  Will I be able to freelance and work under my own regime? I've been thinking hard about this, and I came to the conclusion:

Having my kitchen table be my place for creativity isn't so bad.  Having my kitchen table be my place for creativity while it's still in the kitchen...yeah, that's bad.

So, to my husband's dismay, yesterday I moved everything out of my spare/craft/storage room, including the queen bed set, and I moved everything back in again, including the kitchen table. Yes, I swapped a bed for a table! But what a difference this has made!

It is still a MESS, I'll give you that much.  But give me a few days to really tidy up, and I'll have a wonderful, cozy little nest for myself where I can preen my artsy feathers and give a hoot when I want to! I have no tv to distract me, no computer screen to brainwash me, ample lighting and space, a door that shuts, and all of my supplies are right there when I need them.

The best part is that I can wake up, cross the hall, and step right into my own office, pajamas, messy hair, morning breath and all! I can't WAIT to get to work!

Oh, and if you're worried about how we manage without a kitchen table...you know, patio tables work just as well for eating. Silly goose.