Making Room for the Work

One of the things many artists struggle with is making time to work.

The other is making space.

A studio does not have to begin as a room, a building, or a beautiful dedicated place. It can begin much smaller than that. But I do think it requires some kind of dedicated space — a place where materials are close enough to reach, where work can be gathered, and where the practice has somewhere to land.

When I first started out, my trunk was my studio.

I drove to classes, workshops, and mentoring sessions with materials packed in the car. My space moved with me because I was still studying, still learning, still finding my way.

Later, a corner of the garage became a place where I could store work and, at times, paint. It was not ideal, but it was something. It gave the work a place to wait for me.

Then I met a few other artists, and we rented a large commercial space together for a couple of years. Eventually, I was able to rent a space of my own.

Even then, I was still in study mode.

Having space did not instantly create a practice. That took longer. Family obligations, work, daily life — all of it shaped what was possible. For years, the practice had to grow in the margins.

But I kept at it.

After my children moved out, I finally had more time and a dedicated space to create a studio. Even then, the studio was not finished. It has continued to change as the work has changed.

I think that is part of it.

A studio evolves.

It grows with the work, with the artist, with the season of life.

My encouragement to artists is to start small if you have to. Begin with a kitchen table, a cart, a shelf, a corner of the garage, or even the trunk of a car.

And as the space expands, edit.

Edit the materials. Edit the storage. Edit what no longer serves the work.

More space does not always mean more clarity. Sometimes the work needs room. Sometimes it needs less clutter. Sometimes it needs us to keep making room, again and again.

The studio does not have to arrive all at once.

It can begin wherever the work begins.