For the second time in my life I have an exclusive space dedicated solely for working on art. What a gift! It’s small, but it gets great light and all my art, supplies and equipment are in one room.
I’m not a space designer, office manager or neat nick, but over the years I’ve learned that there are some things that help me in my work space. Maybe they will help you, too.
Conquer the clutter! Some advice I try to use now and again, is to have a specific place for every single item in my office. Right now, everything is out, and this advice sounds like an overwhelming task! A couple more shelves would help, but I also need to purge a few things that aren’t useful to me anymore. I use the six month purging standard—Have I used it in the last six months? Do I think I’ll need it during the next six months? Bye, bye broken pastels, dried markers, paper samples…
Get the proper tools. I finally got rid of a chair that’s been rocking, squeaking and giving me back aches. Next is my scanner which is slowing me down because one side scans a little darker. I’m bummed because I don’t want to spend the money. You see, I’m a cheapskate. I know a few artists who can’t seem to “splurge” on the proper tools and supplies. But we need to. We’ve passed the hobby stage and now it’s time to get serious about being in business. I do my research before I “splurge” on the equipment I need. I don’t want to break the bank, but I do want to get the right tools to keep me and my business healthy.
Make room for inspiration. For me that’s pretty pictures. Paintings, drawings and illustrations by other artists, a couple family photos, and a painting or two of my own. Since I spend a lot of time at my computer, I’ve put many of these pictures on a bulletin board above my computer screen. A bulletin board allows me to change the scene as often as I like. It’s nice to glance at something beautiful throughout the day.
And your space? How’s it shaping up?
Contributed by Veronica Walsh, children’s book illustrator
