A studio is the place of magic. It's a place of solitude where the creativity flows unending. It's a place of freedom and experimentation.
Yeah, right. Not in my world. But, perhaps it's possible for other creatives.
I've had some great studios around Greenville, South Carolina. I've been right in the middle of downtown Greenville in Art Crossing at RiverPlace. I was there when it first opened. I've been in the Pendleton Street Arts District in the Village of West Greenville. I've been in the Water Filtration Plant at the Taylors Mill, before it became a "happening place." Now I'm in a studio/gallery that I designed. Friends and family (mostly family) spent a ridiculous amount of blood, sweat and tears remodeling the space with me. For me, the space is just right.
The hardest thing to realize is that a studio is a place of study. To focus of the work, especially for us artistically creative types, is somehow very difficult. We easily get distracted. But we need the place to study. We need a place to be uninterrupted.
The older I get, the more I realize a studio is to be exactly what the name implies. It's a place to study. Serious study. It's place to read about other artists and their techniques. A place to find out what others are doing, without leaving your studio. Observe what works and what doesn't work. Your space is your place to constantly improve your craft whether through classes, online lessons or interacting with other artists.Â
I enjoy visitors. As an extrovert, I gain energy from conversation. Sometime I even gain artistic inspiration from something that is said. But then, it's time to work. It's time to study. And, yes, it's time to create. Not every work will be a masterpiece. The beauty is in the process of growing and refining one's art. The beauty that I find in the study I also hope is worthy of sharing with you.