I Did It!

by Carol

Two weeks ago I shared my goals for my home studio. Since then, I did a lot of thinking and pinteresting, and studio touring on youtube. I then wandered through Homegoods, Target, Marshall's, and Michael's looking for ideas and solutions. I picked up a million little things (keeping my receipts until I could tell what was going to work.) Then a big ole' snowstorm hit, giving me time indoors to repaint and regroup.

Well I did so much thinking that I completely boggled my own mind until I couldn't decide anything about anything! So I took it in steps, and then I called for help. Here's how it went down:

 1. I cleared my walls, spackled, and then painted my room in my subtle sage (Benjamin Moore
Gray Mirage - it looks much greener here than it is), trimmed with (Navaho) White.

 2. I came across a real "find" that inspired me. Pier One had a sofa table on sale for $60.00

 with a tray shelf at the middle level - perfect for drying printed or painted pictures! I 

 had considered getting a canvas print rack, like you see at craft shows, but I had no 

  room. With this table - problem solved!

 3. That's when I called for help. My girlfriend came over and helped me weed through my ideas and the things I had bought. We hung picture ledges on my bigger wall across from my desk, and over the new table. That way 5x7s and 8x10s can sit drying on the table rack, while the big 16 x 20 pictures can park on the ledges for awhile as I consider whether to enter them, frame them or put them in archives.

My working wall

4. With that wall designated as my "working wall,"  I decided the one over my desk could be decorative as well as functional. My big discovery was that the desktop unit I had (full of slots and drawers) was really unused and a waste of space. So I reorganized. I moved my journals to the new table, and drawered the things which I only used once a month or so. I hung a filer on the wall to hold receipts, mail and bills - but hung it low enough that it won't be in eyesight when I am creating. (cuz who wants to think about supporting yourself when you are creating!?) and then I removed the desk caddy. What a difference - SPACE to work in.

I found some cool storage at my local antique store!

 5.I found a "window frame" kinda thing which holds 4x6 pictures on clothes pins. How marvelous! Now my initial prints can be 4x6 - saving me buckets in ink costs. I can see which ones I am serious about and can visualize how they would look in frames - or just enjoy them for a while. That was hung right over my desk, in my line of vision I then filled the rest of the wall with some of my favorite pictures and decorative wall art. I even found a long skinny thing that holds, notes, inspirations and post cards. My art supplies were put into tool boxes on the floor of a backroom closet, but still accessible.

A window viewer (Homegoods find) allows me to enjoy my 4x6s

Art supplies and lenses went to my tiny closet that never fit any clothes!

6. Inside the armoire, I have clam shell boxes, holding my archival albums and bulk-ordered matts and plastic bags to preserve my prints, and some frames of standard sizes that I can use interchangeably for shows.

Do you like my memo dispenser?

7. Finally  - the whimsy - I printed my favorite Ansel Adams quote for my desktop, found the perfect memo dispenser  - and what better pillow for a photography studio than the one I found below?

So there we have it! I now have room to work at my computer, and a place to charge my laptop. I can print out 4x6 pics as soon as I get home from an event and enjoy them. The ones that stick with me can then be printed bigger and hung on my wall for consideration, and the winners moved to storage for when I might need them. And the pillow and accessories make me smile every time I walk through the room! I feel like a new person - and a true artist with "a studio" instead of a junk room! I hope you can find some ideas here that are useful to you. Cuz, after all, January and organization just seem to go together!

PS - Our month of selfless selfies has come to an end, sadly for me because that was a fun idea! But wait - there is more fun awaiting in February! Because that, of course, is when thoughts turn to LOVE! This month we want you to find the love - that is the hearts that exist all around us. Look for hearts and you will find them everywhere! More details above under the Monthly Focus tab. As always, we would "LOVE" for you to play along, tagging your pictures FOY for a chance to be featured on Fridays. Stick with us - we love it when you come out to play! Happy February!