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! 

Hitting The Wall

by Carol

A few years ago in this blog I shared with you all the first time I dared to call myself a "photographer," and dared to suggest that I actually needed a "studio" space., like a real artist. (http://focusingonlifegrp.blogspot.com/2014/02/a-home-for-your-photography.html#.VpgrOlMrKuM)  

I love the little nook you and I created then.  It is perfect to work in - providing a dedicated space, yet not closed away from the rest of the house. And I loved my first working arrangement. But here's the thing - I  have a hundred+  year old house without many walls to play with, and those I have are often oddly shaped.  I have a lot more art than I did when I wrote that post. In addition to my photographs, I am now playing with sketching and painting. I have some framed works from shows that I would like to keep framed.   And I need actual working space. So following up on one of my New Year goals, and inspired by visiting Terri's beautiful home in Arizona (where her photographs are on prominent display), I am trying to rearrange. 

The first project is that I must move my ancestors to free up some workspace. I hate to lose them looking down on me, but they are now gathered in a hallway, not too far away. They are with my recent family photos now - and I like to think they are all having a grand time visiting with each other again. Their move frees up the space above my desk,but that wall has sloping ceiling lines, making arrangements difficult. It needs a fresh coat of paint anyway - so let's leave that for now.

They are probably talking about me.

When I say I need a working space, what I mean is that I would like to temporarily hang images that I am working on in some kind of a fluid manner. Without framing them, I would like to see whether they stand up to being hung, or entered in something. I would like to look at a group all at once to see if I recognize series potential. Sometimes, I would just like to look at my most recent experiences and enjoy the memories as I sit down  to my desk. I think this helps with the evaluation/culling process.  I find, as I am sure you do, that I am always in love with my most recent experience, and hence the pictures of it. After looking at them for a while, I can begin to recognize which have lasting value. Then, I can intentionally decide whether each might be for a wall, a show, or a memory book. 

I am also in need of some fun space. I am VERY grateful to say that as I continue to add photography experiences to my life, I am also adding "photography friends." (I don't know why I added the quote marks there. I really don't need to categorize these people - I should just say FRIENDS - because that's what they are!) I have pictures of the wonderful teachers and artists that I have met at various workshops, pictures of adventures with my local photography friends, trinkets and cards people have sent me, souvenirs from our FOL gatherings. As you can see, my tiny "friend corner" is fit to bursting - what a lovely problem to have in this life!

Wonderful friends!

And then the final and constant need in an old house without closets - storage, storage, storage! I now have added paints, and fixatives, and colored pencils and pastels to my frame collection, my printing paper, inks, card stock and mailers. Then there are gear and camera bags, tripods and filters, as we'll as hard drives and card loaders and batteries. And don't get me started on journals and photography and art books! (I could have really used that lottery win...)

Well, I'd like to show you finished projects, but I'm actually looking for suggestions. Hey community out there! Are you willing to show me your workspaces? Will you suggest storage or wall space solutions that have worked for you? I'm living in Pinterest right now - but I would love to hear what you do. I'll keep you posted.

from: http://www.kdnuggets.com/websites/cartoons.html

And speaking of posting - the selfless selfie theme this month is really fun! Take a look in the gallery and solve each picture puzzle to learn about your compadres here at FOL. I'm loving this game! And keep posting! There is lots of month left! 

Off We Go

by Carol

Time to get to work!

 So it's a new year and general wisdom has it that it's time to reassess our direction. Frankly, I'm more of a "go-with-the-flow kinda girl" and that has served me well.   Jumping in has allowed me to avoid my usual over-cautiousness and to experience some wonderful people, places and things. If I think too much, I will think myself right out of those experiences. My job, and my life as a single mom, have involved lots of planning and lots of follow through. At this stage, I'm trying to follow my heart and my intuition a bit more - loosen the reins a bit. It's hard for me, but it's also exciting and often rewarding. But all the after-Christmas posts here and all over the net are making me feel a bit guilty. So I'm not much for the 5-year plan, but I guess I could attempt some review.

Thankfully, this is a store window - but I sometimes feel like this!

I am feeling that my photography is needing some general reorganization. I can see progress - but in disparate directions. I would like to focus a bit more, if you will excuse the pun. Last year's goal was to get more out there - in the shows, on the walls, on line. I also wanted to cull my entire Lightroom catalogue to get rid of the duds. And I wanted to keyword every single image from 2015 as I took them. I vowed to complete each on-line course I signed up for. 

Wellll......I did really well with the key words right through about October, but have some catch-up to do now (not too shabby!) I was in several shows, but let my website drift a bit, and posted a lot less to Flickr. (could do better.) I decided to start with 2014 and work backwards through my catalogue to cull, and only got half way through 2014! (Not so good.) I am sooo far behind in the classes I signed up for. (no comment)

But I am not beating myself up about these things. I find that everything in life teaches a lesson. I have decided for 2016 to continue the key-wording goal- that is really getting me somewhere. As for the other goals, they are really all a part of organization (or lack thereof). For 2016, I want to compartmentalize, and conquer! So I want to redesign my website to include only my very best - there's too much on it. I want to go back to posting the others - the storytellers, the travelogues, etc- on Flickr, IG and Facebook, where I get more interaction from my photographic community. It keeps me in touch. I plan to be much more selective about entering shows, choosing those I really relate to and being more precise about what I enter, and I may try some on-line entries. I want to get some of my work onto my walls, or at least in books so that I can enjoy my memories on a daily basis.

But I have realized that my true joy comes from the contemplative aspects of photography. I want to be out there, intentionally, for myself, rather than for the sake of progress. Photography has led me to some really wonderful experiences in the last 5 years, from France to Tucson to New England with terrific people who have become good friends. That's what it's all about for me. 

So instead of "onward and upward," I'm going to close with "onward and inward!" 

Happy New Year!

A Home for Your Photography

by Carol

Hard at work in Peter Simon's studio on Martha's Vineyard

Do you have a space that's dedicated to your photography?  I shared a You Tube video with my FOL sisters this month that has me dreaming, and I thought maybe you'd like to dream along. It's a lovely, peaceful outing with Michael Zide, a wonderful photographer. You will love watching this - his work is gorgeous, and instructional, and his walk in the woods is accompanied by soft music. I can feel my blood pressure going down as I watch. I'm hooked - I pushed the "subscribe" button. But I was also captivated by his studio. If I was a bazillionaire, that is just how mine would look. 

First of all, I love New England, and it looks like it's in a Cape Cod style house, colonial era (my favorite). There is a double door to the outside and a gorgeous woodsy scene out the window, that makes it look like it's on a beautiful piece of land.  And look how clean it looks! That's because it has storage everywhere, but it's not invasive. All those little cabinets and bookcases....sigh.  And a great big beautifully restored wooden desk, big enough to lay your matted prints out on. And walls enough to hang your work, and tables to display your nature finds. Good lighting, comfy chairs, there's even a fireplace! .   Here - watch it for yourselves:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xA0vRdTVeLM&feature=youtu.be

I have a house that's over 100 years old. I love old homes, but it's well known that they have no closets! I have 1 1/2 bedroom closets (to 3 bedrooms), a decidedly damp cellar, and a shed that lets the winter in. That's it for my family of three, plus 2 animals, and my hobby - photography.  I love my home - it fits me perfectly, and I never forget to be grateful for it.  But in my dreams I have a few more closets and walls ( and of course, the cellar is not damp, nor the shed falling down  - just saying....) I work at a desk in a nook. Since my daughter got an apartment, the half closet in her room is filled with gear. Her bookcase is filled with photography books, and her armoire is filled with my prints. By my desk, another armoire holds my printer, and garage sale-find trunks hold ink and paper supplies, card stock, cutting boards, etc., etc. And I am in need of more space already!

Pottery studio , Gordes France

Savannah School of Art and Design, La Coste France Campus
 student studio

I recently took a framing course. If you start entering exhibitions, it kinda becomes a must, unless you have money to burn. And the most economical way to do it, is to buy in bulk. They recommended suppliers who sell mat paper in bulk, frame pieces by the side length, and glass in sheets. The plastic bags to sell your prints in and the bubble wrap come in 100 bag boxes. Luckily I'm not into portrait photography, as is my friend who also has to store all her props. So I love to page through storage ideas.

Hard copy 4x6 storage fill the rafters at Alison Shaw's studio, Oak Bluffs Mass.

And then you need room to cut the mats and to store the leftovers. A nice mat cutting and framing table can be created by pushing a few waist high cabinets together and making a top. That allows storage of some of these things in the cabinets underneath. It's neat and efficient - but where would I put it? Standardizing was suggested, so that you buy one type and size of each thing, and then print to it routinely. Having a fixed number of the same size frames, allows you to mat the pictures you have shown, then pull them out of the frames and store them matted, in archival boxes until they are needed again. Another helpful suggestion was ordering these lots with your photography friends and splitting them up into manageable numbers for each person. But I kinda feel like I'm on my way to being that crazy lady down the block who's decor is buried in piles of paper! 

Sainte Paul's Asylum, Sainte-Remy, France
Van Gogh's room  (sunflowers right out that window)

So I seek out the studio tours, I read the blogs that show workspaces (like Kim Klassen's), and I have a "storage ideas for small spaces" board on Pinterest. And I spend the winter nights dreaming in designs. When I hit that lottery - I'm going to be ready.

Maine Studio, Artist Lois Dodd

What is your space like? Is yours a messy or organized chaos? Do you have any great ideas to suggest? How do you store everything? Show us your spot in Flickr or Instagram please before I turn into a  worse  hoarder!

My Nook ( and my helper)