Finding a Space for Your Artistic Expression

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If there’s anything sacred to an artist, it’s the space in which they construct their masterworks. An artist without a space to exercise their talent is one who is perennially frustrated. But of course, you needn’t a space such as the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel to exercise your painting, you just need something functional, worthwhile, somewhere you can think.

For those of us who are artistically inclined and who love to craft or paint, a space in your house that allows you to exercise your art is essential. For writers, it’s very simple. Little noise, a comfortable place for a desk, and a place to sit down. Natural light might help too, but that’s about it. However, other artists, such as musicians, painters, dancers, might need a larger and more specialized space. Especially furniture flippers!

When searching for a home, we mainly concentrate on the basics – is the kitchen big enough, etc? But if you are trying to start a creative business, you likely will also need to make sure the garage is big enough to store your pieces, or that there is an extra room that is easy to access and (this is key) that you can keep pretty messy. You may need that space for your personal artistic inspiration and expression. Or, as in my case, a work area that you can utilize for your home based business. I have used our office that is right off our garage for the past seven years to work in and stage my furniture.

I previously used my living room to stage my finished pieces and prepare for the Lucketts outdoor market. Honestly, it was really disruptive and I don’t recommend using your home for storage. It created stress and I am much happier now doing custom work, one piece at a time, within a restricted space. I like my home to feel clean and tidy and having a dedicated room/garage space is key to this. This is just me and maybe you are fine with using your home as your prep space – we are all different!

When Tolkein was living in the North of England, he lived in a home that gave him direct access to the wandering fields of the Yorkshire Moors. He stewarded a beautiful garden in that time. Walking around this green space inspired the rolling green hills of his famous novels to come. The inspiration he felt was palpable, and it was transferred into his writing. The Bronte sisters did the same and when reading their books, in particular Wuthering Heights, you can imagine that you are actually on the lonely and vast moors.

Artistry does not happen in a vacuum and inspiration can lead us to different places. Finding a place that excites your artistic senses rather than limiting them can be the best step you ever made regarding your artistic ambitions. For example, you might be interested in living abroad, or move from a city to the countryside or vice versa. If you have the ability to experience life abroad or even in a Desa Park City condo for sale, it will open your mind and affect your art. My husband and I are hoping to travel extensively and even move to Mexico in the future, once our youngest is off to college in a few years. The colors are just gorgeous and are sure to inspire me!

Joining a community of like minded artists and creatives can truly help you. Perhaps you’d like to live closer to a shop or gallery of painters, or perhaps a known writers hangout in your local city. Perhaps you want to form a community for yourself, and think you have found the right place to do it. Perhaps you wish to honor the art form of your cultural identity, and thus feel living in a particular place is most conducive to that.

It does pay to practice your art in an environment most conducive to it being appreciated. It could be that you wish to display your art in a gallery, and embed yourself within that circle to make contacts and grow. Creating a network of supporting artists can help you get your work seen, and more importantly, you will learn from them and feed off each others creativity. We have a gallery down the street that is filled with artists and their work. Each artist rents a space to both work and sell their art.

For furniture flipping, living in an area that may have a few markets to sell your wares is pretty important. You can also try to sell online but honestly, shipping furniture is no fun! I have a great friend who has a shop and sells Annie Sloan chalk paint. I enjoy visiting her shop and chatting about different techniques and finishes. We learn from each other and support each other. I recommend many people to her and she to me. One of the loveliest shops I visited was the Annie Sloan shop in Oxford. It was full of color and inspiration!

Security is also very important. Having your own studio space in a safe space is essential to keeping your work safe and your high-value equipment. Paint is expensive! For this reason, finding a space you can secure and feel comfortable is definitely important.

I have tried selling my pieces in a barn marketplace, at Lucketts in a shop and also in outdoor markets. I learned a lot from each experience and now I am basically only doing custom work out of my house. I have my garage but sadly, my husband had to take over the office because he now works from home! I have all of my paints safely stored in a cabinet inside and we fixed up the sitting room upstairs and that is a wonderful, creative space for my art. For my furniture flipping, the garage will do!