Are Your Tools Accessible

Hello friends

Today I saw a post from Seth Apter where he was looking for collaborators sharing studio spaces for an article in How Women Create magazine. Well I started thinking about this and I probably don’t have the most beautiful space but it’s a working space for me.

I like to have my tools handy And the ones I use the most closest to my desk. I also like to hang up some of my artwork and artwork from my friends just to make the place feel more like my space. It is a portion of our basement and I like to make it feel cozy, I also want it to function. There are lots of storage solutions and they don’t all work for everyone. My suggestion is to think about how you work and what makes you happy. Do you need to see your things in order to use them or do you prefer things tucked away? My space is kind of a combination of both. I have stamps and dies in bins that are tucked away and papers on shelves in packages by color. However a lot of my tools, paints, and inks are out on display so that I can find them at a moments notice when I’m looking for them. I usually pull out some things when I start a project and take them to my desk depending on the medium I’m going to use. If I’m working with cold wax I certainly don’t need my watercolors out. I think you get the picture. Anyway if you have some good storage suggestions I am all ears.

This is a pegboard solution I installed recently.

I hang Stencils on a retail rounder rack,

These shelves of product are within arms reach from my desk.

Less used paints hang on pegs from slat wall.

While other paints and inks that are used frequently are readily accessible.

I am always looking for the best storage solutions so my workflow is uninterrupted hunting for something I want for a project.

I use zones in my space for different processes, (sewing, cutting, printing, etc,) I sort products into different color groups by type and company. Clear containers help me locate pens, crayons, pastels and such. I use a cart that can be relocated for collage parts. It is easy to pull out when I need my paper bits but equally easy to roll away.

While it may not be a magazine glossy photo ready space, It functions for me. We all see those Pinterest pictures of studios we can only dream about, I work and make art here. It has what I need, I hope you are happy in your creative spaces too.