THE STUDIO MINI MAKEOVER

For me, having an inspiring space to work is mandatory for my creative mindset. The last few months I’ve felt uninspired, flat and bored. Depressed. Not a good combination for anyone, especially not a creative soul. I was even doubting my career path. When I get this way (it’s not the first time), I make some major changes in my life – I don’t usually do things by halves so when I say “major” I mean life-changing: I leave partners, move countries, change jobs – you get my drift. So having this feeling descend on my recently was a little worrying because I know what follows. It was also the end of winter and being stuck inside month after month would make even the most upbeat of us feel trapped and sad. I think that was a contributor. I did something I don’t normally do and I talked about how I was feeling. This time to my husband. He did something he doesn’t normally do: he’d noticed. He suggested taking a step back from everything for awhile – more to do with my work but take a step back I did. In doing this I realized my studio was a completely uninspiring space; I wasn’t creating recipes I love and want to eat and I needed to organize a my time differently. And I asked myself an important question: do my actions marry with my goals? The answer was “no”. There’s a book in me – several in fact, and if I was going to write, I need to allow time for that in my day. But first things first: the studio…

This pic above was a ‘during’ pic. We had a leaky roof and had to get it replaced. It did some damage to the windowsills in the studio so they were replaced and the floor was repainted to refreshen up the space.

This room has so much wonderful light, most of it north facing (a photographer’s dream if they like to use natural light for shooting) but I had blackout curtains up at all the windows. Sadly they’d come down before I took a pic.

I made some canvas curtains from painters’ drop cloths as well as hanging some shears, I put a comfy chair out here so I could sit and be inspired. Someone already beat me to it.

Most of the pieces I had apart for the bottom of the hutch. The top I already had but don’t the two pieces look like they were meant to be together? I hung a curtain up down the end to hide my background, light, computer stand and other props.

The results are a place that still functions as a studio but I feel more inspired in and one that now looks like the rest of our home. I’ve also brought the recipes I’ll be creating more inline with what I love to eat. As well as recipes I’ve been wanting to cook and create. And I simplified things by putting together The Essential Pantry – a list of ingredients to have on hand in the pantry, fridge and freezer to make meal planning and cooking easier. I’ve included the link above, so have a read; it might be of some help to you. Anyhoo, all these things have helped ignite a spark again. Inspiration can come from different places and from changing the way we do things. If you’re feeling down, bored, stuck, uninspired – whatever word you want to use for your current mindset, remember, it can be helped, sometimes you just need some time away from things and to listen and trust your gut, that instinct that is pushing you where you need to go…if we’d only stop to listen to it more often. Now, back to getting my actions in line with my goals.