I finally stopped trying to make my own studio space perfect before starting anything

I was helping a friend set up a pop-up print shop in his garage in Austin last month, and his whole setup was just a couple of folding tables and a cheap lamp. He printed over 200 shirts in a weekend. I always thought I needed a dedicated room with perfect lighting and expensive gear before I could call it a 'studio' and get to work. Seeing him just use what he had and make stuff happen totally flipped my view. Now I'm just using a corner of my living room and actually finishing projects. Has anyone else had to get over that 'perfect space' hurdle to actually create?

3 comments

3 Comments

nathang671mo ago

My first real painting was on a piece of plywood in a storage unit. The light was terrible. It's still my favorite piece. The pressure of a perfect studio just kills the fun. A messy corner gets way more done.

val_taylor1mo ago

Remember my buddy who spent months building a dream studio? He painted one stiff thing in there and went back to his cramped garage. The mess just worked for him, and his best stuff still comes from that corner.

simon_chen8d ago

Not sure it has to be that deep. Some people just work better in a clean space, some don't. @nathang67's storage unit story is cool and all, but not everybody's gonna have their best work come from a messed up corner.