When I step into my studio my mood immediately lifts. I feel calm and filled with well-being. Even if I’m creatively stuck or frustrated or disappointed, setting foot in my workspace brings me joy. It truly is my happy place.

the vintage typewriter in my studio brings me joy, even if it’s not “practical”

I’m grateful to have a room of my own to create. I’ve worked in many different spaces over the years and each space evolved the longer I spent with it.

the first place I started painting with watercolor was a corner in a hallway

I’ve loved each of them.

In my house in Cleveland I often preferred painting in my dining room even when I had other dedicated creative spaces

Were any of them perfect?

No.

at one point I sewed, painted with acrylic and wrote my blog on the porch of our Cleveland house

Did they need to be in order for me to create in them?

Of course not.

Even the smallest corner can become a creative haven. The only requirement, really, is that we do creative work in it.

later I moved my studio to one of the bedrooms and painted it peach

As long as I have a surface, I can paint. As long as I have pen and paper*, I can write. As long as I have a computer I can connect with customers and students and readers.

when we moved to Wisconsin I chose the green bedroom as my studio

I’ve worked in my current studio for almost eight years and it’s been through many changes over that time. I’m constantly tweaking it to make it work better for me.

Now I’m in the very beginning stages of planning a new workspace.

I’m hoping to move my studio from one room in our home to another where it will be closer to my garden.

for a while my business included sewing and crochet

I’m excited, but I’m also a bit nervous. It’s going to be a lot of work (and what if I don’t like it as much as my current space?).

I painted over the green walls to brighten my space and painted a secret message in the process

I recently read this studio tour blog post from Meg McElwee of Sew Liberated and was struck by the fact that in planning her dream studio she asked two questions:

“1.) What do I need to be able to DO in this space? and 2.) How do I want to FEEL when I’m doing these things in this space?”

I need plenty of light for painting my detailed botanical watercolors

If you’re planning your own workspace, asking what you need to do in it and how you want to feel there is a great place to start.

I’ve always prioritized the JOY of my creative workspaces. I decorate them, bring plants into them, make them cozy, fun, playful.

for many years I used a cabinet desk and filled it with inspiration

No matter where it is, how it functions or what it looks like, I want my studio to be my happy place.

when the cabinet was closed it looked much neater

As I plan my new space, I’m thinking about what other feelings I want to encourage. Focus. Curiosity. Connection. Ease.

I like having a dedicated sewing space even if I don’t regularly sew for my business

Another question I’ve been asking myself as I plan my new space is: what are my biggest pain points in my current studio.

I never sit in my “cozy” chair, but dream of having a truly cozy place I can share with my studio assistants

It helps to think about what’s frustrating or challenging about my current workspace because then I can plan a space without those frustrations and challenges.

I save floor space when my tables are all against the walls

Some of my biggest frustrations are:

lighting — both for painting and for photography/filming
storage
having my packaging and shipping supplies in multiple places
an awkward scanning set-up
an awkward printing set-up
awkward photography and filming set-ups
cords
floorspace — especially during filming with multiple tripods for lights and cameras
clutter
location — my dream studio would be right in the middle of my garden

these softbox lights take up a lot of space — I’ve since replaced them with something smaller, but I still trip over cords

Some fixes will be easy. Some will take more thought.

I have multiple work surfaces in my studio

I don’t want to rush the planning process. I’m writing lists. Taking notes. Looking at every aspect of my current space.

my work surface is brighter when it’s in the middle of the room, but I often still need supplemental lighting

A few other questions I’m asking myself as I’m planning my new workspace:

What dedicated workspaces do I truly need for my main tasks?
Which tools/supplies/equipment need to be visible and which can be hidden away?
Do I need to keep all of the back issues of the magazines in my collection?
Is the furniture I currently have the best option for what I need for work surfaces and storage? If not, what might work better?
Does everything in my studio need to be there?
Are there better lighting solutions than what I’m currently using?

decorations bring me joy but sometimes I feel overwhelmed by clutter

My next steps in creating a new studio:

continue making lists and answering all those questions
declutter, clean, purge and reorganize
consider which furniture I can swap with other pieces in our home and start searching thrift stores for anything else I might need
play with layouts and furniture arrangements on graph paper

It also helps to find inspiration in other peoples’ studios. Those magazines I mentioned? Many are back issues of Where Women Create and In Her Studio. Going through my collection might help spark some ideas.

More inspiration online for creative workspace planning:

Michelle Allen’s blog post about her Top 4 Necessities of a Home Art Studio has me thinking about what MY top necessities are.
This before and after art studio tour from Roben-Marie is great inspiration for the power of spring cleaning.
As are these words from Helen Hallows in her blog post Clutter is My Middle Name: “When we feel stuck creatively it is often really a feeling of being swamped. We need to open up new spaces in which to create - both internal and external. Making a studio functional and purposeful, with designated space for making gives us permission to get started.”
Although our little garage wouldn’t work as my studio, I love how Lori Roberts converted their garage into her studio. I love all the space and how it feels so connected to her garden. Which ideas might I want to steal?
Micaela Ferrero’s craft room is certainly dreamy! I especially love the ceiling-mounted video camera in the bump-out window (no tripods for camera or lights!).
Marian frequently shares her studio and its many evolutions on the Miss Mustard Seed blog. I especially like how she’s assessing her studio and her needs for her space in this post.
Seeing how other people organize their art supplies is always inspiring. Here Lindsey shares her organization methods on The Postman’s Knock.
Going back to the idea of how you want to feel in your space, Sarah Greenman’s shed studio tour makes me feel joyful and I imagine working in that space brings joy as well.

when I’m working on a painting I usually bring my garden’s bounty up to my studio

I’ll be sharing more of my studio re-design process as it progresses. If there’s anything in particular you’re curious about or would like to see or hear about, let me know and I’ll try to incorporate it into future posts.

Do you have a creative workspace? What creating do you do in it? What aspects would you want to include in YOUR dream studio?

*Yes, most of the time I write longhand first, even this blog post started out on paper first!

My Dream Studio: How to Plan and Design an Ideal Workspace