Dianna Cates Dunn » Blog

We artists are a strange, yet blessed, breed.

Our passion to create drives us to go to incredible lengths to be able to have the time and space we need to pursue what we love. Often times this is only accomplished when we sacrifice various bits of our overall health and safety for ANY opportunity to work!  Yes, it may be that this overcoming of obstacles helps to define and refine both our skills and our resolution, but in the end I think we all develop our own dreams and ideas about what a perfect work space would entail. Having spent nearly 20 years painting, I have had many studio spaces. From the confines of a very small table top in a basement office, to a studio the size of a small home, I have created and contemplated in the good, the bad and decidedly, ugly studio spaces. They have been sometimes cold or often hot, under lit to perfectly lit, unventilated to drafty, usually old to sometimes new, but they all have allowed me to work, grow and apply my chosen craft. And, now, after these many years, I have some solid ideas about what qualities go into "the perfect studio" that I'd like to share.

1) The perfect, to die-for studio should be a place that offers you comfort, both emotional and physical. If, at any time during the night or day, you feel unsafe or unwelcome there, it is not a perfect studio.

2) The perfect studio can be located within your home compound or away from it. It should be in the place that affords you the amount of personal interaction that you either do or don't need. If you feel either a lack of privacy, or you are starving for company, it is not the perfect studio for you.

3) It should also be safe from negative influences or feelings.  Should you feel the need to cover or hide what you are working on from naysayers or overly messy neighbors, it is not a perfect studio.

4) It should be a working space that allows you to focus your thoughts and energies on the creative process without unwanted interruptions. If you are only allotted certain times you can work there, or a disruptive studio partner, it is not a perfect studio. 

5) The perfect studio should be of a size that does not limit the scope of the work you do, or want to do. If you have to say no to large pieces you want to do or are commissioned to do, it is not the perfect studio. Transversely, if you only utilized a small fraction of the space you have and probably always will, it is not the perfect studio. (Note: needing lots of 'emotional' or 'thought' space would be an appropriate use of space, too! See rule #1)

6) It should provide you storage for both supplies and storage for some, if not all completed works. Having convenient- secondary storage space for inventory and/or supplies is a wonderful option as well. However, should you have to drive across town to a storage unit, stack painting under your bed or in other ways that might potentially damage your work, it is not the perfect studio.

7) It should provide optimal lighting, ventilation, and temperature for your health and well being. We artists have a nasty habit of NOT taking care of ourselves when engrossed in our work, so if you find yourself squinting, coughing or wearing clothing issued for arctic exploration, it is not the perfect studio. (I can hear the laughter of those who plein-aire paint now though plein-aire painters still need an indoor space in which to dry, touch-up, and perhaps frame their work)

8) The perfect studio should be an inviting, inspiring space where admirers can be awed by not only what you do, but how you do it! Those who buy your work are even more attached to it when they have a personal memory of where the piece was created. It becomes part of the 'story' that the painting tells and the connection the buyer develops with both the art and the artist. So, if you, on an emotional level, chose not to share where you work with others, that is one thing. But if, you are kept from sharing your space with clients because of limited access contract clauses or safety concerns, it is not the perfect studio.

9) Finally, the ideal studio should most importantly offer you, the artist, a place of contentment and refuge! Below is a photo of my studio. Though close to ideal, it's small size does limit the scope of the larger pieces I prefer to work on (See #5) BUT, even with it's flaws, it has become my place of refuge. Often, when I am not working, I find that I go there to relax, read, contemplate, meet with my muse, Tula, and consider all that needs considering. The old, comfy bamboo chair is favorite of not only me, but of my tailless tabby cat who 'consults' on and appears in some of paintings. (See "Peaceful Night")

No matter what stage you are at in your artistic journey, I strongly urge you to consider these points when choosing your own work space and to closely consider what environmental and emotional needs you and only you have, as I am sure I have not thought of everything. (Yup. I know I am good, but I am far from perfect!) Look within and know yourself before moving into a studio. ANY studio will not do...it has have the potential to become YOUR studio.