Workspace

Each person's workspace is a very personal and important part of making artwork, whatever the medium. I know that at ASU, each of us had "our" desk that we always worked at and we rarely (if ever) and very reluctantly worked anywhere else. Personally, I would not work anywhere else. I've known people to kick lower level students out of "their" desk, but I could never do it. I'd make a pathetic effort at working somewhere else, decide that I had other homework to do and then leave. There's just something about one's workspace that is so personal and truly vital to actually producing artwork. You get to know your torch, your workbench, your flex shaft, your drawers, the perfect chair to go with it all...

That being said, I still have to get used to my space here at home. I got a beautiful new workbench with all of the drawers and compartments I could ever want. It's got lots of space, and I finally have most of the tools that I need, including a new flex shaft that, I must admit, still feels quite funny to me. I still need a good torch set up and a good stool/chair. The one I'm using is just too high and it hurts my back. But anyway, we make do don't we?

I thought I'd share a couple pictures of my workspace and workbench:

So, all of those drawers are full. Not full to the brim or anything, but there's stuff in every one of 'em and all of it is lined up and evenly spaced, like the OCD freak I can sometimes be.

But really, I think you can tell a lot about a person by his/her bench and workspace. This whole thing was really sparked by a picture that Tedd had on his blog of part of his workspace. When I thought about it I realized how difficult it would be for me to work in a space like his and likewise that he probably wouldn't want to work in a space like mine.

I know you might look at my pictures and say, "Yeah right Lauren. I'm so sure that your bench really looks like that. All neat and clean, sure..." But seriously, it does. I'm obsessive about it. When I'm actually sitting there working, of course it gets a little cluttered, but I clean it up continuously. Otherwise, I can't find things that are right in front of my face. And when I'm done, yes, this is exactly how my bench looks. I put everything back in its proper place, my current projects go in the cart on the right, I wipe everything down, I oil my steel tools, I clean the pickle pot, I change the quench water, I unplug everything, etc. You get the idea. Obsessive.

Anyway, I just wanted to share my workspace with you and my thoughts on how important that space is. I really find it fascinating. It's like Paho's photos of people's medicine cabinets and junk drawers. By the way, my medicine cabinet is exactly the same as the workbench. Every bottle, tube and container goes in one specific spot, faces one specific direction and has a perfect little zone of free space around it. Weird, I know, but that's me I guess.

So what about you? How do you like your workspace? What does it say about you? Do you find some sort of relationship between how you use/organize your space and what your work looks like or represents?

Let me know, because I really am interested.

So, that's all for tonight then.

Have a good one!

Also, I got a couple of jobs (yay)! And still need another (yikes)!

So come visit me at the Coyotes team shop or come take a class with me at the Tempe Center! Woohoo!