Of the few things I am certain of in this universe is that everyone needs a studio. Not a brightly lit, white-walled trove of art filled with paint, or fabric, or instruments, but a place either physical, mental (most preferably both) where one is alone with themselves and able to act creatively.

When I am in my own studio, I begin to remember that everything outside of the studio exists to distract us from ourselves and our work. Truth be told, I am one of the most easily distracted people I know. Each day I awake with a to-do list a thousand points long, and a set of dreams even longer. I am enamored with existence, and so I am constantly at risk of losing direction.  The studio is a closed space built in the shape of my mind to promote my creative energies and encourage focus.

In the studio, in front of a painting or drawing,  I can remember to remember. I connect with my purpose very clearly, and that purpose is to rise, find myself tangled in my thoughts, and through the slow movements of painting, start to untangle those strings into an image. Alone with my work, is like being alone with a mirror and one has the chance to truly explore everything within.

Of course, the more you work and explore, the more you understand what your time in the studio is about. Often it returns and cycles (at least for me) to getting into the studio and working. The gateway to the destination, and the destination itself.

The studio is a physical embodiment of a value you maintain, or must maintain, as a creator. It is also a value that you get to carry with you wherever you go. When my thoughts are confused, when my mind is racing with ideas (both inspiring and depressing), when I am overwhelmed, or underwhelmed, the studio is a thought that returns me to a kind of center. It lets me know simply, and with minimal stress that I need to retreat, be with myself, and be myself.

And of course, the studio is an actual place. And for me it is the best place in my life. A private fortress of solitude, in which I alone get to try to do something magical and inspired while hopefully not raising any demons, or reenacting scenes from the Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

Cheers,