My Studio Space is Finito!

I live in the den of my house. It’s a pretty large space but half of it was my bedroom and the other half was being used as storage. It holds all of my making and crafting supplies. There’s A TON! We are kind of a hoarding family, lol. We always hate to throw things away if it is usable. We will often pick up something that collects dust and hasn’t been used in years talking about, “Oh! but I could use this to create a cool mixed media piece! I just need to cut the cardboard up, paint it, create a pattern. Oh! and I can use this fabric in it too! The colors look great together!” Now, when have I ever had enough time as a full-time designer, full-time mom, small business owner, etc. to be able to create all the things that I want to create? The answer is, NEVER.

I have Stampin’ Up stamps, ink pads, cardstock, scrapbooking and cardmaking supplies gifted to us from my beautiful Auntie who passed a few years back. She was always making cards, and would send us her creations on any special occasion or holiday. And of course, they were always beautiful. Many of us “Smith’s” are creators, as the surname indicates. It’s in our blood. So many creatives in my family.

Auntie was a hoarder too, Lol. We had to learn it from somewhere.

I have so much fabric and textiles collected in bins, waiting to be turned into something magically unique. Beads galore, macramé supplies, linocut carving, embroidery, drawing and paint supplies, glitter, polymer clay, resin, sewing machines, ceramic tools from when I was taking a class, perler beads, Shrinky dinks, lol you name it- it’s like a mini craft store in here for reals. (Side note: if you are ever in need of supplies don’t hesitate to reach out! I have more than I can handle and so much that doesn’t get used enough that I would love to find a home for. :))

As much as I wanted to clean it up, organize and create a nice and cohesive area for me to work, it was so overwhelming to look at, and I didn’t know where to start. My best friends kept telling me they would help whenever I was ready. Well, months and months have gone by and I finally sucked it up and we worked on it yesterday.

I really have the best of best friends. They are always there if I need them. I’m definitely not the type to ask for help, but whenever I do, they are front and center. We’ve been friends for a long time, 14+ years. They’ve been with me through so many transitions and milestones, I love them with all my heart.

I couldn’t have finished, or even started this studio area without them. We went through every inch of this dusty ass storage abyss. Finding artwork left here by past lovers, small craft projects that went unfinished, A Twilight jewelry box filled with bits and bobs, even a ponytail of my old hair that I promised I would send in to Locks of Love over a decade ago. (Weird, perhaps creepy, I know, lol) We organized it all using whatever storage solutions I had. Created piles for donations and trash. Moved the old desk that didn’t have enough workspace to be functional into the garage. Swept and vacuumed all the dog hair that had piled up over the years. Cleaned up my sisters old desk from the garage, assembled and positioned it into my corner with the windows.

Does anyone remember having to read that book in middle school, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People? When I was in middle school, I didn’t really have the patience to fully grasp any of that book. I didn’t like reading and I surely was not trying to be highly effective, lol. All that I remember about that book is it telling us not to procrastinate. Now, at 34, I finally understand why.

I have to say, it feels really good to have a space to work. No more excuses. Putting things off just prolong the inevitable, which is that I’m going to create something for myself, something great, so why am I putting it off? Why do we put things off that feel so good once they’re completed. Procrastination is a bitch.

I don’t know if I’ve ever had an actual desk to work on. Homework and projects were usually done on the dining room table with supplies spread out. I’ve been beading at our dining table since I started Gypsy Caravan. There was never a designated space to focus on work. I’ve only been with this studio space for less than a day, but just having a desk to sit at and be able to focus at, away from distractions…OMG what a difference it makes!

One of the issues I have with having a lot of supplies that were unorganized, was that whenever I look up from work, I’d look at all the crap around and immediately start getting overwhelmed by all the things that I needed to do. It would remove me from the focus of the project I was working on and get me in an anxiety-ridden headspace. Well now my desk is facing a window, with all my ORGANIZED supplies behind me. Anxiety-ridden headspace be gone! Clear mind from here on out, please and thank you!

I got some new lights for my desk, one for working and one to be able to record me working. Content is hard for me, but I’m hoping this will help propel my business farther and motivate me to film myself more. Behind the scenes are kind of my favorite thing to watch, so I’m hoping my customers will like that too. The act of creation, of making mistakes, of designing, the process.

And now I’m typing this as I’m looking out my corner windows into the back yard. The sky is blue and the clouds are fluffy. The air is fresh and clean from the rain last night, the blue jays are flying into the trees while doves are waddling on the ground looking for seeds, the leaves are swaying in the breeze, the cabbage butterflies are on the hunt for flowers, a perfect sunny Sunday afternoon.

I have a free weekend to myself coming up and I plan to have a full on creative session in my new studio space. I can’t wait to break it in! About to turn that record player on, smoke out and zone out.

Thank you to my besties for helping me put in the work and making it fun in the process, and thank you to the man that I’m talking to who has been motivating me to do better for myself and for my business, I appreciate you all <3

If you got this far, thanks for reading a little bit about my soul. As my yoga instructor says, “The light in me sees and acknowledges the light in you”

Until next time!

Love, Leilani