Wednesday, August 29, 2012

TWO INTERESTING WORKSPACES

The workspace above would be close to ideal for somebody like me. That's because I like a workspace that's only that...a place where work is done. No couch, no pictures on the wall except pictures I've done myself. 

Unfortunately this is another artist's space. My own is cluttered with every distraction imaginable. 


I do get tempted by other artists' spaces, though. Here's (above) Ronald Searle's. I like the way the room is darkened and his art materials are in a kind of lit-up stage in front of him. It's pretty crowded, though.

I imagine the desk continues out of frame on the right, or maybe he has multiple desks.


I'm conflicted about whether to add things like books, computer, music collection, etc. All these are useful, but if you're easily distracted like me.........


4 comments:

Joshua Marchant (Scrawnycartoons) said...

I have a desk on the other side of my room which is solely for work.

I heard somewhere that it's best to have separate areas for work and recreation. Doing both in one place isn't conducive to concentrating.

Same goes for sleeping, apparently it's best to have your bedroom as just that, a room for your bed and to spend your day lounging and working in other rooms. It's supposed to help you sleep better.

Can't remember where I heard that from but it's an interesting theory I tend to work by.

Joel Brinkerhoff said...

Growing up, a brush left standing in water would be a sin in our house.

I have lived with 'creative clutter' from early childhood because my mother was a working artist whose home was her studio. But it would be the end of my marriage to have it at my home. I still have a basement devoted to messy artistic endeavors. I do the majority of my work on computers these days. I even have a tablet PC with Wacom tech. that I can take with me from place to place.

The program ArtRage is getting pretty good at organic looking painting and I don't have to worry about cleaning my brushes or leaving them in standing water.

funnily enough my office still gets cluttered with books and such.

Unknown said...

Wow! I wish I had that much stuff in my room. All I have are my two pencil bags and my small drawing board that I use when I need to sit on my bed and draw.

Do you think I should take a full time or part time job now that I don't have college classes to worry about for a while?

Eddie Fitzgerald said...

Roberto: I'd take the best job you could get, whether part time or full. If you do have extra time spend it at a good university library reading in the subjects you'll be taking later. I mean reading in the offbeat part of those subjects that interest you so you get a feel for the "soul" of the subject, it's romance and what's intriguing about it.

If there's something you expect to have trouble with, like language, you can get a head start on that at the library or on an ipod.

You might also be able to audit courses at your local college. You won't get credit, but you'll have the fun of sitting in on classes you're interested in without the prerequisites. Just ask the teacher for permission, but you better get it fast...it's already the end of August.

As prep for philosophy I would read the parts of Russell's "History of Western Philosophy" that interest you, or Will Durant's book if that suits you better. I don't agree with Russell about a number of things...for one thing, he was a socialist, which I definitely am not...but his book transcends his personal flaws. It's the best one volume history of philosophy I've ever come across.

Joshua: Good idea about the bedroom.

Joel: The basement idea works if you can get some ventilation or AC down there. My basement water heater used to make the room hot and humid and that attracted attracted bugs from the garden.