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The Perfect Studio
The Perfect Studio
The Perfect Studio
has a door that closes
There’s enough room there
to not have my back to the door
the kitties are present
There’s a big table
to spread out and make a mess
marked with years of creativity
Of course, there’s a comfy chair
that is big enough for me
to sit cross-legged
or even better,
a chaise lounge
A rug that’s colorful
that I can get paint on
and splash as I choose
Bright leafy green plants
to surround me and
keep me company
A candle that smells good
An altar that changes
every time I come in
A chocolate stash
A fuzzy robe covered in paint
A tall bookcase
filled with inspiring images and stories
A wall of photos of people I love
A sign for the door that says:
The MUSE is in,
so don’t come in
Yet also people who respect that sign
and people who can come in
for tea because I like them
but only when they are invited
There’s a teapot
with tea seaping that smells so good
that my lover made
and a handmaid cup from a friend
There’s a jar of local honey
from people that I know
and bees I am sure to cross paths with
on my morning walks
There’s music that makes me dance
There’s lots and lots of paints
and pens and pencils and charcoal
and places to play
There’s a stack of empty notebooks
awaiting my pen and story
There’s a window for seeing far
And when I get up really early,
seeing the stars
There’s always a jar of water
awaiting my brush
It’s an invitation and a blank canvas
or one that’s ready to be painted over
And of course TIME
Time to spend there, here
Intentional Creativity time
I want to have tea with the Muse
as I choose
What about you?
What kind of studio is perfect for you?
Shiloh Sophia
Dear Ones,
The photo above is our ‘film set’ and while I paint there when I am teaching, it isn’t my personal studio. I feel so grateful to have so much space to work in, but I also share this space and rent this space - and I can’t close the door - or make a mess and keep it messy.
This has been a strange phenomenon for me - to have all this space to manage and use to teach in but not have it be personal space that I don’t have to share. I have moved my studio at our campus likely 40 times at least in the past few years - and this particular set up just happened because we converted the actual film studio into a dorm. My actual studio here we rented to another artist. While I am super glad she has it, I don’t have it and I miss it. So I am just coming to terms with this feeling - of not having a room that I can mess up and keep messy that no one can come into with a closing door where I can paint and be messy and be a mess. #hotmess seeks room for rent lol. A film set is not a personal studio. This feels important for me to just acknowledge so I can move on. And since we rent the space I try to ‘un-shiloh’ it on a regular basis, which again means I am continually moving my personal space and items around. I know, I know many people don’t even have one place to paint, so is it really a problem? Get over it I say, but then I am not being honest. I need a big open space and place to work and dream and invent. Because the companies I run and the offerings I create come out of my own mind/heart sacred studio space which is mapped to the physical space where I work things out. So today I am just owning this need for a closing door so I can see what else wants to come forward. To be able to dream into what I would really like.
Sometimes I get up really early and go paint in the classroom or the gallery - but I always have to clean it up and make it nice again right away. So am I
Published on 3 years ago