Freeform Friday: A Room of One's Own...

"A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction." Virginia Woolf  

“Women need a space to be creative -- creativity thrives in solitude.” SARK

I can't imagine a more inviting scene: calm dog, sunlight streaming in... (all the clutter is out of this view. )

 Virginia Woolf penned that famous line 86 years ago. And while the status of women's culture is much improved in regards to education, voting... the quote still resonates with me. I have a room, where I can create in solitude, and abandon. I can make a mess and not clean it. I can leave work strewn about until the Muse returns to guide my hands. My studio is more than a room though. Its a sanctuary, a safe haven, a hide out. Its a treasure trove of gems and art supplies to rival a dragon's hoard. Its filled with memories and potential, and its 100% me.

We have been discussing workspaces of late on the blog, cleaning, organizing... and I was sadly missing mine. Before summer I was working in THIS studio a few days a week, alternating with the ceramics studio; achieving a creative balance so to speak. Then an intensive teaching and show schedule, and a bout of sick derailed me. Wednesday and Thursday this week I was back in the studio. Oh how I missed it!

Vignettes and a WIP: Beads by Susan and Karen nestled in a teacup, my abandoned daily art journals, new materials to play with from ICE Resin, a beaded bezel in progress, seals and mermaid treasure waiting their turn. 

I started to panic. WHAT was I going to work on?! WHERE to start? SO MANY things I want to do/try/finish/start/create.... I started with cleaning a little. It was so nice to BE in the studio that I relaxed into the small chores. I am organized, a Virgo trait I embrace, and it makes me feel calm and receptive, ready... when things are put away and I have space to work. Its cathartic. 

Antique watch crystals. Vintage images. Polymer. Stay tuned for BeadFest 2015

This is the place of creative incubation. At first, you may find nothing happens there. But, if you have a sacred place and use it, take advantage of it, something will happen. (Joseph Campbell)

The gorgeous kiln bounty from the wood fire. Shrines awaiting interior elements. 

People who aren't artists seem to not understand exactly what a studio is. It's not a store. It's not a factory. It's not a theme park. It's my personal space and their company is not so invasive. (Eleanor Blair)

Recognize the adorable critters from Rebekah? Mixed media pocket shrines inspired by her beads. 

Room service? Send up a larger room. (Groucho Marx) (See video at end of post)

An artist's studio should be a small space because small rooms discipline the mind and large ones distract it. (Leonardo da Vinci)

I think it wants to be a wall hanging, Lesley. With cobalts and iridescence, and stars and swirls. 

Does it sound silly to say I feel better having spent time with my stuff? Because I do. I did little more than clean and organize on Wednesday; hope to actually work on Thursday. But I had missed my little room so! I still have a million things to do. I still panic when the emails remind me that Bead Fest is 7 WEEKS away!!! But I feel ready to tackle it, a bit more grounded, a bit more in touch with my self, my Muse, and all that...

So tell me -
Do you have a room of your own? A space for creativity? Solo space? Shared space? And how often do you get to go there?!

I leave you with a song by the White Stripes. A tiny little song, but its so true! Give it a listen - Im off to the studio!