Creatives are wonderful problem solvers, which is one reason why we create because it is what we love to do. When presented with a ‘problem,’ we are not likely to turn away. We use our curiosity to come up with possible solutions. My art studio is one such place where I have had to be a creative problem solver. Since we all work differently, we need different things to support our passion and our working rhythms. Often storage is the most challenging. In this post, I want to share some of the everyday items used in kitchen and bathrooms that I use in my studio.
What are Some Tips for Your Art Studio?
Here is a swing arm mirror attached on the other side of my art studio across from my painting area. I use it to look at a painting I might have on my easel. The mirror image helps to see the painting from another perspective and perhaps find areas that need to be altered.
Next, is an example of seeing something and wondering, “How might I use this?” An old dishwasher was being re-cycled and I decided to grab the utensil basket. It has proven to be a great way to hold my brushes. There is a handle in the middle that I can use if I need to move it, which is an added bonus. (Click any of the images for a larger view.)
This next one may surprise you. Finding a place to put and store rolls of tape is a hassle. Then someone told me about this simple towel rack. It does the trick! I can always find my tape and they are not rolling around some place or stashed in some forgotten drawer. It’s a delightful addition to my art studio as well as saving me time and aggravation.
One day while cruising through IKEA, I came upon the kitchen display rooms. They showed how magnetic strips can be used in the kitchen. Ah, ha! I decided there were possible applications in the studio. Here you can see that I installed a magnetic strip above my studio sink. I can hang a wired basket (IKEA item) for loose items, with a metal hook hang my nail cleaning brush, and then palette knives and a large gesso brush.
With another magnetic strip, I screwed it to my easel. I love this! It is so much better than trying to tape something on the wooden frame. I can hang sketches, paint swatches, photos, etc., next to my painting. In this example, I have a value scale and a value pattern for reference.
What household item do you use to facilitate your creativity and add value to your art studio or space? Perhaps something that is not expected to be used in a particular way?
I know that we creatives love to peruse hardware stores to find things for our artistic journey. Please share your discoveries.
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Gratefully yours,
Carol
Just wanted to respond to your March 14th post. I think the use of magnetic strips, especially attached to your easel is genius!
Thanks for letting me know. I was hoping I would be giving people some ideas. 🙂
All of your ideas are fantastic loved them
Carol, Thank you for another creative problem-solving article. Your brilliant use of repurposing items to make artists more productive is so appreciated. I love them all, especially the utensil basket in the dishwasher. I’ll be putting that to good use now. I’ll be sharing this article with my coaching clients.
Glad you liked them. Which are you going to implement?
Hi Renee, Thanks! Someone reminded me of Murphy’s Oil, which I use for cleaning my paint brushes. I put it in a soup dispenser. I will try to add it to the blog. And thanks for sharing. 🙂
Wonderful! I liked your idea of swing arm mirror and thanks for letting me know about this. Surely I am going to try this 🙂
Good to hear! Thanks for telling me. 🙂