Monday, January 25, 2010

Girl in Gear Studio


Girl in Gear Studio

What kind of Art/Crafts do you do?
I mainly focus on illustration and graphic design, and I also love photography. I utilize printmaking techniques like screen printing and linocuts in my work, as well as digital printing.

Where do you create?
I work out of my home. I have one room that is dedicated to creating, and one room that is dedicated to shipping and the business side of what I do. I have found that it really helps me to have better creative focus when the business side is separated from the creative side.




How do you keep all your supplies organised?
I have one wall that is just bookshelves, and my books are organized by category, and within each category, they are alphabetized. A lot of files that I work with are digital, so I have another system for that on my computer. In general, I have used David Allen's "Getting Things Done" or GTD philosophy in getting organized. I also have lots and lots of clear bins for all of my art supplies.

How do you keep yourself motivated to keep your space tidy?
I have an old safety poster that used to hang in the mines in my hometown of Butte, MT. It says, "Keep this place clean. It ain't the "Ritz," but it ought not be a slop pile either." Every time I look at it, it makes me smile. But in general, I have a rule that I must tidy my space each evening before "quitting time," whenever that may be. That way, the creative chaos does not get completely out of hand. Once a week, I do deeper cleaning, like vacuuming and dusting.




Any tips for how to keep art spaces tidy or organised?

Tidy every evening, and have a deeper cleaning schedule that you can stick to - without being a perfectionist. Sometimes it's easier to have a list of cleaning chores that you do throughout the week by picking one thing a day to do, along with tidying. For others, like myself, it's better to just dedicate an hour or two on the weekends to the deeper cleaning.

Do you get stressed out when your space gets in a mess?
Definitely. I can't be creative and focused with chaos around me.




If you could have your dream space tomorrow what would it look like?
I actually have a daylight basement, that is one large room. It would have dedicated workspaces for each of my crafts; such as a station for screen printing, a station for letterpress, and a design station. It would have facing desks, one for my Mac, and one for my PC (business computer). It would also have a couch and a place to relax and contemplate my next design. Oh, and one of those super professional espresso machines with all of my coffee fixin's right there, like a small fridge for the milk. :-) Finally, it would have a place to meet with clients and to discuss the custom work I do for them. It would all be one open space, so when my clients come, they can get a sense of what I do.


Do space limitations get in the way of projects you have in mind?
Letterpress - one day, i really want a Heidelberg press. There's no way one of those would go even in my basement... maybe my garage though... hmm, I will have to speak with my husband about that!




What is the next big thing on your wish list for your art space?
I really need and want a large format inkjet printer, and a new colour laser printer. My current colour laser printer is not compatible with my Mac, so I have to save all of my work to PDF and then move over to my PC to print it. It's time-consuming and irritating.

Where can people view your work or purchase it?


Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/girlingearstudio

Website and blog: http://www.girlingearstudio.com/















Example of Girl in Gear Studio's Work, her plantable Calendar available on Etsy

Thanks to Girl in Gear Studio for allowing me to publish her studio photos and for taking time to answer my questions! Thank you!

4 comments:

  1. This looks like a wonderful space to create in. I love how neat and organized everything is!

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  3. It is so inspiring to see the environment that creative processes take place in! Great blog! I made an entry about my work space a few days ago...http://henandchick.blogspot.com/2010/01/craft-room-triumph.html

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  4. lovely work and great organizational tips, thank you!

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