June 11th, 2012
Unpacked! And Why We Have a Studio At All
Well it took a little while, but I’ve got myself out of boxes and am enjoying the new studio! There were boxes upon boxes, labels on everything, and I almost made everyone synchronize watches but we’ve officially moved from Broadway to Osborne. The new office feels like a cozy home away from home, with everything close by and the thermostat set to just the right temperature. Best of all? We’re still in the middle of Winnipeg, the little city I love :)
Cleaning up the new studio before the moving day, my POV of Leigh-Ann & Amber
Having a dedicated work space where Leigh-Ann and I can come together has been such a luxury, blessing, and important part of how Freckled Nest works. The biggest reason that we have a dedicated workspace outside of our homes is that in Canada you can’t hire an assistant and have them help you in a home studio. From the start of working together, Leigh-Ann and I both knew that having help with hands on things that we couldn’t give to a virtual assistant – especially for our etsy shop – was going to be a great help and an option that we wanted to keep open for ourselves.
Cleaning up the new studio before the moving day, Leigh-Ann’s POV of Amber & I
Beyond that, there are some real practical concerns that come from having a business partner who’s working alongside you, not for you. Having dedicated side by side work time is a top priority for us, but LA is a night owl & I’m a morning person so our hours don’t always match up, we have dogs living at both of our houses who need tending to when we’re home. We’ve found that when there’s a big or difficult decision to make it’s hard to have that conversation when you’re in someone else’s “home base”, and while we both have lovely little houses the emphasis is definitely on the little. Having a “perma” or “part time” house guest just wouldn’t work for us, and since rent is fairly affordable in our city, we’ve decided that having a studio is an investment that’s important for us and our business.
Unpacking our making section of the office
I always appreciate having a space where I can just focus on work, and even when we’ve had to hustle as hard as we can to make it work, walking into a space that’s the Freckled Nest “HQ” always lights me up and reminds me that this life I’ve been dreaming of & working so hard for? It’s totally real!
And then slowly, while I unpack my bag and think about what I’ll do that day, the gratitude washes into routine and I switch to taking on my inbox & a pot of tea. But I’m always glad that I’ve taken the time to do an inner happy dance. Which may or may not look a little like this ;)
My little dog Mal surveying the new space
Last week I took a mini-blog break to work ahead with my clients after getting behind in the move, but I’m excited to be back this week with a delicious recipe that was requested from my Instagram feed, along with some beautiful finds for Weekly Weak Knees.
I’d love to know, what makes your work space productive for you?
Having a spot for my planner right in front of my keyboard keeps me on track, and being able to see a clock stops time from getting away from me. Also tea, lots of tea :)
Tea and more tea. Maybe some coffee, and then more tea. Also: a kickass soundtrack. P.S. Your happy dance link made me laugh out loud :)
Ha! I’m glad that I’m not the only one who was amused by that :)
New reader here, congrats on your space! This is so cool!
I am still learning what it takes to make me productive, so far it’s sunshine through my window and music! I have a lot to work on though…
xomando
Aaw, I can’t wait to see how you guys set up your new space!! :) Having a huuuge visible calender on a desktop helps me out, as do plenty of places for lists, lists, and more lists! lol.
First, I love that it was the legal restraint of not having an assistant in a home studio, and the other stuff to “overcome” like yours and Leigh-Ann’s different work rhythms, that made this opportunity need to happen for you guys. I think there’s such a good lesson in there about boundaries and inconveniences actually being helpful in concentrating creative energy and moving us forward in ways that, if left on our own with total freedom, sometimes we can’t or just don’t make happen for ourselves.
Second, my necessities for a productive workspace are 1)COFFEE! 2)podcasts when I’m painting or sewing, and music without words when I’m writing, 3)little rewards systems for myself i.e. when I’ve done another 20 minutes then I can go get a snack, or 3 more paragraphs and then I can spend 10 minutes on pinterest, etc. I’m about to get the chance to work in a dedicated art studio outside my home for the summer, which I’ve never had before, so I wonder if/how my productivity tricks will change!
I always find that windows and natural light are important to productivity for me. Just having the window there serves as a refreshing and intuitive clock, a source of inspiration, and, well, everything just looks better under natural light. Usually enough space to organize things loosely is helpful for me, considering my mess seems to spread in a cloud around my work area. My friends joke that I’m ‘chaos incarnate’ by the way I work.
I LOVE the idea of putting a piece of glass under the workspace – my poor desk spaces always end up with battle wounds from my chaotic art works.
Having a piece of glass over my desk helps me keep organized by allowing me to slip notes, calendars, schedules, and to do lists under my desk (keeping them protected from my constant tea spills and paint splatters). I love the ability to be able to keep these important things safe while having them right there to view whenever I need! Aside from that I save EVERY jar from things I buy and spray-paint the lids, this helps me fill the shelves above my desk while keeping things organized, protected, and labelled! An added bonus storage and crafts are a breeze and it makes for a neat display, I always get compliments on it (good thing I love pickles)!
That’s a great idea, Laura! I love that you can tuck things away and be messy when you need to with the glass over your desk. And the jars sound beautiful! Any chance you have photos? I’d love to sneak a peek at them :)
i have a studio in my home, but i never ever use it. i have no idea why, because it’s perfect. i end up lugging all my supplies out into my living room or into the bedroom instead, and doing my work there. it’s one of those things i keep trying to change, because i’d like to work in a dedicated space.
That’s what I do when I’m at home too. I have a cute little set up but always end up working in the dining room! When I worked full time at home it was really great to have a focused space, but I need to roam no matter where I am ;)
The new place looks wonderful! I definitely would love to have a dedicated workspace away from home.
Since I run my crafting business from home there can be a lot of distractions. I try to give myself time restraints to keep on schedule. Also, lots and lots of to-do lists!
your new place looks really cozy, the perfect place to focus and be inspired. i’m really lovin’ your windows!!
i ♥ mal!
Love the new Nest! So glad you all are getting settled in! And I totally agree about having a work space and home space. I don’t work for myself and I think that’s important – I think it’s doubly important when you are your own boss like you and LA! And I loooove your happy dance! :)
I worked from home for 6 years while we homeschooled our 3 kids. It was an ideal arrangement for us because of the flexibility in working hours, being able to combine home/mother responsibilities with job tasks, & being a “live” example to my children of what a job entails. I agree that to-do lists help immensely & a daily calendar that kept me on track. My biggest challenge was being able to turn off “work mode” and get my rear out of my desk chair when it was time to stop for the day! Your new space looks wonderful and inviting. Congratulations!
This is so great, such an inspiration for someone who wants to own her own business someday :) This might sound silly, but one thing that’s important for me to have is somewhere to sit & eat away from my desk. Whenever I eat at my desk, I usually continue to work while I eat — missing out on a much-needed break from the day! Plus, I feel like people ignore the fact that I’m eating and continue to talk shop, transfer calls to me, ask me to respond to emails, etc. Boo!
Kyla, this inspired me to do something a little more creative with my at-home work corner than just a desk against the wall. Enjoy your new home away from home!
I just started working from home. At first I was worried about it, but I have a dedicated ‘office space’. My favorite thing is using my great grandmothers dining room table as my desk. Its square and sturdy and I just adore it.
What a lovely little space! I am so happy for you gals!
Organization and order has to work for me in order for my space to be productive. I cannot stand clutter, drives me up the wall. But take a look at my home office and it’s the exact opposite.
lol at the happy dance link!!! you’re funny :)
I love our FN home :)
That looks so exciting to have your new workspace. I bet you’ll have lots of fun ‘nesting’ in the office too.
My work space productivity is greatly improved by post-it notes. They are my favourite.
Ooh, post its are so good! I’m working on nesting in the new space- I’ve been making it homey by getting a new tea pot with a special infuser from David’s Tea.
What an adorable space you have! I’m so envious – as a fellow ‘business from home’ gal, it’s so hard to separate home-time from work-time and I’d love an office space to get away to when I have work to catch up on!
I find that lists are an effective way for me to organise my time; if I don’t set myself daily goals and structure my day around that, I can be pretty sure that nothing is going to get done!
I find it really tough to separate work from home time when I’m working at home a lot- I find that tough just in general! You have to be so dedicated, don’t you?
Lists are a huge help, and daily goals are something that I do too :)