As an artist at some point in your career, you will likely ask yourself the question, should I have my own studio? Well first off, what is a studio? As an artist, it can be several different things. It can be a working
studio where you go to create your art, a place to keep all of your supplies and to work away from your
everyday space. It can be a space to show your work in, to display your work, open to by invitation or to
the public at times that you deem ideal. It can be both a place to work and a place to display, or it can be
both.
I would consider an artist’s studio to be their happy place, though also their most personal space
because there are raw materials used, there is art created, emotions expressed, and if the studio is open
to show work, then art is hung for all to judge.
I was personally a year or so into my full-time art career when I decided it was time to open a studio. I
had been asked several times by buyers and potential buyers if I had a studio. Buyers asking wasn’t my sole
reason for deciding to open a studio, though once I had been asked several times, I started thinking more
about what having a studio would mean.
The potential buyer that finally made the decision for me, was looking at my largest piece of art and ask me if I have a studio that they could view the piece along with my other pieces in a studio format. It was then that I realized, that a buyer at an outside art show likely wasn’t going to purchase my largest piece, or maybe anything at all, without building a relationship and that wasn’t going to happen in 15 minutes.
It was then I began looking for the right studio for me. I wasn’t necessarily looking for a working studio,
more of one to hold and display my art. One I could open for potential clients at a designated time or
really anytime I wanted to. If I could also work in the space that was a benefit, though not a
requirement. In the end, I ended up with a studio to showcase my art, and not so much a space to work. This worked well for me for a couple of years.
As I and my art continued to grow and progress, my needs changed and I found I needed a studio space from which I could also work more often. That is when I was able to join a different studio space where I could do more work as well as store my artwork. So far this has been beneficial and inspirational. Leading me to push my art further and create new and exciting artwork.
It seems to me that artists that have studios are often viewed by others as being established, though
there are successful artists that do not have studios. In the ever-changing world of social media and
websites, artists can have successful careers without a permanent space. It is really a personal decision,
based more on form or function for an artist. There is a cost involved in having and maintaining a studio,
so my advice would be to spend some time in your art career and see if there is really a need. If you
have the funds and need the space or if your career has taken you to a place of being able to show your
art to potential clients, then starting a search for studio space may be the next step in your art career.
