Lara Cameron wrote on her blog a couple of days ago about the pressures we put on ourselves (and subsequently each other) to present a perfect image on our blogs. Not necessarily a perfect photo (although that helps!) but an idealised version of our craft, art, business & lives.Her post very much sums up a lot of what I've been thinking and feeling lately. It's so incredibly difficult to stay motivated and keep on top of every single aspect of a business, especially when you work largely by yourself & from home. Argh. It can be super fun, but stressful too, obviously! I spend a bit too much time looking at other peoples blogs and imagining that if I was just that much neater, or the owner of that pretty chair or painting, etc etc, that my life would be so much more complete.
I'm sure lots of us do that!
I always do feel it's important to present a good image of Pocket Carnival, and myself. Obviously it's important to keep a clean & tidy workspace, and organisation is crucial. However clean, tidy & organised does not mean ready-to-be-photographed-for-a-magazine!Usually when I put photos of my studio on the blog I spend ages rearranging everything and making it all picture perfect. Which is pretty unrealistic.
Generally whenever I want to take photos or have a general cleanup, Mr. Cardboard Box will be utilised. Oh dear.I'm not 100% sure of the point of showing you my daggy old cardboard box (on my equally hideous grey carpet), but I guess it's just as a reminder to myself and others that behind every ideal looking house, studio or blog post, is very much likely to be a cardboard box, wardrobe or secret room full of mess, or undesirable furniture.
Perhaps just pop over to Lara's blog where she says it all so much more succintly, but I suppose this post is my response, and also my reminder to myself to stop worrying so much about it all!
I thought I'd finish with this wise old kitten - this is a peek at a new design. Kittens!Whenever things are a bit quiet and I am not working on so many orders I try and get some designing happening. I find I go a bit whacky when I'm in design mode - it's hard!
Hope you like! Pencilcases & coinpurses soon!
18 comments:
I get it. And I think most of us feel the exact same pressure. But your creative space truly is lovely, and normal and looks like a nice place to work (I have more than one 'cardboard box' by the way too).
Oh... the cardboard box! Believe me, I have many! I'm always planning to get everything so organised that I won't need them, but that never happens. I think most of us are too busy to keep everything perfect all the time!
what a great post! we all think that dont we... we arnt good enough, we should be better, neater, better drawer, and all that pressure is not good for us.
i love the old cardboard box... but i have many, all containing objects from different days, all thrown in together!
I think your work is amazing, and your work space looks just right!
Clare
A great post Penny...
Love this post, and about to head over to Lara's blog to read hers...
Thanks for sharing your studio, warts and all. From my end it looks quite neat and organised and yes, very normal! It can be easy to get sucked in to the 'perfect' lives we are constantly shown, important to remember that often these things are stage managed, and that beauty can be found in chaos and disorder sometimes too!
Agree: stop worrying so much about it all. And I for one think that those 'over-styled' blogs really lack truth and heart. So, get it all out there and your work will feel even happier for it. I love your creative space - it looks CREATIVE!!!! x
Such a great post, so so true! I think when it starts to get on top of you, it's good to take a step back for perspective. I had to do that with mine. It really has helped.
Ah yes, the cardboard box... I know it well!! : )
Please just be the genuine you with heart and soul on your blog..we promise we'll like you..no pressure!
nice post! i've accepted that neat n tidy is a pipedream! thanks for sharing your boxes and stresses + happy designing :)
um.. glad I'm not the only one with cardboard boxes in the studio. i actually have more than 1 box! More than 2 even! Let's face it, we don't live in a lifestyle magazine. We live in REAL life, and that's ok!
Visiting from creative spaces and thank you for pointing me to Lara's blog...loved that post. I totally understand the pressures...we all put ourselves through that...but I think that's why community is so important. Sometimes we have to shake each other to snap out of the madness :)
I've always loved your shelf with the pouches all stacked up nice a pretty. My space is constantly in disarray apart from just after every clean up. My version of your cardboard box is a washing basket though!
Good on you, Penny. Lara's post was wonderful, as is yours!
Nice work Penny. I just wrote a post about trying to do it all and running a crafty business from
Home is really hard!!!! I see those perfect studios and wonder how often it actually looks like that. Truth is any ones house can look amazing with the right angle photo- a point I will prove very soon!
The main thing is all the ace-ness that is produced from said studio and I reckon Miss Penny pocketcarnival could produce loveliness if she lived inside a cardboard box with grey carpet!!
what a great post pennybunny and lara's as well.
I've been thinking about this for awhile. How sometimes I'm envious of other artists and how their lives seem so pretty online.
I find that reading my favourite bloggers, I'm conflicted with different emotions; happy, inspired, envy, depressed, stressed. Then 'real life' catches up on me too and I can't seem to get back into drawing or portraying the life of little mo.
I think I'm slowly starting to realise...that I should just stay true to myself. I shouldn't worry about trying to be the best artist or blogger. I should just draw what I love and share my work publicly as it is.
Big hugs penny, I love your blog and your insightful posts, and most of all, I love what an intelligent and creative artist you are! xoxo
Thanks so much Penny for giving me the courage to show off my REAL Creative Space ;) hahahaha
I blogged about it here with a link to you :)
http://dollsanddaydreams.blogspot.com/2011/03/what-my-creative-space-really-looks.html
So spot on! I think you have summed it up absolutely perfectly. And the cardboard box - there's the same thing happening over here! I thought I was the only one - now I know I'm not!!! The new design is super cute by the way!!
I love this post Penny.
I get so envious of the gorgeous studios that are presented in magazines and on blogs.
Being a mum of 3 I often have to drop what I'm doing there and then, so my workspace is always in a bit of a state.
Life is way too busy to have studio spaces so neat and tidy all the time :)
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