Creative Space

Over the years my idea of the studio space has changed dramatically. In the beginning I needed to have a studio in which to create, to think, to "let the magic happen". I had believed that having a space in which to work was critical to my success as an artist. Without a space to work in, my work suffered in ways that could only be blamed on my physical surroundings. Or so I thought. What I didn’t realize at the time was that the work was actually meaningless.

Have matured as a person and as an artist has made me realize that physical space and creative space are really two completely different things.

For the first time in many years I am without a studio…and all the trappings that make a studio, well, a studio. I am without ink, paper, bindery equipment, glues, paints, textiles, needles, thread, and the hundreds of other little things that were in my repertoire of materials that I kept in my studio at home in America.

I am currently serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine. I packed 2 suitcases for a two year stay, and there was no room for anything other than the bare necessities for everyday living. Translation: no studio and no materials.

I never thought I would be able to find the time to create anything here in Ukraine…let alone even THINK about a future project. However, as busy and physically demanding as things have been these past few months I could not shake the feeling that there is a piece of artwork inside me someplace. I just needed to dig down really deep to find the creative space within myself….and studio be damned.

I began to collect the little bit of ephemera that I am known to make work with…namely used tea bags…and began the process of transformation. Borrowing a needle and some thread from the woman I am currently staying with, I painstakingly assembled a tiny wall quilt. As well I transcribed a poem I had written in Russian onto it.

Being in a "space" where I can create art has always been important to me. I just didn’t realize until today that it does not need to be a physical one. The space within my mind will do well enough, I think.