Chennai
An increasing number of artists are setting up work spaces at home to work in comfort and to avoid the hassle of travel.
A comfortable workspace is all it might take for an artiste to create a master piece. Sometimes, these spaces are found in the bright outdoors, under a canopy of trees and at others, it is a big room in a building away from the hustle and bustle of the city. However, in the recent past, a growing number of artists have been drawing inspiration from the little things at home and opting to set up a small work space or a temporary studio at their residence.
“If you’re going to be in a room that doesn’t inspire you to work, then you’re really not giving 100 percent to it. It is important to have work around you, completed, in-progress and semi-finished projects, around your work desk. Such a set up helps you get the right vibes. My studio is a garage turned into a workspace right behind my garden. I can hear birds chirping, dogs barking and occasionally hear the door or window slam shut. For me, it is the perfect ambience to work,” says Amrita Giriraj, founder of Alankaara, who makes jewellery, accessories and home decor that are nature inspired.
It is not just inspiration that has encouraged many artistes to set up studios at homes, convenience is also plays a key role. For Michael James Williams, owner of an audio studio, Audio Sciences, setting up a temporary studio at home helps him to finish his work within deadline.
“While you can’t come up with your best high quality production, home studios help you get work completed to some extent. Sometimes, when the studio is occupied, I bring some work home and wrap it up here,” Williams says. To ensure quality of work, he has installed sound proofing panels.”The small studio has a set of drums, guitars, a voice microphone, keyboard, laptop and good set of headphones,” he explains.
The best part, most people feel, about having a workstation at home is that it is budget-friendly.”The cost of rent may not come under your budget making it a lit tle difficult to hire a studio. Many artistes, amateur and experienced, are opting to set up a studio at home too. It becomes easier to choose a space at home and work around it accordingly,” says Lakshmi Olagammai, a quilling artist and founder of Mystical hues.
However, there are a few drawbacks in this kind of setting. The biggest disadvantage is that you cannot bring home clients. Many artistes have to carry their work and samples along to meeting and meet clients at cafes and restaurants. Another challenge they face is that they have to work when there are very few people around, so that there is no hindrance to their work.
Regardless of the small room or a few shortcomings, Chennaiites are not shying away from personalising the minimal space available to them. Rohita Vee, jewellery designer and founder of Roia Jewelry, divided the room to create a storage space. “I converted a room at home into my metal smiting workshop. I made room for various desks. Soldering, repairing, cutting and sorting metals happen here and the tools required for this are also stored carefully in the room. A part of this room is like a boho corner. It has a cactus plant, quotes about life and creativity, and has signboards from Notting Hill, which happens to be my favourite place from London,” Rohita shares.
Source Dishya Sharma, Times Property, The Times of India, Chennai