Features
By
John L.
Come behind the scenes at The Art Dream for a #CraftRoomTour and see John's creative space.
What’s great about my space is that all of my materials are together in one place. It’s easy to reach for a pair of scissors, a piece of cardstock or any of my one trillion little knick-knacks and tools.
Tell us about your space
My creative space isn’t very big, it’s actually quite small and it exists in the dining area of my house. I work on the dining room table which lends a large surface area for me to spread my craftiness out. I pretty much work on all of my projects here besides the few when I’m at work. Then, I’m working in my classroom at the school where I teach.
What have you done to make your space cosy, beautiful or inspiring?
I’m a neat freak and I like to tidy up once in a while especially the outer surfaces. I prefer not to have too much “junk” out when there’s company visiting. All of my materials are stored in a storage system I purchased at the store. You can see from my photos that the storage unit is becoming unable to handle all of the thousands of pounds of materials, but it’s holding up good enough! I also like to keep some of my latest projects visible, they bring me great joy and they’re inspiration for the next projects I create.
How do you keep organized?
I try really hard to separate like-materials, for example, I keep all of the paper in one drawer, all of the glue in another and so on. It’s gets tough because you always have those miscellaneous objects and no corresponding place to put them.
Any tips & tricks for organising supplies?
My philosophy is that if it hasn’t been used in a year then you’re probably not likely to use it as all... ever... so get rid of it. Maybe donate a bag or throw together a “scraps” project for the kids. Space is limited so we must keep the essentials and use them up, otherwise what’s the point of having it in the first place?
Which are your favourite possessions and are there any of your own creations on display?
My most treasured art works are really the things I draw and ink by hand. But as far as the crafts I share on my website, I’d have to say my unicorn head crafts. They are the most popular and I’m often photographing them for promotions, so it’s important to me that they stay in good condition.
How do you organise your inspiration and ideas?
I pretty much keep most of my creations in my creative space. When it’s time for some things to go, like seasonal stuff, I’ll store them away in bins.
Where do you look for inspiration?
It’s hard because just when you think you thought of something new, it turns out it already exists somehow, somewhere. I usually just go with my instincts and I try to create things based on what I would have liked to make as a kid, if that makes any sense. But, otherwise I like to get lost in Pinterest once in a while.
If you had three wishes, what would you do to make it the dream space?
I would like an entire room just for creating, a unique and functional storage system annnnnd a giant professional cutting machine for cutting large shapes out of cardboard.
Whose craft room would you love to explore? Send us a message!
Share
Follow
