Where I Work

When I put in the blog post request page, one of the first requests to pop up was to see my work space. I read that and thought, “Hahaha! No way.” I don’t have a pretty or inspiring craft space, even when it’s neat and tidy, and I didn’t want to share it because it’s not the sort of magical, creative space I think most people imagine professional crafters to have. But after going through that thought process, I realized that that’s exactly why I should share it! I suspect that a lot of crafters have a desk that looks like mine and very few have the lovely work spaces you see in staged, inspirational photo shoots.

Desk_01

My desk is where I do most of my design work, and it’s cluttered with swatches and post-it notes for upcoming or old projects, balls of yarn, and mail. It also has designer-essentials like a bottle of Tums for the anxiety-induced stomach aches that come with running my own business, and a number of calendars and planners so I can keep track of deadlines, events, releases, and blog posts. Running my pattern business is fun, but it’s also a little stressful and very busy! I keep my laptop on a raised wire shelf so it doesn’t overheat from all of the wool it’s surrounded by, and I have it connected to a big monitor which makes doing charts and written text so much easier. To the left of my desk are my closet doors where I sometimes take blog post photos, and the wall above my desk is blank because nothing will stay up on the weird painted plaster of the interior walls of my apartment. To the right on the floor is a set of drawers where I store old ball bands, bills, and copies of receipts, and I keep my design notebooks stacked on top.

Desk_02

My work area is in my bedroom, tucked into the large space at the foot of my bed. I’ve got a big set of drawers where I keep the yarn for upcoming projects and old swatches, and next to that, I have a comfortable chair to sit and knit. On the floor is a bulletin board that I originally planned on hanging on the wall and pinning up swatches, but it wouldn’t stay up, so now it sits there and features reminders, fun mail, and other notes. To be perfectly honest, I don’t need a pretty, inspired space to be inspired to make pretty things. I get most of my inspiration from fashion books, movies, and tv shows or out in the world, and once I get the idea and get it in my sketchbook, where I do the actual work doesn’t matter much to me.

Living_Room

When I’m not holed up in my work area, I like to knit my projects in front of the TV in the living room. And there you have it! This is what my craft space looks like. Not the prettiest, but it gets the job done.


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15 responses to “Where I Work”

  1. Constance

    Great post!! I love how authentic your space is. It is also very inspiring with great natural lighting.

  2. I love your work space! I can’t stand those Pinterest-y work spaces, all pastely colours with no sign of real work being done.

  3. That’s interesting! Mine looks pretty much like that too..just with more plants..and candy. Oh, and I have some video games on my desk too. There’s not enough space to divide my working life and..well, the rest of my life from each other. I’m actually quite happy to see that my desk looks completely normal the ‘messy’ way it is, haha.

  4. Maria

    Thank you for being honest about this! It’s disheartening sometimes to see all the perfect Instagram pics. Sure, it might be nice to have a room just for working, but it’s not the reality for most of us. And plenty of great work gets done in your space!

  5. Thanks so much for sharing your space. It’s so refreshing to have an honest post and to know that such beautiful designs come from such a “normal” space. It makes me inspired!

  6. houseofpinheiro

    I really love real life photos because we all know that only a very small percentage of people can have a dream magazine style space. thank you

  7. Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I really needed to read this post. I am currently looking to buy a desk for my crafting/makeup space (odd combination…I know). However, I was falling prey to all those inspiration photos on Pinterest and putting undo pressure on myself. Your space looks so realistic and it reminded me that those pictures are staged and not what an everyday person’s crafting area would look like. I think your area looks awesome…thanks for sharing it with your readers!

    1. I don’t think a craft/makeup space is that odd! I often do my pin curl sets while sitting at my desk because they take too long to do standing in the bathroom.

      1. That is cool to know…now I don’t feel so odd. Standing in the bathroom is what I am trying to get away from too! LOL!!

  8. So refreshing to see a realistic workspace with no hint of twee! It looks like you get heaps of stuff done here! 🙂 x

  9. I love the “honest” (for lack of a better word) photos of your desk! And your living room is so cute! Love the afghan! What happened to the giant granny square afghan? (I feel like such a stalker right now…)

    I took photos of my sewing space this past fall before I moved and I’m still working on writing the blog post. I’ve been having a hard time figuring out what to say and how to say it. I think you did a wonderful job describing your work space in a clear and concise way 🙂

    1. Good memory! The giant granny square afghan is on my bed, and I think you can just barely see a bit of it in the second photo, behind the fan.

  10. I absolutely love this! The internet is so full of perfectly curated museum-like spaces, and every time I see them I’m like “does anyone actually live like that??” Because I’ve never met someone who has. So thanks for adding a little bit of honesty back into the conversation 🙂

  11. kim

    well….I have to climb over two boxes of stuff to get to my sewing machine and I feel like I am in a dungeon so I tend to avoid it. But when i take the machine out to the dining table I feel exposed! Go figure……We are all real and I for one have been not too quick to let someone see my space. Thank you for opening the door.

  12. Christina

    Hi. I’ve been visiting your blog here and there for maybe a year now. This is my first time commenting.. Thanks for sharing your space and just being yourself here. It does takes guts. I’m inspired by your perseverance in knitting, pattern writing, and starting your own business!

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