My New Studio!

I have been wanting to have a studio outside of my home since last year, a place to dedicate just to my work. I was pregnant at the time and knew I wouldn't be able to get into it much once the baby arrived, so I kept the idea as a future goal. This year, after our move into our new place, I realized I needed some time and space outside of the home to be able to go to experiment and work on my projects. There was a commercial building near our home (a 10 minute walk) that had some nice spaces, but were too expensive for my needs. I had a baby now, and I needed to factor in the cost of that too!

One weekend, shortly after our move, I was inspired to search for commercial spaces in the building I had looked at. It was after a particularly long day of being a mommy with no break because my baby wouldn't go down for a nap that day. I needed a place to go outside the home after being cooped up in the house all the time with no outlet. I did a quick search on craigslist. To my surprise, I found a studio share! I hadn't thought about that before. Sharing a space, reducing the rent to half the price! Suddenly it all seemed attainable. A stretch financially, but still a possibility. Somehow maybe we could make it work.

We visited the place and it was perfect for what I needed. I could get my desk in there, a cutting table, industrial sewing machine, fashion books, garment racks and some other machines I purchased. I even put in a small travel crib in there, thinking that I would be able to take my baby in once in a while. I applied for the space and got it! Luckily we hadn't organized our home yet after the move, so we quickly changed our plans and made the second bedroom the baby's room instead of my studio.

Here is a picture of my studio before I moved in. My space is the space behind the tape line.

Here is a picture of my studio all equipped and ready for me to go in and do some work!

Now, the problem was, how can I work in the studio when I have to take care of the baby? We had to find a nanny and pay for that too. For a single income family, this was quite a stretch for us. It was an investment for my sanity and eventually some designs would come out of using this studio space. We hired the nanny part-time, but I quickly found my time with the nanny being spent on pumping milk for my baby and cleaning up our home. We just moved after all! I'm sure a lot of creative entrepreneurial moms face this problem...how to create a business while being a mom. I'm still trying to work it out!

Now that my baby is getting bigger, I am realizing that it's impossible to take her to work with me. She needs my attention almost all the time and I won't be able to work with her there. I tried last week and managed to get a whole whopping 10 minutes of work done. Plus, the pressure of trying to time everything perfectly to constantly work around her naps has been another challenge, especially with her inconsistent nap schedule. That's another big issue I've been trying to work through.

I'm using my nanny now on just an as-needed basis due to our financial situation, but I'm still wrestling with how I can justify having a nanny to watch my baby so that I can use the studio for 2-3 increments at a time (around a pumping schedule) when I am not making money that is needed to pay for the studio and the nanny? I need income to pay for the studio and nanny, but without the studio and nanny, I don't have time to figure out some money generating opportunities! I'm going to have to come up with some creative solutions here soon so that my studio can get some use! Anyone solved this problem yet?

I'm hoping all will be solved soon. I have some ideas. Still a little foggy, but I know I'm on the verge of launching a new business with the help of a business coach. I'm still in the process of defining what it will be and am trying to align it with my life's purpose. I'm having to dig deep... really, really deep for this one to figure out what it is that I will do and who I wish to serve. I know the answer is probably right in front of me, but you know it's always hardest to notice the things that are right in front of you.

This blog post has been a long time coming. It's been in draft mode for 3 months because I've been trying to find time to download the pictures in order to post pictures of my new studio. Yes, that means my studio has not be unused for the past 3 months. Oy. Juggling time as a mom has been one of my biggest challenges yet. I have a deep respect for moms who are able to take care of their babies and launch a business at the same time! It takes some serious commitment, patience, and lots and lots of work! I'm not giving up yet. I'm determined to somehow create a living doing what I love!