My home jewelry studio

I do all of my jewelry work from home (that's my studio space to the left!!), which can be really convenient and fun, but it is definitely not always easy. My boyfriend and I moved into our new apartment last April, and while we really love the place, it is a 250 square foot studio in Manhattan. So there was never an obvious space that I could convert into a work space when I started to get serious about my business. I know that Nick was really wary at first about me trying to set up something here--it sort of gradually happened over a period of months, and he was always concerned that it would end up taking over the apartment. I am happy to report that that hasn't happened, although the space is always evolving.

Nick and I are both very DIY in general and especially with this apartment--we've done everything from painting the walls and making furniture, to wiring lights and creating the art that hangs on the walls. There's always an element of creativity that has to happen with small spaces, and both of us really enjoy that process. I'm really proud of the little nook of a work area that I have created. And, at least when I keep it clean, it really blends into the rest of the apartment. Often, when friends come over, they don't even see my workspace. I have to point it out to them when they ask to see my jewelry! Which is good--I never wanted the apartment to feel like it was dominated by all my stuff. I also want to be able to step away from work and relax.

Not that it's always easy to "just relax," especially with my work space being at home. It's a mixed bag. Certain aspects are nice--mainly, that I have no commute, and I don't have to pay extra rent for a studio space. On the downside, since the apartment is tiny, and there's two of us around, it's very easy to get distracted. Since he's been working mostly nights lately, Nick and I are together in the house most days, and it's hard to keep strict hours.

The flip side is my tendency to put in too many hours--what I don't do during the day ends up getting finished around 4am when I should be sleeping. It's so easy to work long into the night. I mean, I'm already home. It's not like I'm staying late at the office! But then all of a sudden it's dawn, I never ate dinner, and Nick is fast asleep. As productive as those long nights can be, it's not a great way to live, especially since I'm getting up at 9 am most weekends for craft fairs. So those nights end up throwing everything off. I'm just such a night owl that it's easy to lost track of time. Sometimes I wish the world didn't start until noon, because then I would fit right in and not have to worry about early craft fairs!

And of course there's my perpetual fantasy of having a space outside of the house where I could work. I love browsing craigslist and dreaming of the amazing spaces that I could someday own. I'm a ways away from that, but hopefully someday it will happen! I've got a lot of jewelry to sell first...