Peeking Under the Covers: Writing Love Your Creative Space
Posted by Lilo Bowman on Jun 4th 2020
Photo by David Fitzgerald
Keeping secrets is tough, especially when what you really want to do is shout the big news from the rooftops. I was asked to write a book! Holy cow! How flattering…and terrifying. But…I couldn’t tell anyone for a long time. Hold on, I haven’t even given you a clue as to how my book Love Your Creative Space came about.
In the summer of 2018 C&T publishing asked me to write a book on organizing a sewing and quilting studio based on a year-long blog program I wrote (for TheQuiltShow.com) back in 2017. Being a maker myself, I often play in more than one playground at the same time and understand the challenges of keeping everything contained, organized and under control. As a former military wife, I learned that frequent moves required that my own personal play space needed to be fairly portable, not too large and easily adaptable.
Photo by TheQuiltShow.com
My years with TheQuiltShow.com have brought me into contact with hundreds of creative people, primarily quilters, but also those who knit, crochet, bead and enjoy embroidery. I’ve often heard about the frustrations of makers struggling with all of their ‘stuff’. Neither size of studio space, nor money seemed to make any difference whatsoever when it came to keeping stash, patterns, yarn, beads, WIP (works in progress), etc. organized in any way or fashion. Not to mention that changes in life also meant adapting methods, space and habits. Where to put it all, find it later, and accommodating for the unexpected, seemed like an overwhelming challenge for so many.
Photo by Lilo Bowman
Once I decided to take the plunge to write the book, it was time to get down to the real fun (hard work!) and intense process of, brainstorming, shifting endless post-it notes on the wall, tea breaks, editing, more writing...you get the idea. There were so many concepts I wanted to share. Keeping it all in order was much easier for me with the help of several three-ring binders, tabs and colored flags.
Photo by Lilo Bowman
Love Your Creative Space focuses on four major chapters: Your stuff, your space, your system and studio tours. Every maker and their workspace are different. Studio spaces and budgets come in all sizes; a one size fits all solutions does not work for everyone. I wanted to offer a wide range of suggestions, tips, helpful, attractive and functional products and studio ideas to help you find the best solution for your space and work.
Photo by Teresa Duryea Wong
With the main concepts decided and down on paper, it was time to ask friends for images to illustrate an idea or concept, scour the market for products that, in most cases, would easily accessible no matter the size of the budget, and weekends filled with photo styling. The office and guest bedroom became the product storage area, while the dining room was the studio for our photo shoots. Needless to say, my house was definitely off limits for anyone but family.
Photo by David Fitzgerald
Bringing all of the elements of the book together required the dedication of a marathon runner. But in the end, it has been absolutely worth the effort. I am immensely proud of this book, and it is my hope that you find it a useful and helpful tool to aid you in bringing that ‘stuff’ under control and get back to what you love, which is creating.
Website: lilo@lilobowman.com
Email: Lilobowman@lilobowman.com
Instagram: @lilobowman_
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