A Worktable from Above

This is my husband and brother’s workspace while they were attending a blacksmithing class at the John C Campbell Folk School. It shows examples of their work after only two or three days in class. The school photographer took this photo and posted it on the website. What I think is so cool about it all is that they went to campus not even knowing how to start a coal fire, and within a day or two were producing work that we will enjoy for generations.

I know I say this a great deal, maybe it is because I know what it means to put yourself out there. It takes courage and stamina to learn something new and a great willingness to fail in order to progress forward. Nothing good happens if we were not willing to try. New, do new, or even consider that there are other things out there we want to know and understand.

What does your work space say about what you are doing and learning? Would anyone be able to tell what you are experiencing with by looking at your creative space? Be it your desktop, your table top, a work area or a studio space, what does your space say about you? I’m not talking about being neat or tidy, I am talking about the remnants of work in progress people can see by your space. Paper scraps, balls of leftover clay, glass pieces or metal tidbits all of which leave evidence of a creative mind in progress.

A worktable from above tells a lot about what is happening on the surface, under the surface and within the mind of the artist. Let go of your fears, release the urge to please others and go for the gold. Being able to me yourself in your space gives your ideas the freedom to live out there amongst the world. Have the courage to do something new and let your space show the outcomes of your work in progress.