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I have a studio, now I'm not lucky enough to have my own building... I use a room in my house and an area outside for messy/smelly work. I also share space and equipment in a friend's studio to do all of my clay and much of my silver work. (Neither of us want to contaminate our living spaces and families with the toxic chemicals and the just plain mess.)
The MOST important studio item is safety glasses:) Second is llighting. I have south facing windows so I get lots of indirect natural light all day long (and lots of west facing windows so I cook in the afternoon, LOL). I have several adjustable drafting table style lamps, that I can move where I need them.
The third is seating and work surface. (OK, I'm also my company's safety officer and spend tons of time making sure people don't hurt themselves with their keyboards and chairs. So here comes the repetitive motion injury warnings... LOL) If you are going to bead or do close work for more than a hour a day, be kind to yourself and invest in a comfortable, adjustable chair that you can position so your wrists and back don't experience strain.
I use an old dining room table for my primary working area. I've bolted a couple of power strips underneath so I have access to outlets. I have one of those folding workmate benchs for light carpentry work and a folding jeweler's bench. (Not to mention a loom and warping reel in there somewhere too.) I have some huge wooden TV trays that I use to drag my beadwork all over the place and a jumbo tackle box that I use when I travel or teach.
My home studio space is lined with those wire shelves they sell at WalMart, they're cheap, lightweight but strong. I have big plastic bins for cloth, hides, feathers (lined w/cedar drawer liner), and yarn. I keep my beads in those little cabinets with clear drawers, so I can see the colors all the time (very inspiring). I also use those bigger plastic drawers for other tools and supplies. I have a small locking cabinet where I keep dyes, glues, cleaners, non-flammable solvents, fixatives, and such. I have a small filing cabinent for my invoices, MSDS's, sketches, magazine clippings, photos, and slides. I have an area for my reference books. And a little rack for small lumber and hardwoods.
Another thing that I find important is my inspiration area. I have a bunch of bulletin boards on which I tack up pictures and photos of other folks work -- some from museums, some from powwows, some from magazines, a lot from friends. Some pics of leaves, snowflakes, micrographs of things... These really get me going.
My outside area is a metal table where I can set up my soldering pads, pickle pot, and torch or my hot plate and dye pots. (I keep my corrosives and flammables locked up with the lawn mower. Safety message number four, LOL.) It gives the neighbors something to stare and point at when the TV gets boring.
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