ali sabin’s ipullprints
There are those who may deem 800 square feet of living/studio space a hindrance, especially when shared with another artist and three Jack-Russell puppies. Now, I can’t necessarily speak for my co-inhabitants but, from my perspective, it’s bliss. I’m Ali Sabin of IPullPrints in Athens, GA. I make small, bite-sized block prints inspired loosely by ads from olden days from within a tiny asbestos cottage (it hasn’t seemed nearly as caustic as some may suspect, but I suppose time will tell…). Nearly every nook of our home serves a print-friendly purpose, from the Wash Station (our bathroom) to the Drying Zone (the kitchen, streamed with garlands of colorful block-prints); even the pups have graciously donated space for creative purposes, as their room is filled with catalogs of neatly organized and packaged prints.
Outside, we have ripped up our lawn for a place to grow bundles of neighborhood veggies and to draw. Our den has given way to a more-than-sufficient carving/inking area, complete with a gigantic cafeteria-style work table, holding antique mason jars bubbling with knives, brushes and other assorted and sundry items.
I’ve peppered in a few handmade Mexican bowls for holding lovely little bits of twine or marbles that I may find here and there, along with the occasional odd insect shell or blue-bird feather. While these extraneous pieces may take up much needed space, I find that working alongside old artisans’ wears and natural elements inspires ideas.
I’m truly captivated by even the smallest of things and, while I would love to have the capacity to always reflect inward for inspiration, am grateful that I, instead, can find intrigue in my surroundings. 
Now, if I can just keep the puppies from eating said inspirational bugs… -Ali Sabin
avis wampler’s avie designs
My studio for Avie Designs is in the second bedroom of our condo. Shortly after we moved in, we started to convert it from a “bedroom type room” to a “studio type room.” We took up the carpet and my husband and step-father built a large T-shaped table to make room for both mine and my husband’s office areas.
Now, my business takes up 90% of the room, but the T-shaped table creates a designated space for him and his stuff. 
I hand painted the pattern on the back wall based on one of my designs. I also have a collection of happy and inspirational items hanging on the wall and surrounding my work space. Some is art that I have traded stationery for and some are business mementos, like my first buck.
The large table is essential for spreading out and packaging orders and stationary. There is also tons of space for all kinds of stuff underneath it.
Overall, I would say my studio is always changing and evolving, just like my business. I love that I have my own room for it that I can close off at the end of the day if I need to. 
It is often messy and chaotic, but with a touch of order. – Avis Wampler
heather knight’s element clay studio
After a few years of being in a large warehouse space on my own, I moved into the Phil Mechanic Studios in the River Arts District of Asheville, NC. I am surrounded by other artists on a daily basis, and now feel a sense of community and belonging that I have been missing since college. The building is over 100 years old and is full of character. 
My studio is where I spend the majority of my time: It has touches of home, soft green and yellow tones on the walls, curtains, rugs, bowls full of inspiration, and is packed full of my artwork. 
Visitors to the studio are usually surprised by the appearance, but I just like to feel comfortable and have beauty in my surroundings, even at work.
This is the smallest studio space I have had, so it helps that I keep things organized. I have had to take plenty of trips to Ikea! Heather Knight
laura plouzek’s xoelle studio
I have hijacked the formal living room of our tiny home for what I call “the making room”. It is here that I make the bow ties and journals that I supply to the world through my shop, Xoelle. It is also here that I mend clothing, search the internet, feed my kids, open the mail, welcome my husband home, and roast marshmallows. 
We don’t own a tv or a couch and it’s fitting that “the making room” is the central room in our home as making is central in our lives. Function and organization are important to me, so the sewing desk is positioned right in front of my fabric stash (which is organized by color in filing cabinets) and the desk functions as a cutting counter, journal binding station, shipping center, and clutter-catcher. 
Aesthetics are important to me too, so the space is filled with things that I love: a collection of paint-by-number and low-brow paintings, pom-poms, vintage chairs, and piles of things to do (I must love those since I keep making them). 
This space is ever-evolving as my family changes and the needs of my business change, but there will always be making happening. – Laura Plouzek
moe erin donnelly’s sew moe
Over Yonder is a delightful shared studio in the River Arts district of Asheville, North Carolina. The building itself is a converted warehouse, called the Phil Mechanic, and is shared by many of Asheville’s local artists. The building hosts a variety of disciplines, such as ceramics, glass blowing, painting, sewing, even a hair salon and our local bio-fuels facility. My studio-mate, the lovely Hannah Dansie of Two of Hearts, spends most of her days painting, while I am most often found making my sewing machines chatter for my Sew Moe handmade original clothing.
We keep to our sides for the most part, except for the occasional food fight or arm wrestling match. (We don’t really do that, but I think we might start.) Lately I’ve been working on my next seasonal collection, and having Hannah around for feedback has been really helpful. Before I moved in here, sewing was kind of a lonely experience. I was based out of home, and that had its perks–but now there are few places I would rather be than Over Yonder!
Having a great partner in art, to give feedback and support, is an amazing experience. When I moved in we employed a friend to build a loft over half of our studio. I have a cutting table on one side with an impressive amount of space for all my bolts/boxes of fabric. This is a luxury I had never been used to before and, I must say, it’s awesome. 
The other side hosts our computer/stereo station. We listen to our music loud Over Yonder. Somedays it’s our Lil Wayne Pandora station and those are always the best days if you ask me. 
Hannah constructed her first wooden ladder for our loft. She’s quite industrious. I mention this because climbing up and down her ladder has actually lessened my fear of heights–which of course just makes me love our studio more. 
Seasonally, the River Arts district hosts a Studio Stroll here in West Asheville. This brings in lots of smiling faces and art fans–and a chance for us to share what we do. We have a small shoppe set up front stocked with Hannah’s paintings, cards, buttons, and some of my one-of-a-kinds and catalog samples. I think Hannah might get mad at me for calling it a ‘shoppe,’ but luckily she loves me enough to forgive my kitschiness… – Moe Erin Donnelly
sarahbeth larrimore’s unabashed apparel
I live in a 100 year old farmhouse – the first person to live in it that isn’t in the family that built and cared for it. The main reason I bought this sweet old charmer was because of the gabled upstairs that was the original farmer’s 3 daughter’s bedrooms. There was no floor, no ceiling, no walls and absolutely no insulation, but oh there was immense potential for my studio alongside the original milk paint, stained wallpaper and a bit of the original rose patterned linoleum. My main studio is the central gabled room.
In my heart of hearts I’m a minimalist, but there is no such thing as one spool of thread and one needle in a working design studio. So I chose to surround myself with things that inspired me. On the wall above my sewing machine are hundreds of inspirational photographs, snippets of calligraphy, a ribbon, favorite postcard, and a simple saying. 
Over a notions table there are tacked up images that inspire the current collection I’m working on. Underneath my drafting and cutting table is a dog bed for my friend and studio constant, Vega, my Rhodesian Ridgeback. Storage for bolts of fabric, filing cabinets for patterns and a bookkeeping desk reside in one side room, and a inspirational sparse lounging area in the other. When you walk up the bright red stairs to the landing, I have an ancient school desk with my great grandmother’s sewing machine resting atop it like an overseeing fairy godmother. 
My brother and father laid the floor, I insulated the rafters and a dear master craftsman friend fretted and fussed with those gables, installing whitewashed beadboard on the ceiling and replacing the broken windows. We left only a joist support between the main and side rooms, letting the light from all three spaces flood one another. I kept the lathing and painted it. I painted the drafting and sewing room floor white to see any dropped pins or scraps of ribbon and thread. 
The result is a space that fits the whole farmhouse, and Unabashed apparel’s style. It’s simple and a tad bit vintage. Charming and purposeful. Organic with sweet details. It’s certainly my sanctuary. I dream, draft, drape, cut and sew in a space that has been filled with laughter, secrets and longing. I think when you wear Unabashed – you feel that way too. – Sarahbeth Larrimore
katie daniels’ and carla kaiser’s concrete lace
Concrete Lace is a sister-run company, where all of the magic happens in a small cottage studio. We have the perfect amount of space for our 1935 Vandercook #4 letterpress, a set of drying racks and simple storage, plus our 1905 Champion cutter, table-top kelsey press and a slew of books that have influenced us.
When we crank up the press, most often you will find us jamming out to Atlanta artists (Rob Wonder, The Howlies, The Selmanaires or The Black Lips, to name a few) — a definite source of local inspiration. – Katie Daniels
Creative Spaces
i am excited to say that we have found a location for the indie-pendent! however, i’m not disclosing the address until all paperwork is signed (don’t want to jinx things). i know what I want to create for the indie·pendent and the space had to be “just right”…the right look, feel and vibe. much of the experience can be created, but the space had to have the right bones to begin with. i am so glad to have FINALLY found the perfect skeleton!
in my search for a brick and mortar home for the indie·pendent, i’ve thought a lot about the importance of space to to us as human beings (especially as artists) and about the parallels to an artist’s work space…the variety, the creativity, and how amazing they can be. so, i had the idea of showcasing the creative workspaces/artist studios of our future creatives on our site!
i hope you are as inspired by these creative spaces, as i am. i will keep you informed of my progress as i am inspired by these!
xoxo,
beth
opening early 2011!
amy leff’s throwing stars jewelry
I absolutely love the fact that I have a studio for Throwing Stars Jewelry connected to my home. A previous owner enclosed carport and made a home office. Luckily for me, this home office also came equipped with tile floors. The tile floors help keep me and my soldering equipment safe. And the fact that this was once a carport, sort of takes me off the main part of the house. The great part is, I have an escape at night where I can hammer, solder, and play. I also don’t have to worry about making too much noise while the little ones are sleeping. 
The bad part is, as soon as I put on my ear plugs, turn on the vents and air conditioning/heating, I can’t hear a thing. Thank goodness for monitors! My husband once set the home alarm off, and I didn’t hear it. 
While I was out of town last year, my husband and both of my parent’s-in-law worked to build the waist level tables that run along a wall and a half. Although it may seem like a small project, it was a huge undertaking. They had to move out all of my equipment, clean 3 years worth of grime from behind and underneath the existing tables and shelves, and they had to measure and fit their hand made tables into the space. They even customized the height of the table was the right height level for me; I’m 5’2″. 
Also, since this room was an “add-on” many years ago, the ground wasn’t necessarily level. So they had to customize and taper the legs that support the table. Last year I had the excuse of being pregnant and out-of-town. But I do understand that it was quite a project and so worth it! – Amy Leff
ali douglass’ studio
I work in a studio on the fifth floor of an old office building in downtown Asheville, NC. It’s small, but big enough to fit a couch, lots of art books, and two tables. It’s a corner office, so I have views of downtown Asheville and the mountains. It’s sunny and a nice place away from home to work. 
The couch is great for sketching ideas and the drafting table is where I do most of my work. 
There is an Irish pub on the first floor that often has live bluegrass music, and a cute shop in the building where I get tea and cookies in the afternoon. My paintings are made by hand with gouache paint. I make archival prints of my paintings, blank note cards, hand painted scarves and pillows. Check out my etsy shop and my website. – Ali Douglass
follow us
badges
