I’m excited for you turning a building into art spaces. I wish I could afford to do that same thing. Regardless, I moved into my first studio last January and it’s been fantastic. I live in a very small condo that is 450 sq ft and I was having a difficult time with space. So space is a large reason. Also exposure. I can’t sell as much work from home. I mean I have the internet but seeing art in person is usually much better. Also my building is part of an art crawl and open studios so I get much better exposure. I’m in a shared space but it’s wonderful. I aspire to a single personal space but for now and a while the shared space is good. I love having the space and would recommend to others to get a space. It makes a difference. It’s already made a difference in just six months.
Anna Karena It’s lovely to hear that having a space is making a positive impact in your sales. I took a mortgage to purchase the space, only around 10K downpayment, the rest is loan. The property is much more affordable in Spain compared to other first world countries.
Very Private Gallery very nice. That’s exciting and good to know if I were to ever move. I’ve been several places but haven’t made it to Spain yet. If I ever get over there I will be sure to look you up.
Anna Karena Where have you lived and worked outside of your city? What’s your criteria of choosing a place to live & work? I ask because I think some low cost cities are good for creative professionals but many artists told me that they would not move from where they are...
Very Private Gallery I meant that I’ve traveled around a bit but I haven’t actually lived anywhere but the US and actually only in MN. I haven’t been one who wants to move I guess and if I had a job or something elsewhere I guess I would move. I just haven’t had that opportunity.
What if you don't have money to rent a studio? Like, literally as simple as this. There's just no money for that especially if you're renting in the city you are living in.
Sofiko Gulitashvili Paris is extremely expensive! Thats why I am based in the relatively low cost of living capital in Europe. I know a few artists have their studios outside of the city, in a quite cool suburb. They drive there or take metro about 40 mins away from city center.
Sofiko Gulitashvili I haven’t had the money to rent a studio for many many years. But it’s always been a goal. I was saving money to buy my next car which I will have to do in the next year or two or so I imagine. Anyway, I had my name on the waiting list for studio space for over a year because that’s how In demand they are where I live in Minneapolis, MN. When the opportunity came open I made the choice to use the money I had saved for the car to pay for the studio. It’s a shared space because I can’t afford a space by myself yet but I had to take the chance to do this and I have no regrets at all. I do work a full time job and will continue to do so. I want to be in this space for about 10-11 years until I retire and then will make art my retirement career. It’s a solid plan and I’m excited about it. Just don’t give up if that is something you want to do because eventually you’ll get there. Until then keep creating in your home. That’s what I did and then I literally outgrew my home because it’s small. To give you some perspective I’m 56 yrs old so it’s just now happening for me. If it’s your desire, then keep working towards that goal. That money I was saving for the car will pay for one year of studio rent so I don’t have to have pressure to sell work for the first year. My goal is just to make make make as much as possible. You’ll get there if you want it.
Anna Karena I am so happy to hear that you get a place and hit the milestones! In Europe things are relatively cheaper compared to the states, because of the lower average wage. However, the landlord usually asks for a lot of paperworks such as last years taxes declaration, income slip and recommendation letter from the previous landlord. It’s complicated even if it can be really cheap. How about in the US? What’s the biggest problem apart from money?
Very Private Gallery obviously money is number one as you said. Availability is the other thing. There are some studios open but not many and usually people are on waiting lists at least a year or more depending what their requirements are. My shared space has 5 people on the lease but only 3 of us actively use the space. The others are trying to get out of their lease but can’t find someone for it. I’m guessing because people want their own private space...as do I...but they still have to pay every month whether they are active or not. The lease comes due in August so we will see what happens then.
Anna Karena Can artists just rent a storefront of some kind, or a small country house ? Or a garage space? In Spain when the crisis hit, the stores closed down. Storefronts become a popular choice for artists as studio space.
Good points
I’m excited for you turning a building into art spaces. I wish I could afford to do that same thing. Regardless, I moved into my first studio last January and it’s been fantastic. I live in a very small condo that is 450 sq ft and I was having a difficult time with space. So space is a large reason. Also exposure. I can’t sell as much work from home. I mean I have the internet but seeing art in person is usually much better. Also my building is part of an art crawl and open studios so I get much better exposure. I’m in a shared space but it’s wonderful. I aspire to a single personal space but for now and a while the shared space is good. I love having the space and would recommend to others to get a space. It makes a difference. It’s already made a difference in just six months.
Anna Karena It’s lovely to hear that having a space is making a positive impact in your sales. I took a mortgage to purchase the space, only around 10K downpayment, the rest is loan. The property is much more affordable in Spain compared to other first world countries.
Very Private Gallery very nice. That’s exciting and good to know if I were to ever move. I’ve been several places but haven’t made it to Spain yet. If I ever get over there I will be sure to look you up.
Anna Karena Where have you lived and worked outside of your city? What’s your criteria of choosing a place to live & work? I ask because I think some low cost cities are good for creative professionals but many artists told me that they would not move from where they are...
Very Private Gallery I meant that I’ve traveled around a bit but I haven’t actually lived anywhere but the US and actually only in MN. I haven’t been one who wants to move I guess and if I had a job or something elsewhere I guess I would move. I just haven’t had that opportunity.
What if you don't have money to rent a studio? Like, literally as simple as this. There's just no money for that especially if you're renting in the city you are living in.
Sofiko Gulitashvili Paris is extremely expensive! Thats why I am based in the relatively low cost of living capital in Europe. I know a few artists have their studios outside of the city, in a quite cool suburb. They drive there or take metro about 40 mins away from city center.
Sofiko Gulitashvili I haven’t had the money to rent a studio for many many years. But it’s always been a goal. I was saving money to buy my next car which I will have to do in the next year or two or so I imagine. Anyway, I had my name on the waiting list for studio space for over a year because that’s how In demand they are where I live in Minneapolis, MN. When the opportunity came open I made the choice to use the money I had saved for the car to pay for the studio. It’s a shared space because I can’t afford a space by myself yet but I had to take the chance to do this and I have no regrets at all. I do work a full time job and will continue to do so. I want to be in this space for about 10-11 years until I retire and then will make art my retirement career. It’s a solid plan and I’m excited about it. Just don’t give up if that is something you want to do because eventually you’ll get there. Until then keep creating in your home. That’s what I did and then I literally outgrew my home because it’s small. To give you some perspective I’m 56 yrs old so it’s just now happening for me. If it’s your desire, then keep working towards that goal. That money I was saving for the car will pay for one year of studio rent so I don’t have to have pressure to sell work for the first year. My goal is just to make make make as much as possible. You’ll get there if you want it.
Anna Karena I am so happy to hear that you get a place and hit the milestones! In Europe things are relatively cheaper compared to the states, because of the lower average wage. However, the landlord usually asks for a lot of paperworks such as last years taxes declaration, income slip and recommendation letter from the previous landlord. It’s complicated even if it can be really cheap.
How about in the US? What’s the biggest problem apart from money?
Very Private Gallery obviously money is number one as you said. Availability is the other thing. There are some studios open but not many and usually people are on waiting lists at least a year or more depending what their requirements are. My shared space has 5 people on the lease but only 3 of us actively use the space. The others are trying to get out of their lease but can’t find someone for it. I’m guessing because people want their own private space...as do I...but they still have to pay every month whether they are active or not. The lease comes due in August so we will see what happens then.
Anna Karena Can artists just rent a storefront of some kind, or a small country house ? Or a garage space? In Spain when the crisis hit, the stores closed down. Storefronts become a popular choice for artists as studio space.