Another workspace feature from one of the artists whom have been with us since Nook & Cranny first opened their doors; Kate Broughton.
Where is this workspace
that you call home?
For almost a year I have
been working full time from home which is a flat in an old converted mill in
the Lace Market in Nottingham city centre. I have a dedicated section of the
living room for my workspace. I keep thinking how nice it would be to have a
separate room for my studio but I know how messy it would get, this way I have
to keep tidy and organised!
What makes this space the
perfect working environment for you?
My desk is next to a big
window so it's really nice and light, although I do sometimes get distracted by
the cats across the road! Because I work from home I have everything I need:
music, TV (I think I work best to a bit of daytime TV!), and plenty of tea and
coffee. Living in the city centre is great because if I need a break from work
there's so much to do, Nottingham Contemporary gallery is just down the road.
What objects in your
workspace could you not live without and why?
My notebooks: I'm an
obsessive list maker and I don't feel organised until I've written out at least
one 'to do' list for the day. Often I have three and keep rewriting them
throughout the day, I think I might have a bit of a problem!
Inspiration: I like to make
sure when I'm at my desk I'm surrounded by things I like to look at: plants,
pictures and patterns. Above my desk is a picture of my home town drawn by my
dad. My dad has been a big influence on me throughout my life, he's an artist
and illustrator, and I often turn to him for advice on my business.
And of course my computer
and printers: These are the main things I've had to invest in, I print
everything at home and so would be really stuck if they broke!
Explain a typical day in
your workspace
I'll usually go for a run,
which helps get me ready to start a full day's work at 9 every day. I start by checking through
emails, doing admin and packing up orders, hopefully this doesn't take the
whole day, but it can do! I try and get out of the house to get some lunch and
go to the post office.
After lunch I get down to
the real work! I usually have orders for my stockists and items to make to
replace what I've sold. I try to give myself time to work on new designs every
week as this is what I enjoy the most.
I often do a bit of work in
the evening although usually this just involves sitting infront of the telly
with my laptop.
If there was a fire, what 3 items/objects would you grab?
I'd definitely make sure I
got my computer and a file of all my original drawings, and then I'd really
like to save my 1970s cocktail bar, though that'd be tricky to get down the
stairs!
Any tips on maintaining a
workspace and how to ensure a productive day in the studio
Organisation! If I don't
tidy away my work properly, it quickly turns into one hell of a mess. I'm much
more productive when I have a tidy desk!
Don't spend too long on the
internet! I do a lot of marketing online but it's important not to get sucked
into spending all day on twitter and Facebook!
I love working from home,
and being my own boss is the best! I never want to have to get a normal job
again, and it's down to me to make that happen. Whenever I feel I'm getting a
bit lazy I remind myself of that and it gets me back on track!
I spy a beautiful Ercol chair and gorgeous wooden bar area! Kate's organisation is making me envious, draws, files and special shelves for work and ideas gets me excited!
Again, our artists seem to enjoy a good cup of tea and a break inbetween busy days. Procrastination in the form of cat spying is fine, we tend to watch the pigeons outside Nook & Cranny!
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