Yesterday I managed to clean up the studio. This is always a mini-ordeal, in part because of the actual, physical mess, but also because I’m never sure if cleaning is a good idea. If art can be seen as a function of messes, cleaning an art studio is not always a good idea.
Of course, the studio has to be somewhat ordered for basic functionality. And I should probably clarify by saying that the space in the studio was fine, the floor mostly clear, I just couldn’t touch anything. There seemed to be a layer of dust on everything (even though I was only there recently), and I have this thing with my hands where they have to be clean or I can’t even think. The exception is once I get "in the zone" making something. Then I can spend hours painting, or on a wheel, and for some reason once I pass an initial commitment of time, paint and clay everywhere on my hands are no problem. But I have to start clean, and this I wasn’t able to do.
I am self-conscious about the appearance of the studio though. I wonder if I am keeping it too clean. Is this particular arrangement conducive to art making? Should I leave this pile of magazines alone? Is dust ok? I’ve debated what to put in it. The carpet was a bad idea—I spent way too much energy (any) trying to keep paint off of it. But I still want to make the studio some kind of living space too, even though I don’t want to actually live there.
Some have suggested this to me, and I’ll admit I did consider it briefly. But there’s no shower, for one, and even things that sound useful for parttime living, like a mini-fridge, a microwave, or food—“para que comas aaalllgo” from my aunt Carmela—distract more than provide energy. As with the creative effort, an important goal in designing the studio space seems to be keeping my personal comfort at an uncomfortable distance, even though making it a "living space" would seem to contradict this goal.
When he was here, my cousin Julian painted a ceiling fan for me and lodged it between some piping at the top of the room. Maybe this is the only kind of amenity the studio, or I need.
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