I know nothing about the fashion business but I know a little about one of the big designers because there's so many books about him. I'm talking about Christian Lacroix (above). He's evidently in love with color and the walls of his studio are covered with gouache sketches, art books and exotic fabric samples.
It's easy to see that Lacroix isn't just the owner of his studio, he's its chief morale officer. The ubiquity of his work says to workers and visitors alike that this is a studio dominated by artists. If you're not an artist yourself you'll feel intimidated and out of place there, like you have two left feet. It's a scary environment for nonartists and that's the way it should be.
An artist's environment should make an outsider feel he's in a gypsy camp, full of exotic sights and sounds. It should be a world apart.
I wish art schools were like that. You'd think that art schools would set the tone for cool, artsy work environments, but they seldom do. An art school that can afford it will generally opt for the austere "angular minimalist" look (above). It's an architect's environment, not an artist's.
Schools probably have to do this...it makes parents and regulators feel good and you can't disregard people like that. Some schools solve the problem by keeping the minimalist lobby...
...but nurturing a rats nest of filthy, cozy artist environments on other floors.
The horrible truth is that creative artists sometimes prefer crummy, isolated environments. Maybe that allows them to tune out distractions and focus entirely on their work.
If you're a digital artist there's half a chance that you work in one of those trendy bullpen environments (above), but my guess is that artists don't do their best work in places like that. It doesn't satisfy the need of all artists to rise above the crowd and establish their own identity.
Background painters' work should be present all over the studio. It's good for the morale of the other artists to see it. It's a constant reminder that creativity is expected, that its an artist's job to entertain, surprise and to stimulate the audience's imagination.
6 comments:
ahhh, I love a good crummy isolated desk! Those are the only work enviorments I have known. In a basement, old dairy shed, shoved in the corner of a room. The look of the bullpen studio gives me the hives. Having a work enviorment that is "perfect" is actually a negative thing I think. I like to be in battle with my work enviorment, not have the whole thing designed around me so I can be "happy" and "productive".
Nod: An interesting thought! You're probably right but I have to force myself not to consider it because I'm currently trying to design a perfect work space.
My art college was in an office building, actually we shared the building with Nintendo of America.
I've also worked in the digital artists' bullpen. It worked okay, though it sucks to have people looking over your shoulder all day.
It's surprisingly quiet though. Everyone just wears headphones. It's actually rather eerie.
I heard that Disney artists get little über cubicles, that have a hallway around them, just to discourage any kind of communication, camaraderie, or commiseration.
I think its a cliché that artist are working in messed up rooms with crazy stuff everywhere.
I couldnt think straight in a room like in the first picture.
I need a clean and tidy workspace to create art.
Like fresh air to be able to breath.
Hmmm, I think I am kind of wrong actually. Also I'm not a professional so my needs are differen't than an employed artist. I just don't like the shininess and sterility of the bullpen thing. A perfect space for me might just need to include a little crumminess to it. I don't know. but I'm glad your giving it a lot of thought Eddie, I would love to know what kind of a work space you settle on!
Johannes, Nodnar: Haw! Well, different strokes for different folks! No doubt I'll build a neat and ordered workspace then eventually fill it with clutter. Storing stuff on the computer helps.
Voodoo: Cubicles will be with us for...oh...the next 500 years or so. In the future when we're all disembodied brains hovering in the air, we'll still be chained to cubicles.
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