I'm Consie Sindet and I live in Hunterdon County, NJ in the US with my husband of 17+ years, Lee, Charlotte the boxer and Max the cat. My life as an artist seems to be ever evolving and over the past year, I feel like I am reinventing myself. I’ve painted forever it seems and sold craft items for about 12 years with my mom and sister. I’ve also taught decorative painting and painted murals in both homes and businesses. I currently spend a huge amount of the summer as a face and body painter and apply henna at fairs. My newest love, which I discovered at the beginning of 2014, is the world of mixed media and art journaling. I also got my first sewing machine last year to work on paper and canvas. I am truly looking forward to where my art takes me!
I love seeing how other artists set up their creative space. Can you tell us a little bit your studio?
My studio is a small room in our rental apartment that measures approximately 7’x13’. It is a bit of a strange space in the middle of the apartment and has 3 doorways, a closet and a window, so wall space is at a premium. The ceiling is also super low at 6’ 5”. Lighting is an issue so I have had to be creative with that aspect and rely on three lamps that shine down on my main table. The 6’ table I work at is jacked up on bed risers because I find myself standing many times to work.
I love having most of my supplies surrounding me, so the shelving unit I wedged the table into and the wire baskets have been great. You can see my “super fancy” video setup in the photo. A piece of wood clamped to the shelf with a Gorilla pod to hold my iPhone and I am all set to go! Other parts of the room hold another small table for drying projects and I managed to stash a storage cabinet under that table since I don’t need to sit at it. I also have a tall cabinet for a lot of those miscellaneous supplies you don’t need right now but just can’t seem to part with.
That white cabinet was driving me crazy so I spent a couple days doodling all over it to add fun to the space! My sewing machine lives on a small table in another room out of the way since it is not something I use everyday. The space has been great to work in and having the studio at home has allowed me to do what I call “drive by crafting”…add a little here, paint a little there when I can!
Everything! I never know what will strike a cord with me. A blog post, a pin on Pinterest, walking down the street, something my yoga teacher said…it all can create a spark to work from. I’ve been joining creative challenges on Instagram and those have allowed me to stretch in new directions and share what I am doing. I think a big motivator for me is the ability to share my work. Both my blog and Instagram have been great for that. I got lost for a while with my art and started the blog to give me a reason to be creative. It has certainly worked and I can’t imagine not wanting to create something everyday.
How do you organize your creative schedule?
I pretty much just create when I can…a couple minutes before dinner or bed, on the weekends if I’m not face painting at a party, in between all my part time jobs during the week. I use the time I am dog walking (one of my jobs) to think of ideas or to take pictures of the outdoors for a post. I always have some small sketchbook and supplies with me when I am babysitting. The notes app on my iPhone is filled with ideas that I can use when I have a block of time at home in the studio. It would be great to have a set schedule to be creative but that is not what my life is like right now.
What is a typical day like for you?
I don’t think I have a typical day! Everyday is a bit different. I do start off most days with a cup of coffee and my iPad to see what’s new on the blogs I follow and on Instagram (I’m completely addicted). Then it is off to work at one of my part time jobs. Some days I spend late afternoon or the time while dinner is cooking to work in the studio. I’ve even stopped at my desk on the way to bed to just add a little something to a project! Tuesdays are typically the only day open to work for long periods of time. On that day, I will work on the blog posts for that week, catch up on paperwork, even video a project or two.
What are you working on right now?
You can find more of Consie-
blog: www.atopserenityhill.com
Society6: http://society6.com/
Pinterest: https://www.
Blog post about the doodled cabinet: http://www.
2 comments:
You make great use of your studio space. I'm interested in your upcoming online classes. will keep watching to see when you're ready to begin.
So great seeing other artists' studio space. Thank you for sharing!
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