phm studio spaces: Jewelweeds

Artist Name: Julia White
Shop Name and Url: www.jewelweeds.etsy.com
Website: www.jewelweeds.com
Blog: ww.jewelsandjules.blogspot.com
City: Brooklyn



Where in your home/apartment/city is your studio located?

I am lucky enough to have a spare room in our Prospect Heights, Brooklyn apartment. It's not big, but I love being able to shut the door and leave a mess.


What equipment/tools do you use?

Aside from by computer and camera, most all of my tools are very simple and/or old. The sewing machine I use was my great aunt's. I love how heavy and sturdy it is, and it has a surprising number of fancy features for a machine that dates from the 1950's. It reminds me of the industrial machines I used at F.I.T. and in the many costume shops I've worked in. My other
tools are pretty standard tailor's tools; hand needles, chalk, beeswax, scissors, rotary cutter and mat, rulers and tape measures. For printing, I use my gocco, linoleum, leaves, pens, pencils, ink and brushes.



Do you have an inspiration board, and can you tell us what is
inspiring you now?

I recently dismantled my inspiration board because it was in the sunniest spot in my studio and I needed it to take product pics with natural light. I do get a lot of inspiration from my house plants, so much of my art is deeply rooted in nature and it's nice to have a little bit close at hand. I also am a notebook person. I keep fabric swatches and sketches for current and future projects along with about a million to-do lists. I also have many folders on my computer with inspiring pics and links. I'm the kind of person that has a hard time cutting up magazines that I love, so I have lots of pages turned down in my magazine library. I definitely subscribe to the notion that a reasonable amount of disorganization promotes creativity. I do get very energized when I stumble upon some idea or image that I had previously overlooked.




How do you create best (e.g. do you listen to music while you create and if so what?)

I listen to NPR almost all day, but when I need a break I listen to Iron & Wine, I especially love the new album, Shepard's Dog, and Joni Mitchell is a perennial favorite. I'm definitely one of those people that need a little bit of noise around. And more so when the work is primarily solitary. Sunny days help too, but if it's too nice I'm liable to wander off to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. But that's research, right?


List (3) of your favorite artists
Tifenn Python
Lena Corwin
Heather Moore of Skinny Laminx

If yours isn't, what would be your perfect studio?

I have a bit of a farm fantasy, so I would love to have studio in a barn where I could just open up the big slidey doors and have sunlight pour in. When I was a kid, my mom used to bring her sewing machine outside and sew while my sister I and played in our treehouse. I would love to be able to do this some day, it's a little tricky doing that in Brooklyn!



Thank you Julia