Hi Everyone,
I’ve started a new project and I’m curious as to what we call the
places that we work.
Studio? Workshop? Shop?
Why do you call it that?
Thanks,
Andy
I call mine a studio. It is a glassed in corner of the shop where
people can watch me through glass while my daughters and I work. I
believe that studio fits the space better because of all of the
different things that we do; smithing, lapidary, engraving, and my
oldest has a special window to do her lampwork with better exposure
for the onlookers. We also make more than just jewelry, small
functional items, sculpture, and occasional dabbling with some
adornment and customization of musical instruments. I have even
caught my youngest writing poetry in there. So, studio fits my space
the best. However, I am also curious as to what others call their
inner sanctum :o)
Michael Johnson
http://cosmicfolklore.com/index.html
http://cosmicfolklore.ganoksin.com/blogs/
I go out to the “shop to fart around”. I should explain. Friends
refer to me as an artist or my pieces as art. I never think of myself
as an artist. I’m a guy that hammers, shapes, and bends metal. All
due in part to the “self-deprecating” side of me I’m sure.
I have 1700 square feet, about 500 sq. ft retail, a center section
about 600 sq. ft. that has inventory area, two work stations for
assembly, bead stringing, layout, an area about 15’ x 15’ with three
jewelers benches with buffers ultrasonic and steamer, and then I have
a large room, about 600 sq. ft. in the back of the building I call
the jewelry dungeon. That is wherelapidary, casting, mold making, s
and wax work is done.
The area where the benches are is referred to as the area where I
work on jewelry (soldering, finishing, setting stones,
fabricating.) Because I have a retail store I call the whole thing my
store or my shop, the area where the work is done is my studio as
that is where the work is produced. The dungeon is more of an
industrial area and looks and smells like one and it is where the
chances of getting dirt and grease on you are greater.
Richard Hart G.G.
Denver
I think studio better describes a ladies workplace. Not a shop or a
workshop! These are clean and neat! Unless of course you find the
spot that is PHD…Piled Higher and Deeper - due to lack of shelves!
Mine are studios. I have two - one in my newly remodeled garage and
one in the finished basement of the house. I teach in both, which are
fully equipped for fabricating, casting, forging, lapidary, PMC, and
Dichroic glass construction (only in the garage because of the glass
splinters!)
I love spending evenings creating in either with a good CD
entertaining. Do have cable in the basement studio! Tonight I have
finished a class across town and won’t spend any time in either.
Rose Marie Christison
Studio. Because people outside the industry don’t really get what a
bench is.
Elaine
I call mine the Diamond and Gold Mine.-Jo
Studio if I’m talking to jewellers or artists. An old habit from
school days but it might confuse some.
Shop or Workshop if I’m talking to most others.
If I’m talking to my cats studio or shop just gets the bored deer in
the headlights look, but an offer to visit the Dungeon has them
running for hiding spots 
jeffD
Demand Designs
Analog/Digital Modelling & Goldsmithing
http://www.gmavt.net/~jdemand
I do my metalsmithing in what I call my “work space”. The reason for
that is that my space is in our basement. We have lived in the same
house for a bit over 35 years. That translates into 35 years of
accumulation. The kids get married, leave home, but leave their
stuff, parents die, we get their stuff, we get some new stuff
upstairs and the old stuff moves downstairs. I had to work very hard
to clear out a lot of that stuff so I could have a little “space” of
my own to work in. Someday I will have a huge “stuff” sale and then I
will enlarge my work space. Of course, being a metalsmith, I will
require a lot of different stuff and so on, and so on. Alas, it will
never be a “studio”, always just a humble work space.
Linda Lankford
Don’t go in there itsa mess.
or
Studio.
Carla Fox
Hi Andy,
I refer to my personal working environment as a studio, which is
also a classroom.
When I teach off site I am quite often in a classroom, but it is a
studio while I am occupying the space.
Michael
I refer to mine as my studios. Plural. One is in a converted bedroom
in my house,(studio # 1), the other in my 3 car tandem garage, aka
Studio # 2,. They qualify to be called studios, as I do all my work
there. The clean stuff inside, and the messy stuff in studio # 2.
Alma
I refer to mine as “my studio” if speaking with another metalsmith
or enamelist or “downstairs” if speaking to anyone else. My workspace
is in the bottom, basement level of our hillside home - small, damp
(requiring a dehumidifier) and dark spaces, now containing all my
tools, bench, etc. I yearn to build it out toward the canyon for more
light and air.
Sheridan
My workplace is “The Dungeon”…it’s under the house and slightly
below ground level.
Carved out amidst all the clutter it is nearly complete as a
dedicated clean and secure jewellery workspace. The spanners
adorning the wall next to the computer desk have to go and some more
tunneling and a few more retaining walls will see to that.
I was a jack-of-many-trades with wood and metalwork tops along with
mechanics and recycling junk (they in fact formed the backbone in
setting up the dungeon for what counts…money generation by
jewellery work). The bicycle stuff has mostly gone, and the audio
stuff, as well as other passions leaving only the best remnants in
the smallest amounts.
After many years and many places the dungeon is now my jewellery
workshop.
When I come downstairs (basement of my house) to work there are two
lightswitches, for the lights in two distinct parts of my basement.
To make sure whoever comes down here turns on the right lights there
are stickers above each to avoid confusion. One says “shop”, and
that’s where my standard basement workshop area is, with table saw
and drill press and countless screwdrivers, hammers and fasteners.
Usual stuff. The other sticker says “studio”, and that is to turn on
the lights were I am now, where I do my jewelry making and other
artwork, and run my business. I have been known, though, to call
this space my “workspace” or my “workroom”, and I really can’t give a
good reason why I might vary in what I call it.
Lisa
Designs by Lisa Gallagher
I have a small home studio. My home is only 500 sq ft all told, so
the work area is tiny! I call it my Studiolo. I work mainly in metal
clay, but have found space for the Foredom, soldering pumice pan,
Bernzomatic propane atmosphere torch, magnetic tumbler, pickle pot,
kiln supplies, files etc. Compact, but sweet.
Lora
PMCC Senior Instructor
www.LoraHart.com
LoraHartJewels.blogspot.com
My space is an 8 X 12 storage shed about 8 foot high, a few fee away
Original Series shuttlecraft.
Hello Andy,
I have called my work space a Dungeon, but now that I have some new
area that is actually finished (!) I think work studio will be my
term of choice,
Judy in Kansas
However, I am also curious as to what others call their inner sanctum :o)
We call ours a shop because that’s what it is. We have traffic, but
we’re not “a store”. We’re a shop - people come and go all day long.
This is a “rose by any other name” thread, IMO, but we have a
shop…
Studio, because if I call it a “shop” I know that people will think
I have a store there. It is so not_ a store!
My dad’s workspace at home was called “the shop”, so that was my
first thought, but no. I like “workshop”, too, but I think that
"studio" has fewer confusing alternate meanings. I asked several
friends on the craft show circuit about this topic when I built my
new space, and “studio” won that poll, as well. I did have a few non-
artist friends think that it was a bit aggrandizing to call it that,
though. Clients seem to like it.
M’lou