4 Reasons Artists Prefer a Shared Studio Space Nowadays

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The idea of sharing one’s workspace with others may not immediately seem like something that would appeal to most professionals and especially artists.

After all, artists are highly individualistic, so the idea of sharing studio space with others may seem contradictory to that free nature.

Yet, modern artists seem to be quite fond of sharing their workspace with others. As it turns out, there are several reasons why it is both a practical and beneficial practice.

To better understand how sharing studio space has its benefits, let’s take a closer look at them.

1. The Cost-Effective Solution

It takes time for even the most talented artists to make a name for themselves and find a dependable financial footing. Therefore, a budding artist will often be forced to use his/her own apartment as a studio. This can be problematic for numerous reasons including but not limited to facts such as:

• Despite its moniker, studio apartments are far too small to both live in and use as a studio.
• Renting a sizable apartment in a major city like Bristol or London is a financial impracticality for most young artists.
• Living with roommates and having the peace or privacy to create is a rarity as well.
• Roommates may not also agree to let them use the common space as an art studio.
• For musicians and singers, having regular access to a recording studio is not optional.
• Even moderately well-settled artists often find the cost of renting an entire studio to be taxing on their financials.

Renting shared studio space in Bristol through Meanwhile Creative provides an immediate and practical solution to such problems. Whether you are a musician, a fashion designer, a digital artist, or a painter, rest assured that there are several aptly equipped, shared studio spaces available in the UK for every kind of creative expert.

In fact, that is another major benefit of working in a shared studio. You will need to share the space with others for sure, but it will still grant you access to all necessary and expensive pieces of equipment that are characteristic of a studio setup.

2. A Shared Workspace is a Community for Creative Professionals to Connect

As a freelance artist in the big city, it can be challenging to find a community of like-minded individuals to socialise with. Since freelancers do not usually have regular colleagues either, it also takes a toll on their life-work balance.

For most artists, the growth potentials of a freelance career are quite limited by design. That can change fast though, provided that they start taking initiatives towards broadening their professional horizons. Therefore, when an artist decides to work in a shared studio space with other talented people around them, the networking experience can be doubly beneficial.

It’s common for artists to find and form important professional connections while sharing studio space with others. There is also the allure of having meaningful conversations with people who have a proper understanding of the subjects you are involved or interested in.

3. Large Companies are Often Founded in Tiny Shared Workspaces

It’s possible that an experienced artist may have entrepreneurial plans to launch a venture in fashion designing, graphic designing, web designing, digital art, etc. If he/she has a small group of creative professionals onboard, a shared workspace can help them save a small fortune in office rent.

Those funds can then be redirected towards making more productive investments. Shared studios have brought several local and international creative agencies together over the years. For example, did you know that Spotify originated in a tiny, shared office?

4. Separating Professional Life from Personal Life

Some believe that a clear point of separation between personal and professional life must be present to keep one from interfering with the other. Given that so many of us must work from home these days, maintaining that separation between the two facets of life is not a practical ask for many. There are certainly merits to creating and maintaining a boundary between work and personal life. It’s just difficult to do so, especially if you are a freelance artist working from your home.

Shared studio space can change that. They present an affordable solution for creative freelancers to maintain at least some degree of separation between the two parts of their life. A lack of distraction allows for greater focus and boosted productivity as well. More importantly, it creates a much-needed sense of division between what is and isn’t work.

Answering the main question, modern artists are fond of shared studios simply because they are, in many ways, a better fit for them. It is true that a team of digital artists will eventually move into an office of their own, as they start to grow bigger.

The same is also true for solo artists and bands. However, getting to that position takes time and that is precisely why shared studios are so popular. They provide an affordable platform and a relevant community for creative professionals to flourish and grow to their next stage of vocational progress.