Job and Work/Environment Preferences (Post #5)

As I have completed the bulk of my fellowship and time with Neal, I feel that I have had a thorough amount of experience to comment on my preferences for the job/work environment and pinpoint areas for improvement. I’ve listed the most significant aspects of the fellowship environment which I could change/ appreciated and will bring along with me in my future artistic career.

1.) Working with others- At the fellowship, it is just Neal and myself, both working on our individual projects, but still always checking up on each other/ continuous conversation throughout the day. Though I do very much enjoy spending time and working alongside Neal, if I were in his shoes and spent most of my time in my studio by myself I would go slightly insane. That being said, I totally understand that artists need a space for themselves and their ideas to develop, as I almost always work alone. But I think its important that we can also come together as artists in a way that creates a sense of community, and I think that can enhance one’s own artwork.

2.) Location of Studio – Neal’s studio is located in an older wood mill that has now been converted into other office spaces. Though I believe this location works out perfectly for Neal, since it is also in his hometown, I would prefer to be in a different type of building as well as the city. I do like how there are other people in the building working, but I rarely interact with any of them. I also would prefer to work in a more urban location, or in an area that is close proximity to a more populated area.

3.) AIR CONDITIONED STUDIO- Since the building is older, there is no air conditioning. Neal has a couple fans in his studio, which works, BUT I NEED AIR CONDITIONING. This is VERY IMPORTANT.

4.) Commute- I drive about 2-2.5 hours one way to get to my fellowship. Though it’s a nice time with myself, maybe listen to some books on disk, IT IS WAY TOO LONG A COMMUTE. I spend almost 5 hours a day just driving to and from the fellowship. Luckily for me I don’t have the fellowship everyday, but I would still not wish this kind of commute on the worst of my enemies.

 Attached are some photos of Neal’s studio, enjoy!