Senior Sam Tankersley clears a space on her bedroom floor and sets up her easel and canvas. She then gets her assortment of brightly colored paints and grabs a cup of water and paper towels in case anything needs to be cleaned. Her materials are arranged in a circular fashion, spread all around where she sits. It’s kept so it’s neat and easily accessible. All this just to get ready for her G1 painting class.
“I don’t have the space or materials that I do at school, so depending on what I’m working on, my workspace moves to what best accommodates the piece I’m working on,” Tankersley said.
As students dive back into the schedule of being fully virtual, some are having to get used to working from home again. Art students have been impacted because they suddenly need to find a workspace for their projects. But with every con comes a pro, and though this switch is hard, there are many good aspects to it.
“There’s more freedom at home than in a classroom. Like, I can get up and move whenever I want and watch my show or eat while working. Sometimes I work from bed, so that’s a plus too,” Tankersley said.
Sophomore Anthony Reyes is another art student trying to do his best from home.
“It’s really hard staying focused. It’s hard to not get distracted and just pick up my phone. My house is full of distractions, but in the end I usually force myself to get to work. I like being able to get to eat and use the restroom whenever. Also, I don’t have to worry about waking up or getting dressed early. It’s also nice to be around my family more,” Reyes said.
As much as it has been hard on students, teachers are also feeling the effects of online learning. Art teacher, Nichole Cooper, has found some struggles herself.
“It’s not easy, but students have been stepping up and doing their part to make it work. It’s the studio environment that we lose out on; art students really miss working together. It impacts lesson plans mostly dealing with materials. Hybrid allowed us to at least offer some materials and tools to face to face students. Now if students need materials, they have to arrange times to meet teachers to pick them up, which we have been doing for virtual students, but now everyone is virtual,” Cooper said.
Because of the switch to online learning, productivity has been a struggle for some students. Being at home has made it easier for students to get distracted and not get as much work done.
“My working space changes all the time. I bet if I had a consistent workspace I’d be more productive, since I’d be in a working environment,” Tankersley said.
Reyes also wishes he had a more consistent workspace. Changing where you work from often can make it so there’s more things to get distracted depending on the location.
“Having a specific workspace does matter because it could hinder how well you do and how productive you are,” Reyes said.
While getting the materials to complete the project is tricky, so is finding a workspace at home. There’s many aspects to consider, but sometimes there is just not that quiet you need to get work done.
“I prefer working at school. Being at home is comfortable, but I’m not nearly as productive as I would be in the school studio. Both just have their pros and cons, I guess,” Tankersley said.
Reyes also prefers working from school. He finds more productivity there than from home.
“I prefer working from school because I feel like I get more work done there. I also feel more creative at school when there’s other creative people around me working on art and I get to take inspiration and motivation from them,” Reyes said.
Cooper has a variety of workspaces to paint at in her home. But, she mostly works from her classroom as it’s easier for her to clean up
“My workspace is ever changing. However, I’ll paint anywhere… my dining room table, my garage, my back porch,” Cooper said.
Reyes works from his kitchen table or from his bedroom. He sets up all of his materials so he can see everything while working.
“When I set up my space, I like to have my computer in front of me and my other materials to the side. My sketchbook goes below my computer, and once everything is set up, I start painting. This happens over the course of a few days,” Reyes said.
With having a space to do art in, organization is either key or not. For some, having a messy workspace seems to be easier because they don’t have to worry about messing anything up. Tankersley has a messy workspace and doesn’t have a way that she stays organized.
“I don’t stay organized, like at all. I’ve never been an organized person and my art stuff is always scattered and chaotic,” Tankersley said.
On the other hand, Reyes makes sure his space is organized. This helps him to focus on the task at hand.
“I stay organized by making sure I have everything I need for the day and when I’m done with the class, I put the stuff away so it’s not adding clutter to my work space,” Reyes said.
In spite of all the hindrances when working from home and trying to find a workspace, the work continues to get done. Creativity seems to find a way to shine through all of it as well.
“Creativity comes and goes. For me, it doesn’t really matter the space,” Tankersley said.