How I built Still Jai Studio
The end of my 26-year marriage left me in despair, feeling sad, uncertain and directionless. "Should I stay in this house, alone, with my lil cocker spaniel?", "Can I handle the mortgage, the bills, the debt, the lawn, the garden, the pond alone?" Lying on the floor, in tears, I cried out to God. I felt Him say, “It is yours.” Not an audible voice but a spiritual one. I knew that He was with me, as He had always been. And, now, I felt I could move forward into a new season of life.
The room, in which I was praying, had been a game space for the family, equipped with a pool table, dart board, chess table etc. That time was over. Now, what? The Lord said this house is mine, now. How do I want to live in this new season of life, in what feels like a new house? I decided to build an art studio.
After that time in prayer, I felt some ownership over my future. Even though I was only taking one small step at a time, I began walking carefully into the unknown. Planning started with sketching and using computer apps to draw squares and circles to represent furniture. The internet and books were full of ideas and instructions. I decided what type of furniture, supplies, and tools I needed to create art in different forms. And so the journey began.
The first big task was to remove the old worn out wall-to-wall carpet. A close friend helped me and we spent the better part of a 3-day weekend removing nails, slicing the carpet and padding into manageable sections, rolling it up and taking it to the curb. I thanked her graciously then steeled my resolve to complete the project on my own.
Time to put in new flooring. After many trips to the hardware store, 25 boxes of flooring materials were stacked in the garage. I read many articles and watched over 20 YouTube videos on installing flooring. Friendly, patient hardware store “experts” gave me advice on the project. Then, after more prayer, the work finally started.
I borrowed a compound miter saw and learned to use it. The first few cuts were the scariest. The noise, the dust, and the thought of losing fingers, made me wisely cautious. But I kept going one board at a time, one cut at a time for weeks, until the entire floor was installed (including trim moulding). It was a big job but it all came together really well (and without injury). A job well done, especially for a first timer. I’m still quite proud of it.
Where will all these future creations come together? I found instructions on an IKEA hack which used two bookcases, put them back to back horizontally, built a wood base with industrial castor wheels, secured it all together and put a three-quarter inch plywood top on it. So after weeks of working on it, I completed that project, too. That became the workstation.
Some of the toughest tasks were figuring out how to get large heavy things from one place to another. Be it a flaw or a strength: I don’t like to ask for help (especially at a time when I was already sad and didn’t want to explain anything to anybody). So I learned how to put pieces of furniture onto flattened cardboard boxes and slide things carefully across the floor, sometimes using my legs to push the item rather than trying to pull or lift it. (Most people's legs are stronger than their arms, you know.) I slid heavy things up the stairs sideways and on blankets. I was determined and just got scrappy. You can do more than you think you can when you have limited options.
Inspired by the art gallery at church, I covered a wall with a sisal rug, staplegunned it to the studs, added shallow shelves that were a gift from an art artist mentor of mine and that became the gallery wall. I gave the remaining walls a fresh coat of paint (the easiest part of the whole project). And an old bookcase from another room, filled with spiritual, art, jewelry-making and business books became the library.
Since I wasn’t sure about my financial future, I needed to be very frugal with this project. I had already spent a fair amount on the flooring and the workstation. So, I shopped around the house to find useful items that could serve me better in the studio than in their current location. I collected a footstool from another part of the house and recovered it. I “bought” a lamp, a chair, a rug, a plant, a basket or 3 from “my store”. A few actual purchases completed the project and “voila”, Still Jai Studio!
Over the years, new pieces have been added to the space for either functional or aesthetic value. One Saturday morning, I found an old dresser at a neighbor's garage sale. It had a mid-century modern vibe, which I love. So I decided to sand down layers of old paint, repaint it, put on new knobs and install a custom mosaic ceramic top. One of my many artistic pursuits has been mosaic art so I had plenty of tile lying around to use for the project. After lots of planning, placing and “auditioning“ different looks, I decided on the final design. One of my sons helped me slide the final configuration carefully in place, from a wood board to the adhesive-covered top of the dresser. I leveled it and allowed it to dry for several days. Then lovingly grouted and finished it. It’s another piece that I’m quite proud of and enjoy on a daily basis.
After months of doing my morning yoga in the studio, I decided I needed a low table for candles, incense, plants and a place to journal. So why not put that mitre saw to use again. I built a table then created a mosaic top. It fits my vision perfectly.
After all the work was done, everything was clean and all the tools were put away, four artist friends of mine came and blessed the space. It was a transcendent day that I will never forget. Their gracious generosity and the blessings they prayed over me and this new space make my studio sacred.
Every day I’m in the studio, no matter what I’m doing - creating, paperwork, reading, elearning, tech work, praying, praising, yoga or even cleaning - I always feel blessed. Every moment in this space is sacred to me. Because I know how blessed I am to have this space. Praise the Lord, for this amazing journey and the gift of my studio. Amen.
Still, Jai
