Why it's ok to Work in your Dining Room

The best advice that my husband ever gave me about starting my Etsy business was to "just do it." Ok, so the motto may not be original, but it really hit home and gave me the motivation to begin.  Because blog buddies, it can be really tough to take that first step. And scary. In fact, there are a whole slew of doubts that seem to pop up in your head and hold you back from opening the doors to a shop. Like...

What if I don't have enough work? What if all of my work isn't tied under one cohesive theme? What if I'm not sure what the style or tone of my shop should be?

Sure I thought about all of these. But for me, what held me back was the lack of a "real" work space. My husband and I live in a one-bedroom apartment and other than the living room, the only available work space is the dining room.  For a long time I resisted the thought of setting up shop in there. I always felt like I needed the perfect dream studio before I could really call myself a professional and start to open up a serious shop.  But I soon realized you've got to start somewhere! Not everyone can start with their own private studio with huge work tables and tons of natural light. Oh lord, that natural light. I CRAVE natural light.  

My studio/dining room is off to the side of the main doorway and the only window faces directly opposite. If you look closely, you can see the trees outside in the reflection of the china cabinet. It's a beautiful porch but it's our only source of light for the entire apartment. So it's a bit like working in a cave (hence, the extra lamp on the table). But it's actually not a bad set up!

 In addition to my little work table, I've got a pretty fancy material/packing station.  My biggest bit of advice to any newbie is to try and get a system for yourself.  Once you've got that in place your shipping orders and even your day to day creating goes along smoothly.

So that's a little sneak peek into my studio/dining room. Hopefully, this has encouraged someone out there to get started and set up shop in their own dining room, or laundry room or pantry or broom closet - anywhere!

And p.s. If you happen to find yourself in the magazine section of your local Barnes and Noble, stay AWAY from this magazine!!!