Monday, January 16, 2012

My First Shared Studio Space

A personal story about sharing studio space with my brother.

For the past 4 years or so, I have shared a studio space with other artists. When creating art, I am the kind of person who gets into a zone to a point where one might honestly believe that I don't need anyone else but me and my creation. However, in all actuality, the presence of others means the world to me while I am creating. It keeps me motivated to be around those who are creating and being productive. And when I say that, I don't just mean being around a fine artist, but any type of person who is inspired to create, experiment, and learn. True, I will get into my own zone, but the comfort of knowing that others are around and working their brains keeps me focused.

My first studio space outside of my own home was shared with my brother Eric Buman and his good friend Mark Graziano, both musicians and recording artist in Erie, Pennsylvania. In one room, I was painting and in the other, Eric and Mark were recording new musicians. We seemed to feed off of each other as we spent hours on end just hanging out and being productive. I certainly have a new respect for recording, and vise versa. Every musician who stopped in to get a recording by Eric and Mark would drop in and see what I was creating, always intrigued and interested in the way that we shared the studio space. It certainly was unique, I must say. Sometimes, it felt like a party, and sometimes it was a party... in a productive sort of way. All in all, we stayed busy and inspired.

Although this time in my life was short lived, it truly was very special. It was the first time in my life that I had a window into my brother's world, and vise versa. Even though my brother Eric and I probably spent most of our time doing our own thing, there was a new understanding and connection between us that was never there before. It was a time for growing together as we began to understand and respect each other for what we loved. Needless to say, I never really got close to any of Eric's friends until I met Mark. Prior to our studio time together, I was an outsider to my brother's world and sometimes his friends appeared young and disrespectful. But here I could clearly see that Mark adored Eric, believed in him, and together they stayed productive. I loved that Mark loved my brother, and he helped me to see the strengths in Eric. I never felt as close to my brother Eric as I did while sharing studio space together. It was during this time that we built a new love and trust for each other.

It is hard for me to find the words to explain, but I believe there is something about making art in some form or another around others that can bring you to a different level of understanding others. It's been years since I had the opportunity to share a studio space with Eric, but a connection was built and I believe it will always be there.

I miss you, Eric. I love you so much and I'm so proud of all that you've done. I hope someday we get an opportunity to share productive time together again. Hugs and love.

Readers, I realize this post was more for my brother than anyone, but hopefully I have inspired someone to be productive around someone you love.

Below is a link to one of my favorite paintings I painted back when I was sharing a studio space with Eric:
Photography Prints

I love fashion illustration. To view more fashionable art, check out the artists here at Fine Art America:
fashion art

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