Downsides of a studio

Wow, am I glad that I don’t have the hassle of a studio space anymore. My old place in a converted clothing factory in a Heaton trading estate was probably the most unglamorous working space in the history of the world. 

If you watch “America’s Next Top Model” and all that old rubbish, you’ll see fashion guys at the top of their game. I’ve visited many studios in my time, and they’ve ranged from huge converted churches in Byker, to a 3 storey Shoreditch pad with a special glass floor – that was for the ultra-amazing Tim Flach, who shoots incredible images of animals with gigantic production values, worldwide. They’ve all been spaces that were pretty comfortable to be in, with nice toilets, heating, leather sofas and the like.

My grand-a-month cardboard box had no such luxuries. It had no decent natural light, no windows, no ventilation, no heating, shared toilet facilities, and the people who shared it were several wanabee-death metal bands. When I did overnight product shoots, the walls shook until the early hours with the caucophony in the unit next to me. 

This was a purely functional, and utilitarian space, used only when needed, and dedicated to shooting clothes for ecommerce.  It was awful. In the winter, my heaters were on 24/7 to prevent the water in the kettle freezing, and in the summer, the temperature hit something like the interior of a nuclear fireball. I felt ill after each 18 hour shift. Although I was sad at vacating the place last summer, I’m not missing the extra 3 months work needed just to pay the rent.power, insurance, and commuting costs. Here are a few images showing the chaos of the place. I’m sure some other sap is battling through the extremes in temperature right now.