The last day of this month, I will be saying "good bye" to the best studio I have ever had.
I've had it for 10 years in which I have enjoyed every minute of it! The lovely high ceilings, beautiful antique wooden floors, big windows and brick walls which are witness to 200 years of textile manufacturing, from the industrial revolution to now. When I took up the lease, this studio had not been used since the 1980's when an IRA bombing in Manchester city centre took place, which shaked many of the old buildings up, making many of them derelict. Part of this building was damaged too and abandoned, it used to be the comercial galleries Rossenfield at one point, which was the main dressmakers in town; brides bought and rented wedding dresses from there. I have met people who actually bought their wedding dress there. It was a good family business. When this lady rented her wedding dress, she was really petite, and they had to alter the dress to fit her so much, that after that it would not fit anyone else nor I could be turned into a medium size anymore, so they gave the dress to her for free to keep. What a lovely gesture! After the bombing, they closed the business and the building was left semi-abandoned for years. The part of the building my studio is in, is the part that didnt get damaged. Currently we are around 10 small independent business in here, working in the creative industries. There are photographers, prop makers, designers of some sorts, writers, musicians and music studios. We are a small art community stuffed in the middle of this busy lively city which is Manchester and which I adore.
My new studio is only a few meters down the corridor, I'm not going far. I am moving back to my old studio which I had like 11 years ago.
The main reason is, my studio is really big and I find it hard to keep it nice and toasty when it is cold out there, which is half of the year. I want my customers (and myself) to come to a nice and warm place for fittings, and the studio I'm moving to is smaller and more manageable. Yes, I have loved the big space and the fact that you could actually run from one end of the studio to the other end, and the massive windows where I could happily zone out for hours looking at the world go by (not that I have the time for that! but I could!) but that is something I can live without I guess.
It was amazing while it lasted...
I go away with a load of happy memories and beautiful pictures of the place. I have learned lots too in the meanwhile, about myself and my business. I have met so many nice people, both customers and students, plus lots of other creative people whilst working in different projects, this keep my inspiration up and running all the time, so thank you lovely artistic and funny people I had met from all parts of the world, who have ended coming to this corner of the north of England and ended up in that studio, having a chat/working/learning/celebrating/brainstorming with me, it's been ace. I'll do it all again!
Luckily on those 10 years, my old studio has been a jeweller, then a music studio, and then a beauty clinic, and all the tenants have all done modifications to the studio, which in retrospect, it was like it was being designed for me all along. It has a changing room, storage room, office space and workshop already built-in. They lowered the ceilings and put new floors in. I love it, and I have been fantasising with the idea of moving back there for the last year, as it sat empty with no tenants. So I decided to move in and start a new chapter for my business. Downsizing so I can focus on the important things, so I can be even more productive. And I'm happy I made that decision, so here is to a new adventure! Manchester, here I go again! No regrets!!
