12 Days of Spacemaking: Day 9

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(noun)

- the process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth
- the gradual development of something, especially from a simple to a more complex form
- a pattern of movements or maneuvers

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Well, hello, evolution!

Nothing like a simple little word to wrap into our spacemaking. What on earth do I mean when I talk about creating space for evolution?? Where space is concerned, I tend to lean on the second definition from above with one slight addition.

Regarding the physical, built environment, I believe that evolution is the gradual development of space, allowing it to become more of its truest form and function. 

In my adapted definition, its truest form could be the most complex but it also may be the simplest. Regardless the degree of complexity, an evolved space is the most functional for the space and inhabitant(s).

If you've been here since the start of this series, you may remember the example I gave of the recording closet back on Day 1. Let's take a closer look at how allowing that space to evolve created a truer and more functional studio for me and my day-to-day.

Take a look at the photo on the left. This is the closet with nothing in it but if you can imagine it full of hanging clothes, this was where I started. I never enjoyed keeping my clothes here as it required me to walk through the apartment (and past the windows facing the neighboring building) to get my clothes after I took a shower. It felt far away and inefficient. And if I had out of town guests, it felt even more awkward. Luckily, this is the smaller of the two closets in my apartment and I was able to shift my clothes to the space between the bathroom and my entry door. A much nicer post-shower walk!

Now, the photo on the right. One of the other reasons I wanted to free up this closet was to create what I was calling a "design center" where I could store material samples and work standing up at the countertop. Let me tell you, I was determined to make this work...getting those two storage units into that closet was a feat! (Yes, those are my shower doors back there, I'll tell you this hack another day...)

While I loved the clothing storage shift, this "design center" did not work out very well. I never worked on that surface and my business offering started shifting to be less material-focused and more service-based. I no longer needed the extensive storage and I was doing work elsewhere in the apartment. I knew I needed to evolve the space further...

Enter, the pod.

Here's what I love about this space. It's all DIY which, as I'm sure you're picking up on, is one of my favorite things! The desk top is from IKEA throwaways, the legs from there as well; the chair is one that a friend was getting rid of and - get this - it folds up! The colorful fabric is a former bolt sample from a library project I did and it is installed with a simple tension rod. While I haven't recorded anything in here quite yet (habits are spaces, too!) I do utilize this space quite often for focused work or zoom calls. Or simply when I feel like I need a spatial hug!

Now, let's take a look at how the rest of my studio space evolved after that one move to create a closet-pod-office.

The photo on the left is the second closet in my apartment - to the right is the entry door, to the left is the bathroom. You may recognize that storage unit from the smaller closet...that's right! It just so happened to fit (barely) to give me a "dresser" which I was sorely lacking. What a game-changer! The relocation of the storage unit has helped immensely to keep things tidy and easy to access.

But there were two storage units, where did the second one go? My dear friends, have no fear, I never let a piece go un-re-purposed!

...I shifted it to my kitchen! If you look at the photo on the right, just on the other side of the wood tables, you'll see the white unit peeking through, holding my juicer. I cannot tell you the relief it is to have just a biiiiiit more counterspace in my very small efficiency kitchenette.

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As you can tell, I absolutely love evolving my spaces for my growing/shifting needs! In fact, I am that odd bird that can feel when things need to shift. If my habits are falling away or I'm not accessing the spaces I've created in the way that I need to, I get curious about how they may need to evolve. There's a little flicker inside me that signals "take a closer look"; and it has not failed me yet.

Does it disrupt a bit of my life? Yes.

Do I have to take it in stages and experiment along the way to see if things are really working for me? Also, yes.

Do I adjust again if it isn't working? Absolutely.

But can you image the disruption to my personal evolution as a human and business owner if I had not allowed my space to evolve with me?!

I would have likely stayed stuck with a storage closet I wasn't utilizing and may have purchased more items to fill it causing the stagnant energy to seep into my day-to-day. I would have felt cramped in my kitchen with appliances taking over the very minimal, very valuable, counterspace causing me to cook less and eat poorly. I would have felt the chaos of my unkempt clothes closet every time I accessed it and this energy would have latched onto me prior to heading out into the world.

No surprise here that I am a firm believer that the way you set up the flow of your spaces can either support or hinder you. At every turn, I choose support, even if it takes a little more time and effort. Because the payoff has frequently been that the rest of my life (professional goals, personal development, etc) starts to evolve as well. And I can't think of a better outcome than that!

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JOURNAL PROMPTS

• How do you feel you have evolved over the past year? The past 5? A decade? Take a quick snapshot to see how far you've come.

• Is evolution comfortable for you or do you fight it? Simply notice.

• Can you sense when you need to evolve? Does this extend beyond your personal growth (to your spaces/communities/etc)?

• How can allowing your physical space to evolve support your life and future visions?

• What would be possible if you made space for evolution in your life? This could be for yourself, your relationships, your spaces, your communities...

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This wraps Day 9...thank you for taking time to explore spacemaking from a place of evolution!

If you feel inspired to share any takeaways, examples in your own home, or questions that came up for you, please access any Spatial Medium social media account. Please be sure to add #12daysofspacemaking and tag @spatialmedium so I can see what you post.

12 Days of Spacemaking: Day 8

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(verb)

- engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose
- amuse oneself by engaging in imaginative pretense

(noun)

- light and constantly changing movement
- the space in or through which a mechanism can or does move

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Day 8...let's play!

And what better way than to let the pro's of play lead the way...the young'uns!

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The photo duo above is one of my favorite spaces for play in my life - facetime! When you have a niece who lives in a different city, you connect in any way you can. Since this little one was born, I've been facetiming her at least once a week. At first it was mostly about making funny faces. Then it turned into her running around her home with me in hand - very blurry! At some point it became about integrating the phone (aka me!) into her play. I was a real life doll she could "manipulate". I would get shoved into the dollhouse on the regular and often left there to think about what it means to be 3" tall. That's the collection of pics above - my niece placed me in the dollhouse and proceeded to place every single piece of furniture around me...then shut the doors!

I've been loving every second of this space, not only because I get to connect and build a relationship with my niece from miles away. But also because it nudges me to bring play into my life on a weekly basis. Although I bemoan technology on the regular, I am always grateful for this particular space it offers me.

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There are other ways I bring play into my spaces, mostly through cultivating the activities that make me feel like I am at play. My two favorites are sewing and playing music.

If you're anything like me, life gets busy and my personal actives get pushed aside. I'm not sure there's any way around it, it's the ebb and flow of life. So instead of trying to force a certain path, I simply make sure that my play-based activities are visible and easily accessible on a daily basis. That way, if I have some space to give them attention, there are fewer barriers to get started. It doesn't have to be much, take a look below:

Music and creating with my hands are my play languages. I love making something out of nothing or repurposing an old piece of fabric into something new. So, to keep these at the ready, I've given them space in my apartment. The sewing machine and supplies lives in a small metal storage unit next to my kitchen table. I found that unit on the street a few weeks back and it has provided the perfect home for these tools of play!

The baritone ukulele also has a home - propped up in its own seat in my living area. It's simple to grab it on my way to winding down for the night or take a mid-day break to play and give my mind a break.

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One last thing before we take a pause for the day: incorporating play out in the world.

I know, this may seem a little silly or impractical or (sometimes) downright embarrassing. But it's so fun! It's what led to me being the only person in the middle of that pre-show waiting space I mentioned Day 02; I was really just playing with the space, moving in it, observing it, and getting curious about how it was constructed.

I encourage you to find moments of play as you move through the world. One of my most favorite ways is through the site-specific art I encounter in the city, but I find that I play with space regardless of an artistic intent. That's a deeper discussion for another day so let me leave you with two examples of how I notice and participate in play in social spaces:

The photo on the left is an art installation a few years back at the Invisible Dog gallery in Brooklyn. It was such a nice moment of levity and light play to come across while walking down the street, I couldn't help but pause and indulge! (Bonus, you can notice these moments of play in storefront windows, glass elevators, bus windows, etc...)

The photo on the right is a small amphitheater behind the Park Slope Library branch. I noticed that little bunny sitting by itself and made up a little story about why it was there - what a sweet nugget of imagination I added to my day.

Where can you add or support an element of play in your physical and intangible spaces? 

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A DAY FOR PAUSE

Every 4th day we will take a moment to pause the journal prompts.

Some of the themes we talk about can be difficult to process and may bring up feelings that take a minute to work through. If learning how to create space is the goal, let's be intentional and build in some space for absorbing, looking back, and taking pause.

For today there will be no journal prompts, just a reminder to make space to breathe and regroup. If you feel moved, please hit reply and let me know how things are going for you!

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This wraps Day 8...thank you for taking time to explore spacemaking from a place of play!

If you feel inspired to share any takeaways, examples in your own home, or questions that came up for you, please access any Spatial Medium social media account. Please be sure to add #12daysofspacemaking and tag @spatialmedium so I can see what you post.

12 Days of Spacemaking: Day 7

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(noun)

- the action or process of adapting (becoming adjusted to new conditions; making something suitable for a new use or purpose)
- a change or the process of change by which an organism or species becomes better suited to its environment

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Day 7 is adaptation...

...and capacity building...and experimenting. At least that's how I think of adaptation.

I would bet - well, everything - that 2020 was a crash course for all of us in adaptation. When every system of support stops suddenly, you have to figure out 1) how to get that support in a different way or 2) manage your capacity to forego that support. For many of us, that was a s.t.r.u.g.g.l.e. We didn't have the muscles built (emotionally, energetically, or physically) to sustain the level of change that was forcing us to adapt in every aspect of our lives. Again, and again, and again.

Now, with a little bit of time between us and the intensity of 2020, perhaps we can take a look at how to build better space for adaptation moving forward.

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When pools closed in 2020, I was worried. I rely on swimming as the #1 way to keep me grounded, find my center, release anxiety. During a year with the uncertainty of the pandemic, social uprisings daily in my neighborhood (and rightly so), a layoff early on in April, and other personal stressors I knew that if I didn't adapt to find another way to ground, it would be bad.

So I took up running in the forests of Prospect Park.

To say I had zero capacity for running is an understatement. I took it slowly - run for 1 min, walk for 1 min. Run for 2 min, walk for 1 min...and so on. I added swim arms (front crawl and backstroke) during my walk portions to keep my mobility for my beloved sport active. Eventually, I was running for 20 min straight and it seemed to be working. Until I injured myself...time to adapt again!

Once running was off the table for a bit, I reached out to a friend I knew who was a veteran at open water swimming at Brighton Beach, just a 20 min subway ride away. I have never been an ocean person and was incredibly nervous to give it a go. She gave me a quick lesson of what to be aware of (current direction, sighting, jetty basics) and became a patient partner in a lot of my swims that summer.

What I wasn't aware of was the amount of post-swim caretaking I needed to do. Everything was sandy and needed to dry. My studio apartment did not have oodles of space to accommodate this. And I wasn't sure if this new habit I was cultivating would stick. So while my body and brain adapted to being an open water swimmer (eek!) I started to experiment in my space to support this potential new lifestyle.

What you see above is the second iteration of an experiment I did to house my open water swim items. At first I repurposed a curtain rod I wasn't using and just rested it on my shower "rod" and the lip of the pink tile beyond. I found it was actually quite helpful - I could hang my suits, my towel and beach sheet, and my swim buoy (a brightly colored float that tethers to my waist). Everything would drip water or sand directly into my tub, keeping my floors clean. I could simply rinse everything while I was taking a shower and just pop them over the line - easy breezy!

Once I started to swim in the colder months, more gear appeared - neoprene gloves and booties are my go-to for my first winter season and they take a bit longer to dry. I also needed a place for my larger bag that was out of the way. So I added a second curtain rod and "secured" them with wire. Is it the prettiest thing in the world? No. But it adapts my small, Brooklyn bathroom into a supportive space for my new habit. Until I have my own place to design a fully tricked-out, open-water-swimming focused bathroom, this will work just fine.

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If the above is a smaller, habit-driven adaptation, let's talk a bit about how to make spatial adaptations in broader terms.

When work-from-home mandates came through, many of the people I know were flummoxed as to how to adapt their spaces. Most NYC living units are tight on extra space for home offices, home schooling, home gym solutions. As most of my architectural work has focused on public space design (libraries, co-working spaces, etc), I assumed my work was not applicable. But then I realized that what was happening was that people were forced to transition their public spaces into their private spaces. They were struggling with adapting and I knew I could help them make sense of it.

When I talk about adapting your space, what I'm really talking about is how you adjust your space when you hit a transition in your life. 

It could be one that is imposed on you such as the pandemic mandates. Or it could be one that you've planned for but weren't exactly prepared for; moving or downsizing a home, bringing in a new roommate/aging parent, or raising a child and moving through the natural shifts of growing. Each situation requires a shift in spacemaking to serve all of the end-users (there's that word again!).

Let me give you an example.

The above image is a floor plan of a client's studio apartment space. This is a family of 3, parents and child of about 7 years of age. They were struggling with how to adapt and make the transition to home-schooling and work-from-home.

We started with what their activity needs were (school area, work area, family area, etc), what their current habits and routines were in the space, and then dove a bit deeper into how to bridge and shift that gap. Our goal was to create a strategy using the furniture they already had in the space so they could test whether the shifts were working for them before they purchased anything new.

What you are looking at is a programming map - this indicates how the zoning (the colored shapes) will cue function/activity, maximize the space, and utilize adjacency. It also takes into account their personal routines and daily needs in order to create a supportive space moving forward.

The best part of this solution? With everything already in-house, it is very easy to try this for a while to see if it worked. And if not, to experiment with a different configuration!

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The point I'm attempting to make is that our spaces do not need to be - nor do I believe they are - static spaces. They can, and want, to be adapted to serve you best. If you are struggling with something in your life, see if adapting your space can help support you. I know it sounds silly, but I've seen it work again and again and again.

And if you do, hit reply and let me know how it goes - I love seeing adapted spaces!!!

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JOURNAL PROMPTS

• What comes up when you think about adaptation, particularly in relation to yourself?

• Do you embrace or push away adapting? How does this help/hurt you?

• Where does adaptation feel necessary in your life right now? It could be physical or intangible, simply notice.

• How can adapting your physical space support you differently? Try testing something small if you have capacity.

• What would be possible if you made space for adaptation in your life? (As you've read, mine opened me up to open water swimming which brought a new, beautiful community and a release of a long-held fear!)

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This wraps Day 7...thank you for taking time to explore spacemaking from a place of adaptation!

If you feel inspired to share any takeaways, examples in your own home, or questions that came up for you, please access any Spatial Medium social media account. Please be sure to add #12daysofspacemaking and tag @spatialmedium so I can see what you post.