Tiny Desk Tour: Hallie Bateman

Allie: When I moved in with my partner 8 years ago, I was full of angst and didn’t know why. My therapist pointed out that maybe it was because I didn’t have my own space in the tiny apartment we lived in. She advised me to claim an entire space as my own, no matter how small. So the dining room table became my desk and the couch continued to be the dining room table. It wasn’t much but it was everything, a surface of one’s own.

Hallie Bateman is a writer, illustrator and author of four books, including the bestselling What To Do When I’m Gone. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband Jack, their twin toddlers, and Spinelli the dog. I don’t think that the value of having one’s own space to create as an artist can be underestimated, and Hallie ~illustrates~ this beautifully in the space she’s claimed for herself in her home. It’s not just a studio or an office, it’s a real, intentional space to meet real needs that come with being an individual and an artist who’s also a partner and a parent.

Hallie’s tiny desk tour inspires me fully rethink the home-based creative space and workflow in the context of living with another human and reclaiming the individuality and solitude that is necessary in order to rest, reflect, and create well. Without further ado, here’s Hallie on her space:

Hallie: I’m a writer and illustrator working from a bedroom in the home I share with my husband and twins in a leafy little suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio. Sometimes to sound more professional I’ll call it an office or studio, but really it’s just my room. In addition to making my art in this room, it’s where I retreat, rest, daydream, exercise, and sleep a couple nights a week.

Especially since being married and now having kids, I love having a place where I can close the door and just be by myself, make as big of a mess as I want, and lose myself in whatever I’m doing. Sometimes I lock the door when I’m in what I refer to as ‘the zone.’ I feel weirdly nervous that someone will come bug me and I’ll lose my flow, so I’ll like, lock the door and text my husband “I’M IN THE ZONE” so he knows not to come in.

Right now I’m illustrating a picture book with pen & ink and watercolor. To the left is my light board.

I work on paper with physical materials, so my work involves a lot of STUFF. I’m always just trying to wrangle mess and make my workspace functional. I’m not worried about cleanliness or aesthetics. I leave a lot of stuff out on surfaces, or I just cram one type of thing (markers, pens, etc.) in a box and call it good. What you see in these photos is truly as tidy as it gets, and I mess it up hugely every single week, then clean it again when it becomes unworkable.

I recently thrifted a vintage jewelry box I’ve been using to store my watercolors and it truly delights me.

A few months ago, my friend’s very kind father replied to one of my newsletters with this note. It meant so much to me. I taped it over my workspace. It won’t live there forever but I will keep it there for long enough to allow it to soak in.

On my other desk there are some plants, more paper, a lamp that needs a shade, and my fancy scanner which I love. Underneath, in addition to endless boxes of paper and art supplies, I keep my exercise stuff. I do pilates pretty religiously (30ish minutes in the morning) because drawing is so hard on my body, especially my back. Now that I spend my days hauling around two enormous toddlers, I have started lifting weights, too.

At my computer desk I scan, edit, send emails, do admin, etc. The hanging lamp is one from IKEA that I painted with dye-na-flow. The art above my computer says “This is the best story that’s ever happened to me.” I scrawled it in ink many years ago while my brother Nick was telling me a great story. To the right of my computer is a Cintiq tablet I now pretty much only use when I’m editing book illustrations, so right now it’s just gathering dust. Fun!

I’ll dash out emails at my desk, but anytime I’m writing writing, I’m in this twin bed from IKEA. In addition to writing there, I sleep in it by myself a couple nights a week. I enjoy having the freedom to be able to stay up late, journal, read, eat in bed, thrash around in the covers and enjoy the feeling of having a bed to myself.

Sometimes Jack will come visit me in the evenings and hang out. He’ll sit in the chair and work on something while I draw at my desk. We call it my dorm room. Often when I tell married/ partnered pals about the arrangement, they’re like, wait, you can do that?! Yes you can!

My room is filled with art that’s meaningful, comforting, personal or inspiring to me. The quote on the banner to the left is from Ray Bradbury’s Zen in the Art of Writing. The red-framed painting to its right is by my twins Max and Nora, who are two and a half. The UFO painting above the chair is by Esther Pearl Watson and is the first art I ever bought for myself when I got my first real creative job many years ago. Usually when I am getting ready to start a project or phase, I’ll rearrange the walls to give some new energy to the space.

In my former workspace in LA, I taped up the words I BELIEVE IN YOU above a big mirror for over a year while I worked on a book I was terrified to write. I loved how it felt to see those words over my reflection as I worked in my creative space every day. I ended up making a small batch of these mirrors and am so glad to have one hanging by the door of my room in Ohio. At 36 years old, 14 years into my art career, I still need constant words of encouragement, and have learned to give them to myself.

Also helpful: a nice cozy room and a door that locks.

Be sure to check out Hallie’s wonderful free newsletter, HALMAIL, her Instagram, and her gorgeous prints & books!

Thanks for reading The Museum of Small and Important Things! My name is Allie Sullberg and I’m an artist, writer, and illustrator. If you liked this post, a huge way to support my work is by liking, commenting, sharing, and of course subscribing!