7 Tips for Open Studios Success

I’ve got an Open Studios this weekend and its got me thinking about how many of my fellow residents don’t bother to open up when these events roll around. They become petrified by the possibility of it, as if they’re about to be subjected to some kind of cruel and unusual torture.

Studios are sacred spaces, I get that, but people don’t bite. Even Churches just let you just wander around them unattended. Its free eyeballs! Eyeballs who are interested in looking around creative spaces, seeing what little worlds lie behind each door. These people are worth you time and effort.

What this fear boils down to is vulnerability: the fear of having your chaotic internal world exposed and ridiculed by passing strangers as you stand statuesque in the corner awkwardly saying hello to every tenth person.

But guess what? There is no success in any creative pursuit without a continual exposure to vulnerability. The music does not sell itself. There are thousands and thousands of incredible songs that hardly anyone has ever heard because the song did not get up, march out of the studio door and start playing itself in the street.

Still, fear is fear. Its not easy to overcome or it wouldn’t be so scary. So, here’s some tips that I’ve picked up in ten years of Open Studios to help you be brave:

1. Don’t Expect to Make any Money

This is important because it can really cloud what success and failure looks like in an Open Studios setting. Some Open Studios are very well oiled selling machines for their residents but most aren’t. Going into one expecting to make a load of money from people who’ve never seen your work before is just setting yourself up for a fall.

You have opened up for the eyeballs. Not the digital disembodied eyeballs you spend all day chasing on Instagram and TikTok, but eyeballs so real you can see what colour the irises are and if they’re kind or aggressive or even a little haunted.

Who knows, those real eyeballs might buy up a load of stuff right there and then, they could go home and buy something later that weekend from the safety of their laptop, they might even commission you years down the line.

The amount of money you do or don’t make on the day or weekend that the Open Studios takes place does not reflect the final amount of wealth generated from the effort of opening up. Putting yourself out there is the success, anything else is a bonus.

2. Tidy Up, But Not Too Much

I’ve seen so many interesting makers not bother with an Open Studios because they can’t be arsed to tidy up or they think that their space needs to be spotless to allow in guests. Spending half a day or more sorting out your space and tidying up is never a bad idea, it almost certainly needs it.

In the popular imagination studios are messy frantic spaces that feel alive with the creative energy that the artist has unloaded into them over years of sweat and struggle. The reality is often very different. They can be ultra-clean surgical theatres or total shit tips. What you want is somewhere in-between. Hoover, get as much stuff off of the floor as you can, sort your shelves out and open the door. No need to get Kim and Aggie on it.

In fact, its actually great to have these events to force you to address areas in your expensive studio that have become an unusable mess. You’re probably on your knees financially every month to afford that space, make every square foot count.

3. Talk to People

Unlike the disembodied digital eyeballs in the apps the real ones that arrive during an Open Studios can be engaged in a conversation. You’re guests have no ‘like’ button to tap, so might say something to you. Be ready, be friendly, be a little bit weird but not too weird. Remember they’re on your turf and are probably more scared of you than you might think.

Incredible things can come from making the first move and starting a conversation. Eyeballs that would have walked in and then out again a minute later can become friends, collaborators or at least just more real as people.

Sometimes, people start talking and then never stop - suddenly you’re trapped. Don’t panic if this happens, this is actually great. Being engaged in conversation will make other passing eyeballs feel more comfortable and less intimidated to nose around. Let the talkers chat themselves out while you nod along like a friendly old Labrador.

4. Nothing to Sell? Still Open Up

This is another classic excuse I’ve seen down the years. Very often studios who offer creative services rather products think they shouldn’t bother with an Open Studios because they have no trinkets to sell on the day.

This is a mistake. They do sell things, they sell their highly specialised and interesting services. They have the studios I always want to have a nose around the most because theirs are often closest to that studio of the popular imagination I mentioned earlier, they’re alive with creative energy.

Most people don’t come to an Open Studios to buy trinkets, they come to have nose around and to dream of one day escaping their boring jobs to a live a life like the ones in these mystical studio spaces. They get excitement just from being in a space that’s little more than an office to you. Feed off of that energy.

Its very easy to forget what a magical little world you’ve built in your studio when you’re in the trenches day to day getting the work done to pay the bills. The Open Studios eyeballs help remind you that its worthwhile for your space and your work to exist beyond just your financial survival. You are part of the coalface of culture, feel it.

5. Childproof

People bring their kids along to Open Studios so be ready for them. Unlike most adults kids have no respect, which is what makes them so entertaining. But also potentially dangerous in your precious studio. So think about what hazardous or breakable items are at their level and move them out of the way. Don’t be afraid to adopt a stern teacher stance if you see a kid pushing the boundaries of acceptability, its your space so its your rules.

If you want to be clever put out some sort of activity for them to play with. The eyeballs of the parents will thank you, and you can pat yourself on the back for filling the hollowed out gap in their arts education a little.

6. Tell People About It

Shock, horror, you have to promote it. Remember, the music doesn’t sell itself. Light the beacons: message the WhatsApp groups, post to the grid, send an mailout (hello!) to get the word out that you’re opening up. Its a rare and special occasion that usually only happens once a year, so sell it. Yes its cringe, and yes it might still mean no one you tell turns up. But you tried, and thats the point. You made yourself vulnerable and felt the discomfort. Next time it won’t be so painful.

7. Get Drunk at the End

Or more specifically: socialise with your fellow studio residents. I’ve been lucky enough to spend most of my studio life in very social shared spaces (a lot of a time a bit too social to be honest). But that’s the exception rather than the rule. Studio complexes are usually filled with individuals siloed off in their sub-divided spaces working away in peaceful isolation behind locked doors. You may only ever see other residents when you awkwardly cross paths in the shared toilets or kitchen.

Open Studios are a chance to learn more about these people than their piss schedule. And after a day of making yourself make conversation with all the new eyeballs that have wandered through talking to your fellow residents over a few drinks should be a doddle.

Making time to socialise as well as simply present your work and your space encapsulates why I think Open Studios are worthy of the effort. These events are about building a broader experience and awareness of what it means to have a studio and be part of a “creative community” that you probably hear so much about but rarely actually feel.

Don’t want to bother, fine. But don’t ever complain that your studios isn’t very social, or that you’ve made no networking links there. You have to be vulnerable, you have to try. Open Studios are an open goal for connections, so tap the ball into the back of the net and enjoy yourself.

Right then, got that little rant out of my system for all the fellow residents that have avoided opening up over the years. Here’s the details for my Open Studios this weekend.

I am opening up as part of Markfield Road Festival this Saturday the 13th from 2-6pm. The festival is on all weekend but I’m just open on the Saturday (because of tip 7). I always use this event as opportunity for a bit of a studio clear out so there will be bargains on offer, plenty for under a £100 as well as framed prints and originals at very friendly prices.

To find me set your navigation for Unit 3 the cafe at the front of my studio complex. Walk through the back of the cafe, past the mushroom exhibition, along the white corridor until you get to Studio 7. You can’t miss my door, its got a gold logo on it and a freshly drilled hole in the lock thanks to my useless landlords.