BY JENNIFER & JOHN BURKHART
The Handmade Tale
Don’t run around town, wasting your time and gas in pursuit of that perfect wall hanging or accent piece for your corner table. Instead, visit a DIY art studio. These spaces not only provide people of all ages with the opportunity to explore their creative side, but they also often prioritize using eco-friendly, upcycled, or repurposed materials. Making your own art is more satisfying and more sustainable than simply purchasing a mass-produced piece that’s devoid of any personal meaning. Best of all, you’ll end up with a one-of-a-kind item in exactly the colors you need. And you don’t have to be Picasso, either. Most DIY art studios have a wide selection of ceramics, picture frames, wood planks, and canvases just waiting to be customized.
She Said:
When John and I decided to visit our local art studio, I was both excited — because crafting — and anxious — because, well, crafting — about creating something for our home. I had a vague idea of what I wanted to make: something sweet with a heart or “Mr & Mrs” on it, but something that also wasn’t so cliched. But at the studio, I got a bit overwhelmed by the large selection of ceramics, wood planks, canvases, plant pots, trays — you name it — and I ended up wandering around in a daze. Several finished artworks were displayed alongside the raw materials. This was both helpful and intimidating — after all, how am I supposed to make my project look cute and whimsical when I never got further than elementary school art class?
After agonizing for what seemed like an eternity — because I must see all the options — I finally settled on a raw-edge wood picture frame that I could paint and decorate with some string art accents.
By the time I brought my frame to the table, John was already in the zone, painting away. I still needed to figure out my color scheme, but my mind was racing with indecision: “Do I make it an accent color? Should it match the bedspread? But then what if we swap out the bedding? Then the artwork won’t match. Hunter green obviously looks great with the wood’s bark edge, so maybe I should choose that even though it doesn’t match the room. Ok, now how do I draw a perfect heart for the string art?” And that was just in the few minutes after I sat down. I also felt the pressure of time. A staff member said it usually takes about one hour to complete a project. But that person had never met me before!
Once I made all the hard decisions, I enjoyed creating my custom wall art — even though I put a lot of pressure on myself to make something that was display-worthy. But that’s just the way I am. If you’re looking for something fun to do, whether with your family, friend group, or even on a date night, I suggest making some art at a DIY studio.
He Said:
We decided to test our artistic skills by making string art at a local art studio. This place was basically a “choose your own art adventure” studio with everything from pottery to painting, clay to wood. You pick a project that looks fun, and the studio provides the supplies, instructions, and place to create. I had seen string art before, and it always looked pretty simple: Hammer in some nails, wrap string around them, and — boom! — art. “I can do that,” I thought to myself.
I started with a blank piece of wood, a hammer, some nails, and string. Now, there may have been a proper way to approach this activity, but I didn’t ask. Instead, I started hammering nails into the wood and wrapping string around them. No plan. No real design focus. Just confidence. This strategy has worked out poorly for me many times in the past, but today felt different — for about five minutes. At that point, I realized there actually is some technique to this craft. My string was going everywhere. I kept missing nails, and at one point I somehow tied the string to itself. I looked over at Jen. She was calmly making art, while my project looked like a spider had a nervous breakdown. I kept going, though. The nice thing about string art is the more string you add, the harder it is to see your previous mistakes. (This is how I approach most home improvement projects, too.)
Eventually my project started to actually look like something. I stepped back, squinted a little, and thought, “Hey, that’s not bad.” Was it perfect? Nope. But it was recognizable, so I considered that a win. In the end, Jen and I had a fun time, learned something new, and left with some art we could actually hang in our home — just in a place where guests are discouraged from inspecting it closely.
