Rule #1 - Hire the artists
       
     
Rule #2 - Make a space. Make some mess.
       
     
Rule #3 - Make some noise
       
     
Rule #4 - Work up. Work out.
       
     
Rule #5 - Eat together. Climb together. Be together.
       
     
Rule #1 - Hire the artists
       
     
Rule #1 - Hire the artists

Earl (http://theearlcarlson.com) looking productive

Nicole is a photographer, Olly a musician, Brody's art is his bike.  Nick inscribes rap lyrics into a baseball bat.  This creative dimension not only informs the work, it becomes useful at unexpected times, and most of all - it defines the culture of the Studio.

Rule #2 - Make a space. Make some mess.
       
     
Rule #2 - Make a space. Make some mess.

The sticker wall made us unpopular with workplace resources.

We all love a tidy studio.  But that doesn't mean it shouldn't look lived in. Detritus is good - signs of the places we've been, a few silly things, books to read and gear quick to hand.

Rule #3 - Make some noise
       
     
Rule #3 - Make some noise

Olly, Markus and Earl making some noise

I think there should always be music playing in the Studio. I used to switch it on first thing, before anyone else arrived (not least this also gave me a window of playlist power, before the complaints started)  It helps the work, and gives a feel to the place. By removing the quiet hum, it also encourages talk and laughter.

Rule #4 - Work up. Work out.
       
     
Rule #4 - Work up. Work out.

Icon studies behind Nicole's desk

This is a classic - learned from Rhys.  Always show work, no matter how crude, and get it up for everyone to see.  The walls and desks (occasionally floors) should be covered with work both archival and new.

 

Rule #5 - Eat together. Climb together. Be together.
       
     
Rule #5 - Eat together. Climb together. Be together.

Nicole doesn't seem to be concentrating fully.

Too many lunches are missed for meetings. But if you missed lunch - there's the waiting for the train, the ping-pong, the walk to the coffee - and increasingly, the surfing, climbing, drinking and drawing together.  The Studio exists outside its walls.