Book Review: Maker Spaces
Hello friends, I hope all is well and that you're having a lovely week thus far! It's time for my weekly book review, and yes, I'm trying to go for one each week for the rest of the year because I have so many nice books to share and I also want to continue pushing the printed page because despite the undeniable amazingness of the digital world, there is still nothing quite like a book in one hand, lemonade in the other, while laying on the beach or the patio in the warm sun. Oh yes please!
Today's book, Maker Spaces, is actually from a student of mine who is now teaching her own classes in London and is teaching through the pages of her own beautiful first book. It all happened so fast that she went from blogger to author, which I think inspires a lot of people to just jump in and start showing your best work online because it just could become a beautiful career path for you, too. And what a joy to see people who go for their dreams!
Maker Spaces, written by Emily Quinton and photographed by Helen Cathcart, opens the doors to the creative homes of 13 families who are makers for a living as jewelry and letterpress designers to illustrators and interior designers (and more). To inspire you today, here are some of my favorite photos from the book that haven't yet been seen online (so please feel free to pin them) and a little interview that I had with Emily about her book.
What inspired you to write a book? EQ: My life has been filled with books since I was a little girl and I always dreamed that one day mine would be up on the bookshelf too.
What is your background? EQ: I have an eclectic background that includes working in academic libraries, time researching and writing a PhD on Plant Hunting (sadly not finished) and working as a wedding and portrait photographer.
What do you do for a career today? EQ: I have designed my own career after realising that I wanted to stop photographing weddings. I wanted to build a career that I could fit around my large family (I have four children, all close in age) and one that I could grow over time. It is an ever evolving thing, which currently includes blogging, photography, teaching and making.
How did it happen that you got a book deal? EQ: I went to a fair with my very young baby and on the way, one of my buggy tyres burst. We were lucky to get a lift home with my friend and her husband, who had just started working at Ryland Peters & Small. We were chatting about my blog and he said that it sounded like a title of a book. I laughed and said how I would love to write a book someday. He went off and looked at my work online and came back and asked me to pitch a book idea. After that came what felt like a very long pitching and waiting process!
Why did you decide to write about creative spaces, your background is in wedding and portrait photography... EQ: I was really curious about the connection between making things and making spaces, and this book enabled me to explore these things with some very talented makers around the world. Making has become a very important part of my life over the past 8 years of being a mother. I have always led a creative life but pregnancy and motherhood really has made me feel so much more connected to my creative side. My husband is an artist and technologist and together we have made a very creative environment for our four children. In addition to this, the wonderful online communities and inspiring magazines and of course Pinterest have all brought so many ideas into my world and put making at the heart of my every day.
Did you style the rooms or photograph as you found them? EQ: No. The rooms were left as is (except for moving the occasional ugly thing, like a printer).
Will you photograph your next book? EQ: Yes, I really hope so! It was a huge compromise not to photograph this one but now that I have seen the whole process of researching, photographing and writing a book I have the confidence that I can do both the photography and the writing and will push for this to happen.
You recently opened a new studio space – tell us where it is and what you do there. EQ: My new studio space is in West Dulwich, in South London in an old industrial building with huge windows and so much natural light. I share it with my husband and we both work from there a few days a week. I run my photography workshops there and will soon be offering other creative workshops. I do photoshoots for clients there too. My husband also runs technology workshops there and we have lots of plans for how the Makelight Studio will grow and be used over time.
Thank you Emily!
This 175 page book is organized by style covering rustic, retro chic, homespun and eclectic. I really loved the living room and creative studio of Maartje van den Noort in Amsterdam, the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and dining area of San Francisco-based artist Kimberly Austin. If you have the book, which homes clicked with your own taste?
You can purchase this beautiful book here.
(photos with permission by Ryland Peters & Small, photography by Helen Cathcart)