So more than a few years ago, my husband and I moved from a 2,000 square foot home in the country to an urban upstairs duplex apartment above my in-laws. At first it was a big change. We had a baby on the way and our new “digs” hadn’t been touched since 1970. We had to tear out some walls, put in new floors, basically - update EVERYTHING. So I’ve decided that sharing my past success and a few failures of small scale living can be an adventure all on its own.

But I want this to be more than just how to organize stuff into really small spaces….I’ve come to the realization that small home living doesn’t have to be sparse or minimalist. If something HAS to have a job in my house, then I think it can also be charming. I don’t have room to decorate, so useful things that are in use around the house have to be smart and attractive; hence, “The Charm Offensive”

Downsizing?? So how is it done?
Well, you have to decide what’s really important and what’s just fluff.
My previous kitchen was 14’ wide x 20 feet long. I had endless countertops and was overflowing with cabinet space (because the large laundry room was outfitted with an entire kitchen’s worth of cabinets too) I owned a large serving dish for EVERY holiday. No big deal when you have tons of space.
But now I have a very small kitchen that has a whopping 6’ of working countertop and all the extra dishes and novelty decor has had to go. While I miss some of those things, I do notice that I spend a whole lot less time cleaning and arranging. The payoff is huge.

Smart furniture purchases has helped us conserve space and utilize it to the max. There are tons of easy to do projects coming that are geared toward doing two important things: doing their job well and doing it with charm and class. Everything has to be both useful AND charming.

So Im looking forward to creating the Urban English Cottage in the city. Join me as I go about all the new projects that are going to make this little house a big home.
–Laura Swink Fine Art 2019

One of my favorite artists, Brian Rutenberg  has a video blog on being an artist. His lofty words and outlook on the profession are really a guilty pleasure of mine, I try not to miss a new video when it comes out. 

And much to my astonishment, he spoke one day on how much bad artwork he actually makes - cut to video of him CUTTING UP A CANVAS! This for me was shocking, seriously, he paints on custom built Belgian linen canvases that are twice primed…and then the sheer amount of thick paint he uses leaves me to wonder exactly how much cold hard cash is used to make these treasures of his ONLY to see him routinely cutting one up and retiring it to the trash. 
I. Was. Gobsmacked.

It was at this point, I realized, I’m not alone.
​I sweat over my work and some days I think I’ve got it only to be gravely disappointed in it only a few hours later. It’s tough, you want it to be perfect every time and only some pieces you can classify as “magical” - - - that piece that everyone wishes they owned, everyone shares, everyone re-pins, etc.

It just doesn’t happen that way. Some days you look at yourself in the mirror and wonder why you keep going back for more punishment. No matter how much energy you put into it, it just keeps coming up wrong.

It has taken me a long time to realize that not only is destruction a part of the process of painting - making really bad work is also a part of it. It doesn’t always teach you something, some days it feels so random, some days it feels like you have no skill. One can really beat oneself up over it.

The most important part of this, tho - - the making of bad art, is a natural of the process, and it seems, may even be important to your development. You destroy it so as not to remember but its imprint is still there in your later work. It’s all one, and it’s all to be embraced.