A tour of my studio

🎨 In the garage, where I belong, no one hears me sing this song.

Did you know that 2024 marked the 30th anniversary of Weezer’s Blue album?

If that feels absolutely impossible to you, that makes two of us.

Weezer was my favorite band in high school when I was rockin’ the suburbs¹. And while their sophomore album, Pinkerton, has always been more my vibe (unpredictable, unhinged, filled with longing), I have a soft spot for the Blue Album for its cultural impact and nostalgia.

Me and some friends at the University of Miami in my dorm room, Spring 2002. Note my Weezer beanie and the Green album poster I prob got at Best Buy.

The other day, as I drove around Minneapolis with two car seats in the backseat, sprinkled with Goldfish crumbs, the song In the Garage came on Spotify².

As I was singing along to the lyrics, the chorus started to resonate with me in a new way:

In the garage, I feel safe.

No one cares about my ways.

In the garage—where I belong—

No one hears me sing this song.

As a professional creative, this is The Dream: a private place to write and sing and ponder and read and hoard little trinkets and tokens. A space no one can judge or watch you. Where you can safely process. Experiment. Tinker. Play. Make.³

Whether you’re working through a song, writing a poem, making a zine or flip book…it’s so important to have some type of space—big or small—where you can spread out your shit, turn up your headphones, and create. Away from peering eyes or judgmental ears.

As In the Garage played, I was struck with a swell of gratitude. Because as an adult, I have a place like this. This Room of My Own is my studio and it’s located in my backyard.

It’s a detached half art studio and garage that the previous homeowner (who was a ceramic artist) built. Brad uses the garage-half as a work bench and it’s filled with tools and scraps of wood.

I use the art studio-half as a writing space.

The two spaces are divided by a door and it makes me feel like Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Only healthier (and swap out the cacti for ice dams).

I use my studio as a writing space / office / workshop / craft room pretty much every day. It’s my happy place in every definition of the word.

EXT: ELYSES STUDIO ON A FREEZING JANUARY AFTERNOON

While Rivers Cuomo describes his “garage” as being filled with KISS posters, electric guitars, and 12-sided die, my studio houses all my books, journals, photos, tchotchkes, fancy pens, stickers, novelty mugs, paint, love notes. Basically all my favorite items, tools, and ephemera are stored in one beautiful, magical, sweet-smelling space. If you ever sent me so much as a postcard over the last 30 years, I guarantee you it’s in a box, tucked away in my studio.

Here’s a little tour…

As I mentioned, this detached garage/art studio combo was built before we purchased the house. But it was pretty empty other than the brick-colored tile floor and skylight. Here’s a non-extensive list of things Brad has done to the space:

• Painted it white

• Installed three storage closets

• Installed a whole row of built-in bookshelves

• Added a floating writing desk

• Added a bench and snack bar

If I were single, I’d honestly just live out here. The only downside is that it doesn’t have running water or a bathroom, which probably has helped keep me married, so there’s that. Here’s a bit more detail on the various parts of the space…

Work desk

Brad built me this work desk/worktop over 12 years ago. I showed him a photo of a similar product at Pottery Barn for like $12,000 along with the specs and in a few short weeks, he gifted me this baby. She’s gorgeous…and the perfect height for scrapbooking or gift wrapping. She has a butcher block top (which is now delightfully stained, nicked, and worn) with lots of cubbies below for books, candles, pens, and other items. The trim work is starting to need a touch-up, but I’ll bother Brad about that in the spring.

Writing desk

Brad built me this floating desk a few summers ago for my birthday, when I started working from home a lot more. While I love my work desk, this is where I do most of my writing and Zoom calling. The chair is wayyyy cozier and quieter than my rickety Restoration Hardware stools.

Built-ins + books + trinkets

My full wall of build-in bookshelves was built by…also Brad…he used some bookshelves from Ikea and finished them with beadboard and some fancy trim to elevate the look. He is HGTV personified and I am not mad about it.

Here’s a view from inside, facing the front door (basically the behind me view when I’m on Zoom calls).

Tools

My art closet houses all my art materials, ranging from various types of paper, adhesive, paint, oils, chalk, watercolors, scissors, ribbon, stamps…it’s a mishmash of stuff. Some of it I know how to use and some of it I’m too scared to touch. It’s sort of like the sale rack at a Paper Source. It’s majorly disorganized, but still pretty.

Snacks

This is my snack bar. I’m tempted to put some kind of Keurig or electric tea kettle out here, but since I don’t have running water, I’m not sure I’d even use it. I used to have a mini-mini fridge out here but it only held like 4 cans of Diet Coke at a time, and then I needed to use it for breastmilk in our bedroom and then it died. So yeah…maybe I’ll get another one some day.

Thanks to Brad and his craftsmanship (he built SO much of what makes this space both special and useful) and his generosity. Brad also works from home and built himself an office in the basement, but it’s no where near as special as mine (I call it his Incel Den)…and I feel grateful to have a partner who knows how important that space is to me.

The only downside? Now we can never move.

I can’t imagine not having this room of my own. My very own Elyse-ified “garage.”

1. Meaning, singing ‘West Side Story’ in Northern VA strip malls at 10pm completely sober.

2. Sometimes I like to listen to a randomized list of my starred/favorite songs and let that bitch rip.

3. I remember hearing The Beach Boys’ song In My Room in elementary school and feeling similarly.