IN CECILIA'S STUDIO

Want some inspiration? Visit an artist in their studio. I've been making treks to the upper east side to hang out with my friend Cecilia Abs Andre in her art studio, which she shares with a friend.

It is a big deal for an artist, especially a female mom artist, to stake out time and space to do her work. So my hats go off to Cecilia for making her work as a painter a near-daily part of her life.

In addition to doing her own work, Cecilia also runs art classes for small groups of young people and also for adults. (For more info, call 917-892-6705).

It's so much fun looking in all the corners of the studio. Unlike a typical work space, where so much is tucked away in filing cabinets and drawers, Cecilia's studio is filled with all kinds of photos, scraps of papers and fabrics, tubes of paint, brushes, pencils and pens, mugs - all out for viewing. Somehow, the visibility of the materials takes away from the mystery of what it means to be an artist.

Last time I was there, I found a photograph of an amazing loft-like space. It turned out to be Cecilia's living and studio space in her homeland of Brazil. I loved hearing the story of how she designed the space and the life she fashioned for herself there.

What space can be more full of stories than the one where someone is creating on a daily basis?

Artists need company of friends and family. No one can create in pure solitude.

I encourage you to find an artist and go visit them!