A Quick Switcheroo
Posted by terrepruitt on December 16, 2020
A couple of months ago (already) I asked my hubby if I could make some permanent changes to the house. I wanted to hang curtains in the middle of our house so I could use them as a backdrop for my classes I teach via Zoom. I feel somewhat odd having our stuff as a backdrop when I am teaching. It also seems a little easier for people to see me when there is a plain background, and stuff is not competing for the eye. Some people get distracted by so much stuff in the background. I love having a home “studio”. Granted I am not a big fan of having the curtains up all the time and having to constantly move a lot of furniture. And, I am thinking I am not alone in the sense that we never get away from work because our homes are our offices/studios. But I do really like having a more “studio” LOOKING place with a plain backdrop and not our entertainment center and/or closet.
Laughing because photo was not taking when I pressed button!
The cats’ cat tower is still a part of the studio setting except now, when the Christmas tree is in that spot. But I am not going to move the tower daily. It is a home studio after all and people seem to understand.
We hung the curtains with a curtain hanging wire. In regards to curtains, I need something LONG and light (in weight) so I couldn’t buy drapes. I also didn’t want to spend as much as drapes cost. I also couldn’t find drapes that were just plain off-white or white. I ended up buying shower curtains. They are not plastic, but not entirely fabric. They are light and easy to tie up. They are long enough, but I need three to cover the space.
I’ve gone back and forth on whether to use the rings that came with the curtains or the hooks with clips that came with the wire. I like the rings because they fit through the rivets and the curtains hang nicer. It is easier to move the rings past the holder in the middle of the wire. But then I decided I wanted to use the hooks with clips so I ordered more hooks with clips, but the ones I purchased (that look somewhat similar to the ones that came with the wire) are sideways. So that doesn’t work. Plus I am experiencing the hooks come off the wire if there is any lift in the curtain (like when opening it or closing it) and when the curtain is tied back the hooks get all tangled. I am sure it looks odd with one curtain having white rings and the other two having hooks, but . . . . that’s the way it is for now.
It’s a quick switcheroo from living room to studio, I have to move furniture around, but I had to do that anyway. Setting up the monitor is much easier now because I have it on a rolling stand. So I don’t have to lift it off the floor and put it on the table all the time. Not a fan of having the monitor and all its cords as a permanent fixture in the living room, but . . . I AM a fan of being able to teach!!!
I am really happy to be able to be teaching through all of this. I have a great group of students that have been very consistent since we started Zooming. They are amazing. They show up every week and are very understanding when there are technical glitches . . . mine, theirs, whomever’s. We have fun.
I feel the home studio is better for students and I really appreciate my husband allowing me to take over yet another room in the house! Still amazing me, the stuff we are all doing at this time.
Have you had to create a home office or a studio? What did you do? What is your background?
Terre Pruitt's Blog 
Alien Resort said
A shower curtain is an innovative idea.
LikeLiked by 2 people
terrepruitt said
Thanks. It was kind of the “necessity is the mother of invention” thing. Because curtains nowadays are made with those huge rings so they can just slide on a pole. So to get anything other than that it is a “drape” or it is WAY expensive. As I had mentioned, whatever I used has to be light because it is hanging on a wire. And I knew I would need more than one so that adds to the weight. There really was no other affordable option. 🙂 Plus . . . with the material not being like a curtain it helps (I hope, I think) it not attract the cat hair. Our cats don’t do well staying on one side or the other (ha!), so they are constantly going back and forth during my class!
LikeLiked by 2 people