The fine art of Havelock live/work

What dark forces compelled you to move to a live/work unit?

A combination of Gordon Brown’s economy and an iconoclastic nature.

Did the term live/work mean anything to friends and family or did describing your new home/studio entail tedious explanations?

When I was living in west London I spoke to a planner from the council and he’d never even heard of live/work, but having said that I had no prior knowledge of live/work either. As an artist I was familiar with artists living in warehouse spaces and things like that - my friends are artists as well and they’d never heard the term ‘live/work.’ I was introduced to live/work by this property. 

How long have you been based there and how long do you plan to stay live/working?

Since 2000, and I hope to stay here forever. I can’t imagine leaving - it’s been fantastic. It’s functioned perfectly for me.

What attractive features did your unit have to offer? For example, floors, walls, plumbing, a roof...?

It was London and it was affordable! We didn’t have electricity or gas – there were no mod cons! It was just basically that it was affordable and I could work where I was living.

What extras have you added to make it functional, comfortable and easy on the eye?

I’ve installed a kitchen, put in access to the roof and replaced an enormous concrete staircase with a spiral staircase to save on space. I’ve basically made it liveable – when I first moved in I had to get a commercial mortgage because it wasn’t seen as a property that could be lived in.

What motivates you to start and stay working each day (or night)?

That I’ll get it right today.

How long does it take to reach your studio in the morning and what mode of transport do you use?

My helicopter. My bed is at the end of the studio so you’d have to measure that in nanoseconds.

Do you ever find work takes a back seat to valuable conflicting interests like going back to bed, watering the plants or staring out the window?

I imagine the struggle is the same for any artist whether they have a live/work or a separate studio or they’re working out of their home. Your motivation and your ability to stay on course is 50 per cent of the project. I’ll quit when I’ve figured this out, but I haven’t figured it out yet! 

Do you ever feel slightly cut off from the rest of the world or is that an advantage in your line of work?

I feel much more engaged living on a street of artists than in places I’ve lived previously - it’s a really vibrant community here with a real shared ethos.

What do you miss about the more conventional home/studio divide?

Nothing whatsoever! I’d never live in a traditional home again.

On what terms would you contemplate a return to the other side?

Only if it was an enormous property that had two studios and servants – someone’s got to clean and do the gardening!

To see Elizabeth's work and that of the other Havelock Walk artists visit www.havelockwalk.com