I Started in Three Basements—Now I’m Opening My First Studio
From makeshift creative spaces to Studio Agnew’s first location in Howey-in-the-Hills—how every small corner shaped my creative journey.
6/10/20262 min read
Lately, I’ve been thinking about where creativity begins.
For me, it wasn’t in a beautiful studio. It wasn’t in a classroom, an office, or even a space designed for art.
It started in basements.
Not one basement—three.
The first was when I was six years old, taking oil painting lessons from a master oil painter. Somewhere between paint brushes, canvases, and the quiet patience of learning, creativity found me.
Then there was the basement in my childhood home—my first art desk tucked beside a pool table and laundry room. Nothing fancy. Just a small space carved out to make things.
And then there was my grandfather’s basement in Massachusetts, surrounded by stationery, printing samples, and the quiet conversations that shaped how I understood craft, detail, and care.
Looking back, I realize something: no matter where life has taken me, I have always found a way to carve out space to create—because I was born an artist.
A spare bedroom. Dorm rooms and art labs. Dining room tables, TV tray tables, and coffee tables in apartments. A boathouse. A house with a studio room. Another house with a studio room and garage space.
For years, creativity found me wherever there was room to make something—any corner, any table, any surface I could claim for a little while.
And now—a studio bedroom, garage workspace, and something I finally get to share...
On Monday, I receive the keys to Studio Agnew’s very first location.
This week marks the beginning of a new chapter as I step into Studio Agnew’s first dedicated creative space in Howey-in-the-Hills.
Located at 107 E. Central Ave., this space will become home to hands-on art classes, workshops, camps, and creative experiences for young adults, families, and adults throughout Lake County—a place rooted in storytelling, curiosity, creativity, and the belief that art should feel welcoming, approachable, and joyful.
Programming will begin this summer, with workshops, creative experiences, and our first camp, From Abstract to Story: Summer Art Camp, rolling out soon.
And somehow, after all these years of creating in borrowed corners and makeshift studios, it feels surreal to finally have a place designed for creativity to grow.
Howey-in-the-Hills feels like the perfect place for this next chapter—a small town where people can slow down, make something with their hands, and reconnect with creativity. From the studio, I can even catch glimpses of Little Lake Harris down the street—a quiet reminder that inspiration often lives in slower places.
The spaces changed. Life changed. But the need to create never left.
And now, I get to share that love of making with everyone who walks through the studio doors.
Looking back, it feels fitting that Studio Agnew’s first location didn’t begin with a grand plan—it unfolded naturally, one creative space at a time.
It began in basements.
Follow the Creativity
107 East Central Ave., Howey-in-the-Hills, FL 34737
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