Back in April I posted about my new space in Portland, Maine. Check that out here. I knew I couldn’t let another day go by without photographing the studio because before you know it, this year is over. I didn’t pick the best morning light but I just had to take some pictures today.
This studio came into my life before I even really decided on where I wanted to live. I found an ad for this space on Craigslist while I was in Northern Maine last winter on a Wednesday night in January. The next day, I made contact with the owner to see if it was still available to come check out. It was so then I decided why not look for a house too. I hadn’t at that point considered living in Portland, Maine yet something just felt really right about it.
So, I went back to Craigslist and made several appointments to see condos. One in particular stood out to me that I was very excited to see.
The next day, my Mom and I drove 3 hours south to spend a day and night checking out Portland. The studio was the first place we checked out. The potential was huge, the construction was major. It felt really big to me as I had just relocated here and really didn’t know what was in store. Yet I just had this feeling about it . . .
Loved the street, loved the big windows . . .
We spent the rest of the afternoon canceling appointments and sitting in Coffee By Design taking in the local cafe crowd. We had to cancel a few viewings because I didn’t really know what areas to look for so I ended up making appointments in some sketch areas. Ooops. The condo I was looking forward to seeing was located in the West End of Portland, 4 blocks from the studio. We did a drive by and loved what we saw so we settled in with a coffee until it was our time to see the space. Here is a little history of Portland, Maine.
So, at 5pm that night, I walked in and knew that the condo was home. I wrote the check for the deposit that night and made the big decision to start my new East Coast journey in Maine. It all happened really fast and I wound up renting the studio as well. At first, I rented just my office space and then . . . I went for the whole second floor. It serves as a great meeting space, great shooting space and hopefully a space that I can share with other artists or even yogi’s in the future.
Over the past several months it has been a lot of work, very challenging and time consuming. I have had enormous help from my family and friends who have pitched in their time and labor to paint, scrub, shop, paint and paint and paint. 🙂
Here’s a virtual walk through of the space. And a little WAS and IS.
131 Spring Street, 2nd Floor : The old Ballard House which was a home of a natural birthing center and Birth Roots.
WAS
IS
WAS
IS
WAS
IS
WAS
IS
View to the 2nd floor from the 3rd floors staircase.
My office in black and white because it’s a hot mess.
View down to the entryway.
The bathroom on the 2nd floor.
The staircase that heads to the 2nd floor. Notice the tiles along the walls and stairs . . .
Each tile represents a baby that was born in the building.
The new Melissa Mullen Photography sign.
Leo, my pug . . . makes an appearance throughout. I was sort of photographing the space during his morning sun bathing treat time. 🙂 He loves it! Especially in the winter – the big room gets so much light . . . it’s amazing to walk in there in the morning after walking to work in the cold.
I’m sure a lot of people can relate to taking on a big project during your busy season . . . holy wow. It’s been a heck of an amount of work and I feel that it’s now time to party!! I haven’t made the official plan yet the idea has been discussed to have an open house. Will you come visit?!
Melissa, you have done so much since we were there in September. It is absolutely beautiful! I believe you have found your “happy place” in Maine. I can’t wait to come back to see it in person. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Love Brenda and Jeff
OMG melissa it is like a dream, it looks amazing it is sooooo freaking you!!
luv you sista!
Hey Melissa, Great work! You have really made the place your own. The new sign is perfect and happens to be my favorite shade of PINK! Wishing you lots of success…
LOVE, LOVE the sign! It is perfect! I remeber when you were telling me you were having one made, I love it! You will have to tell me who made it so I can share their talent! Can’t wait to organize your studio opening!
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