Today we’d like to introduce you to David Borden.
Hi David, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I rediscovered visual art after the birth of my first child. She came into the world with profound, multiple disabilities. Drawing, painting, and printmaking gave me an outlet I desperately needed to cope with those difficult times. After she passed away shortly before her sixteenth birthday, I wrote an honest and raw graphic novel, “And yet we Rise,” about the experience of being the long-term caregiver and father to a truly amazing child. The world is so full of bad news and tragedy that I decided to find a way to be in the joy business… the business of helping people find happiness… and the vehicle for making that happen was art.
I had heard an interview on KUT many years ago with Mary Condon, the mayor of Florence, Texas. She talked about how Florence wanted to attract artists and create an art community. That interview always stuck in my mind. Now that I was looking for an affordable studio, I thought of Florence and eventually bought an abandoned service station off Main Street. It felt like an insane thing to do, and there were many times I wondered if I had made a terrible mistake… that this dilapidated building would become a millstone that would drown me.
It took two years to renovate the building, doing much of the work myself to save money (that’s a whole story unto itself). As I worked on the building, people would stop in from time to time and ask what I was going to do there. “Are you going to have classes and workshops?” Florence has a bar, great restaurants, gift shops, a farmer’s market, and such, but no businesses that provide activities.
That’s when it hit me: An art hub. That’s how I’ll get into the joy business. I’ll help artists find a home…
We held our Grand Opening on February 19, 2022. We had about 30 artists from Plein Air Austin, Plein Air Round Rock, and the Hill Country painters who came to do a “paint out” on Main Street and show their work in the studio/gallery. Local high school artists came out, too. The Chamber of Commerce did a ribbon-cutting with city leaders, friends, family, and local folks. Everyone was so excited to see this eye-sore turn into a beautiful art space.
It truly was an impossible dream come true.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
This biggest struggle was the building itself. It had been abandoned for about 15 years. As you can imagine, it was filthy, rotting, and suffering from electrical and plumbing issues. It took two long years to get it in shape. At one point, I thought I would open a cafe with the studio, but the building would be too expensive to retrofit to meet health kitchen inspection standards, so I scrapped that idea. The problem with art is that it doesn’t pay well and the profit margins are low when you factor in rent, materials, and time. It is hard to make a living exclusively selling art. However, I’ve decided to turn that obstacle into an advantage. When I was starting out, I couldn’t afford to rent studio space. The Impossible Dream Studio is available for creatives to rent the space at super low prices as a way for me to help others achieve their dreams. If you are a yoga teacher who’s outgrown your living room, or an artist, or other creative who needs to take your business to the next level, but you can’t afford that expensive lease, you can rent the space one day a week, month to month for $35 a day.
I want to create this hub of amazing artists. I want the space to be used everyday. By pricing rent so low, I hope to encourage people to take the plunge, show their work, sell their classes, workshops, art, cottage industry products, textiles, etc. This is how we get there. This is how artists help each other to get to the next level… and overcome not just my obstacle but theirs.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
In my art, I specialize in painting realism. I mostly work in oils, doing portraits and landscapes. I also paint a lot of birds. In addition to painting, I do block printing. That’s an old process of carving a block in wood or linoleum, inking it, and pressing it. I’m known for using that printing technique to make greeting cards. About 20 years ago, HGTV featured my block printing on a show called Crafters Coast to Coast, so I guess you could say I’m best known for that work, though I also sell a lot of portrait commissions. In addition to these creative works, I want to help other artists with their work by providing workshops, classes, and affordable space. I’d like to be known as the guy who helped other artists realize their dreams.
As an artist, I could never justify renting a space for a studio. Whenever I had an art show, I sold a lot of work, but never enough to justify the expense of a lease, which in Austin can easily cost between $1200 and $2500 per month. I wished I could rent a space, any space, even part-time, at a reasonable rate. That’s when the idea hit me. What if he could rent a space one day a week? That would be perfect. That’s when The Impossible Dream Studio, as an affordable rental space idea was born. This is a place not just for my dream but the dream of everyone who has a passion for their work.
There is so much talent in places like Florence. People just need an opportunity. I identify with the struggles of micro business owners because I was one for a long time. The Impossible Dream Studio is a place with low overhead, drastically reducing financial risk and providing a place for people to enter a market that was previously closed to them. Florence is also only minutes from Georgetown and about 45 minutes to Austin, so it should attract people who want to get out of the expensive cities and try their thing.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
I developed my online store, which is linked to my in-store point of sale system.
The pandemic also made me think about how to develop the outside space. I have this amazing service station canopy that provides shade all day. A breeze blows through, so no matter how hot it is, sitting on the front porch feels comfortable. I plan to make it an inviting garden patio for people to hang out, do art, and socialize without the worry of being in a closed environment.
Pricing:
- Studio / Shop rental space: $35 day, one day per week
- Studio / Shop rental space: $100 day for a one time event rental
- Hand printed greeting cards: $5 each
Contact Info:
- Email: david@impossibledreamstudio.com
- Website: https://www.impossibledreamstudio.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impossible_dream_studio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Grimfargle
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbZcOFd8jvtbKw5rmOjHHZQ
