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Exercises & Ergonomics in Your Studio

Article Table of Contents

 Complete article is 6 pages - $6
  • Exercises to Perform
    • Flexor Exercises for the Hand
    • Extensor Exercises for the Hand
  • What Best Suits Your Body
  • Ergonomics Begins with:
    • Neutral Position
    • Your Chair
    • Your Desk / Work Surface / Ironing
      • Board (Sitting)
      • Keyboard Height
      • Computer Monitor
      • Cutting Table / Ironing Board (Standing)
  • Lighting
  • Additional Sources on Ergonomics

Summary:

excerpt…

Keyboard Height

…One of the biggest misconceptions is that people need wrist rests when they're typing. The wrist rests encourage the user to believe their wrists should rest on top of the padded surface when, actually, wrists should be up in the air with only the fingertips touching the keyboard. Resting one's hands on a surface while typing slows down your typing speed, encourages inaccuracies, and, increases your susceptibility to carpal tunnel syndrome or repetitive wrist injury…

Computer Monitor

…Neutral position for the monitor screen is directly in front of you and 18"-30" away…

When you look straight ahead, your eyes should see just below the top of the monitor

If you wear bifocals, you may need to…

Sets of exercises provided by a physical therapist for you to do; the problems you can encounter by NOT paying attention to ergonomics; an explanation of neutral position and using it to determine your proper measurements for all the furniture and equipment in your studio; how to solve lighting issues; and, books and websites with relevant information.

excerpt…

Exercises—POST these!!

  • Arch your back and hold for a count of 5; repeat this 10 times
  • If you've been at your desk looking down, look up at the ceiling for a count of 5; repeat this 10 times
  • If you've been looking to the left or right, look in the opposite direction for a count of 5; repeat 10 times
  • While standing, don't bend over from the waist; squat down to pick it up and then rise up using your leg muscles instead of your back muscles. Bending over from the waist won't hurt the first few times, but the continued habit of bending from the waist will add to the stresses and tears in your body tissue until one day you bend over to pick up a dust…

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Kathy Davie is an artist, educator, and author of the arts marketing series, Your Portfolio & You, aimed at helping artists survive (and thrive) at the business of being an artist.

As a self-taught artist, Kathy was frustrated by the lack of information on taking her career to a more professional level while meeting legal guidelines and learning about legal hiccups. Her drive for information fueled her to interview numerous professionals and compiled the information into a monthly news column. She now leads workshops and is converting the news columns into this continuing series of how-to books.

Kathy has a BS in Technical Writing & Editing with minors in Digital Media and History from Metropolitan State College, Denver, CO and is the author of Accounting for the SMALL Businessperson, How Copyright Applies to the Artist, the Buyer, the Employer/e, the Sold Artwork, Dealing with Photographs, Slides, Digital Images, and Surviving the Outdoor Arts Festival.

Visit her writing or arts websites or reach her by email.