Share Your Space: Libby Zay & The Scout Project

I love looking at people’s workspaces, don’t you? Today, let’s take a look at The Scout Project creator Libby Zay’s cozy studio. Her Baltimore-based office is full of interesting objects that all have their own story!

Libby and I are working on a series of studio visits with different Baltimore artists and illustrators. We’re kicking this all off with sharing our respective spaces. Here’s what Libby has to say about hers:

The Scout Project is a merit badge program for curious people of all ages. Basically, I provide badges that people can use as rewards when pursuing a new hobby or learning a new skill. I also maintain a blog that’s meant to inspire readers and encourage them to discover new things.

The office where I write is a funny space. To get to it, you have to walk through our bedroom. It’s not an uncommon setup in rowhomes, and it actually makes the space feel a little more private and quiet. There are two windows that overlook our tiny backyard.

My laptop travels around quite a bit. I work a lot at the kitchen table or on the couch, and sometimes escape to a nearby coffee shop. But most often, I work in here. This is also where I package up badge orders and keep inventory. The man in the newspaper clipping is my dad, who invented a coin counter in the 1980s called the “Ready to Roll.” We traveled to trade shows and fairs so he could sell it.

I love field guides and reference books, especially vintage ones. They always have the best illustrations! I used to live near The Book Thing, a warehouse in Baltimore full of donated books that are absolutely free. It was dangerous. I think my boyfriend, Raul, was relieved when we moved outside of walking distance.

Confession: these pennants are from eBay. I wish they had a cooler story, but I still love them. I’m from Ohio and now live in Baltimore. I have a lot of pride for both places.

The typewriter and most of this thread is my inheritance form my grandma on my mother’s side, who was a gifted seamstress. I have a few letters she typed on here stored away. One of them sternly tells me I should keep my room clean! The box with the stamps on it is a music box made by my paternal grandfather, who I called “Boppy.” He had a woodshop in his basement and he collected stamps and coins.

Inside the music box is a picture of Boppy and my grandma, plus a bunch of other random items (oh, there’s where all my chapstick has been hiding). Grandpa superglued a dime with the successive year on it for each year I’ve been alive. It looks like i haven’t added a dime since 2005; time to hop on that!

All of the badges are kept in this library card catalog that my dad gave me. I worked with an illustrator named Alyssa Nassner to create all of them, and am trying to work with topic experts to outline guidelines for each of them.