It is lovely being in the studio with other schoolmates. There, you could meet the most extraordinary students, who could inspire you or possibly put you in a slump when you make the mistake of comparing their works with yours.

Studio time could be a wonderful harmony of scissors slashing through pattern papers, the sound of the machine foot running on fabrics, and the roaring of the over-locker in addition to a few comments and giggles here and there. Fashion peace comes to mind at moments like these but unfortunately, not everyone works quite well with others...

Like the saying goes “There is always that one person.”

5. The Socialite.

They did not come to work, they came to socialize and what better place for them to do this than an open studio, where their fellow classmates are working hard on their assignments or projects.

No matter what they do, it is in the loudest way; whether they are walking into the room letting the door slam behind them, talking, or laughing. You know they are present and most of the time complaining about everything. There’s always that student, teacher, boyfriend, or friend to talk about. It gets worse when there are two different groups, with their voices clashing as each one of them rattle on for the limelight.

It’s great you are having a good time, believe me, I want to be happy for you, but come on, even though it is an open studio, it is there for students to get work done, sokeep the socializing to a minimum. You can go max outside; be considerate.

4. The Machine Napper.

You know who you are.

They snip the machines in two different ways:

1. They see that the machine is threaded, but decide for themselves that they could take your thread out of the spool pin and replace it with theirs. And when you notice and confront them, the replies are always similar to; “Oh, I didn’t see any thread here.”

2. The second way is even more tragic, they claim not only the machine but everything with it; your thread, your bobbin and your foot, was also missing when they began sewing. Yes, Parsons does not supply these supplies for their students. I have witnessed a few fights over these said machine parts and have also been a victim.

3. Table Grabber.

At parsons, each student is entitled to one table for as long as they are present. They can be gone for a while, as long as they are back in 30 minutes, fair enough right?

However, table grabbers feel privileged to get a table and are confident that the table will still be available for them after they left the table and came back from a three hour lunch, expecting their table to wait for their return. And when the table is taken by somebody else, they revolt. The 30-minute rule does not apply to them and they do not want to share the table, they want it all. I often wondered if they really did know that every student was paying the same tuition fees, so everybody has the right to the table they are demanding to be theirs.

2. The Panicky.

They are running out of time and in a state of apprehension. Nobody wants to get involved, but it is quite difficult not to, when it comes to sharing space in the studio. With each wrong moved they make, they are getting provoked and almost looking for a victim to lash out in anger.

You are bound to come into contact with one another, as a result there is tension in the room; almost absolute silence, the worse kind of environment to work in.

1. Space Squeezer.

And what is more terrible than having limited space to work in, when you had the whole table to begin with, but you then felt the need to share that space to desperate fellow schoolmates. Now you are cramped to one side trying to share a table with this person that has somehow taken more than half the table and you can’t complain because you weren’t forced. You invited them yourself; stuck at the edge.

I’ll admit it, I have had my moments of being like every character described above and it is almost embarrassing thinking back to those instances, as I observe other people behave the same way. Everybody likes working in a stable environment so why ruin it?