How much creativity can be produced within one co-working space? Plenty, if you consider that this personality-packed workspace — courtesy of illustrator, art director, and artist Will Bryant — is within a stone’s throw of the desk of Kate Bingaman-Burt, an illustrator who gave us a look around her office digs just last month. Get a new perspective on their shared studio (also the headquarters for three other illustrators/designers) in this newest tour from Portland, Oregon.

Tell us a little about yourself and your background. I am an easygoing, light-hearted Southern gentleman with a knack for goofing around. I work as an independent illustrator, art director, and artist in Portland, Oregon. As an artist I work in sculpture, events, drawing, painting, and printmaking.

I grew up in a small town in East Texas playing sports, trying to charm my neighbors, and obsessing over Michael Jordan. My family is all from Mississippi, so I spent summers there and eventually attended Mississippi State University. I had no clue what graphic design was or that I was going to major in it. I am very fortunate that Kate Bingaman-Burt, long-time friend and mentor, was starting out her teaching career there. She, among other faculty members, had a huge impact on me. Being in a secluded Southern town with very few design agencies and resources, I developed the ability to display my personality on the internet. I made friends! (Not in real life, but was in dialogue with contemporary designers and illustrators.) I was making piles of work and trying to figure out what I wanted to do.

I began throwing themed dance parties under the persona “The Hooded Deer,” which brought together an amazing community. What started as a DIY house party quickly exploded into a collaborative production with a huge stage and professional lighting and sound. It was an over-stimulating, excessively visual bombardment of positive energy and healthy dancing. It was about sharing music, having a positive attitude, and creating the opportunity for people to have a good time, frat brothers and art students alike.

After graduating, I married my childhood sweetheart and we moved to Austin, Texas. There, I expanded my style and voice at Public School, a studio composed of designers, illustrators, and photographers. For almost three years I learned about the business side of freelancing and worked on numerous collaborative projects with some amazing folks.

In 2011, we moved to Portland so I could pursue an MFA in Contemporary Art Practice and teach alongside Kate at Portland State University. For two years I immersed myself in unfamiliar territory (Contemporary Art) and tried to once again find myself, but in a new way. I tried to experiment, absorb, and challenge myself in this new territory. What I discovered was that there isn’t much distinction between my work and me as a person. At first I thought of having a split studio practice of commercial work and exhibition work. But it’s not really split; it’s mashed together, blurring the lines between the two.

My work stems from Push Pin Studios, Space Jam, Memphis Group (especially Sottsass & Shire), Saul Steinberg, Pee Wee’s Playhouse, Geoff McFetridge, Andy Warhol, Talking Heads, and Hannah Barbera/Looney Tunes cartoons. Lately, I’ve been into the work of Matt Connors, Brian Bress, Julia Dault, Wendy White, Alex De Corte, Ben Medansky, and Anna Lomax.

I have just completed my MFA, so what’s next? I am easing back into full-time freelance work and will also continue teaching and working on personal projects (in and around the art world). I hope to do more installations, pattern-based projects, and sculptural work.

Tell us about your studio space. What’s the aesthetic? What do you like or dislike about it? My space, aka “Will’s World,” has beautiful light, high ceilings, and great energy from wonderful people. The aesthetic is a “controlled color blast hyper field”—think Pee Wee meets Jock Jams meets the trippy star gate scene from “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

In response to my space, my friend Nicole said, “I am looking inside your head, or your inbox, or your bookmarks folder: this is perfect!” There’s a lot happening on the walls, but my desk is relatively clean. Everything has a place. My wall is covered with inspiring things that other people have made and some things I have made. At Public School, I had it mostly tucked in flat files or in boxes. Now it exists above my head as constant hovering confetti. It makes me so very happy! What would I change? I am planning on investing in an even nicer task chair and would eventually like to replace the desk itself with a custom table with brightly powder-coated legs from my talented friend Eric Trine.

My secondary space is at my home — upstairs next to my wife’s office. I have a beautiful George Nelson Swag Leg Desk that I use for reading, correspondence, and drawing (no India ink!). There’s not as much personality going on up there, but I’ll likely make some changes since I am finished with school.

How long have you worked from home? I’ve been working from home in some form or another for the past 14 years. I’ve stolen hours where I can find them in between sleep and my various day jobs, so home has always been a continuous place of work.

Tell us a bit about your work? I wear a lot of hats around here including graphic designer, painter, boss lady, blogger and interiors consultant. By day I’m a Senior Lead Product Designer at Yahoo! and in all my in-between hours I’m running the studio here producing work for personal clients. Most of my fine art clients reside in New York, San Francisco, London and Sydney with work in both private and corporate collections. Graphic design clients include Taschen, GOOD Magazine and design shops like Rare Device and Renegade Handmade. I produce a wide range of products like interactive user interfaces, paintings, illustrations, logos, and infographics.

How big is your work space? The loft is 2200 square feet on the ground floor where most of the work occurs. Larger art pieces are transported in through the heavy double wooden doors. The living area upstairs has been deemed a no work zone.

Is there any form of technology that really inspires you? I’m a bit old school. Blank paper and canvas still get the best response out of me because that’s where all my ideas start. Technical drawing pencils also get me excited. But if I had to pick a newer item, I’d definitely say high-end audio headphones. I’m a bit of a collector and audiophile when it comes to them and the bigger the better. I love headphones where the modern components are hidden inside retro looking shells.

What desk accessory can’t you do without? My orange flip clock. I can hear the gears grinding and it keeps me on task. It’s a stunning bit of machinery and always gorgeous to look at. When the days and nights blur together as I obsess over another project, it reminds me where and when I am.

Do you have any tips for organizing a home work space? I live and work in basically a large rectangular box. If something is out of place or disorganized you notice it pretty quickly. To stay organized means knowing my limits when it comes to how much I can store. The loft has no built in storage so supplies are kept to the level of what’s necessary to complete the job. Paintings are often hung to maximize the immense wall space and serve as a gallery display when clients come over for viewings. I also tend to group and organize items by colour so that they give the appearance of being part of a related group. My biggest secret is that my vintage lunch box collection serves double duty as a filing system for important papers and business receipts. Finding creative ways to keep organized allows me to keep the space from getting too cluttered.