This is a Contributed Post
When you are the creative traveler type, there are reams of inspiration coming to you from everywhere, but if you are someone who has to sit back and stop roaming the world on occasion, you need to make sure you have the same amount of inspiration coming into you from your home. This is when you need to set up a room in your house, or an area, that is inspiring and gets those creative juices flowing. So when it comes to setting up a space purely for the art of creation, what do you need?
A Spot That’s Not Too Distracting
It’s a fine balance, and it’s down to you as the person doing the creating, but if you are trying to focus and do some work, you need an area that isn’t too distracting but has enough to focus you back onto the work. There are people who say that clutter makes you more creative, but if you have too much clutter and you are too busy focused on the clutter, rather than the work itself, this is going to have a detrimental effect on your ability to create. So have an area that is clear enough, such as a corner desk, facing the wall, so you don’t have literature, art, and televisions within your peripheral vision, but when you are feeling dry, you can turn around, and look at…
The Space For Inspiration
To be continually creative, you need to get into the mindset of being able to absorb as much information as you can. It’s not about being constantly focused and trying to learn everything all of the time, because this won’t happen. Your brain will get tired, and you’ll just want to go to sleep. Instead, have your creative space as full as possible with little tidbits of information. From paintings to art books, to books of photographs, to a television in the corner that has the news playing, or just the radio on in the background playing different types of music. It’s all there to inspire you and to push you in directions that you wouldn’t have considered before. When it comes to being creative, you need to continually look for new angles, and this is what will get your juices flowing. On top of this, use your creative space as a study area when you’re not working. Take the opportunity to sit down and to open one of these books and flick through it, and also use the time effectively to watch documentaries on the television, especially through services like Netflix, which has an abundance of information on something you wouldn’t have necessarily considered to be essential to your work before. So this means you need a good quality streaming service to cut down on the incessant buffering, and while there are so many internet suppliers that can deliver the goods, only at Suddenlink can you get a provider to ensure that all your devices are running to speed. So, if you’re looking to absorb as much information as possible, you can have the TV on a streaming service, but also have something going on your laptop, and your tablet, as well as your smartphone. Meaning you are absorbing as much as possible. It’s important to make the most of the streaming services, as well as what’s out there on the internet to imbibe as much inspiration as possible.
Make It Comfy (But Not Too Comfy)
It all depends on your work ethic. Some people need to be comfy in order to work, but others need to be uncomfortable. It all depends on your specific type of work, but if you’re working for long stretches, like 12 hours or more, it’s important for you to have in your creative space, suitable furniture. If you have enough space, you could set up a table and chair in one corner, but a couch on the other corner. So, if you are the type of person who works in bursts, but then needs to rest, this gives you convenience all in one room. If you’re feeling tired, you can just hop on the couch for a quick nap, and get back up to the desk and continue working. On the other hand, you might require space in which to pace back and forth, so ideas can form, in which case it’s best to make your space as spare as possible. Utilizing shelving, and having enough floor space to pace around, is vital. And comfort isn’t just in a physical sense; it’s about feeling mentally comfortable, so your mind is relaxed enough in which to create new and exciting ideas. This means that as well as keeping your space as inspiring as possible, it’s about making sure that your room lets the light in. And when it is night time, making sure that the room has enough brightness for you to concentrate, especially if you’re working at 3 in the morning, this means having bright lamps, but also during the day, ensuring that you’ve got enough light coming in through the window. If you’ve got a small office with a small window, it’s not always conducive to creativity, so you need to start thinking more about what is going to help you in this respect. It’s all about nurturing your creative juices, nobody else’s. So, to an extent, you know what works best for you, but if you are at that point where you are feeling dry and bereft of inspiration, it’s time to bring more vitamin D into your life. The creative process can be torturous, but the more stimuli you have to get your brain working, from vitamin D to the right diet, to inspiring pieces of arts and music, it all will coagulate to form something positive.
Making a creative space is vital for any person who has to get ideas out of their brain. It’s great if you can go out and observe the world, but, by the same token, you need to come back and make the most of your home space to fully form these ideas. It’s a delicate balance to get right, but when you’re trying to set up a creative space in your home, follow your instincts, make sure you are focused on the task at hand, and make it conducive to your working methods.
