5 Ways To Make Your Creative Space More Conducive to Writing
Some may call it a studio, others may call it an office, and still others may simply call it their kitchen table. Regardless of where you go to write at home, you want to have a place that encourages you to write at your best. In general, writers perform best when they are in a calm, reasonably lit environment where they can be full of energy and produce their best works without distraction. Here are five tips you can use to make sure your personal writing space is giving you everything you need to finish your next piece of art.
Location
First and foremost, you want to have a place that you can dependably retire to in order to get the creative juices flowing. Many writers enjoy going to cafes or outdoor locations such as parks, beaches, etc., but there is something to be said for having your own oasis right in the comfort of your own home. The physical location within your home might be a spare bedroom where guests rarely visit, or perhaps a loft or a section of a finished basement.
There are obviously no strict rules when selecting the location of your creative space, but you want to make sure that you can have easy access with everything in order. When inspiration strikes, you want to have everything ready to go so that you can get in the flow as fast as possible. This brings us to the next point.
Setup
Not dissimilar from a cook’s often-discussed mise en place, there is a load of benefit for having everything ready to go for writing at any time of the day. If you write on a computer, this means having a keyboard and word processor ready to go at a moment’s notice. If your computer takes seemingly forever to boot up, you might have lost your train of thought by the time you actually get to writing. Consider decluttering your computer or upgrading to a more dependable model if necessary.
If you’re a bit more old-fashioned, or you just like the feel of some good-old pen and paper, this would mean having a notepad and your favorite pen ready to go at a moment’s notice. Make sure you have plenty of lighting, a comfortable seat, and anything else you might need to be comfortable, productive, and ultimately to get the job done.
Ambience
Once you have your location picked out and your setup in place, the final touches should focus on creating an ambience that will really help you keep your peace of mind. Visually calming aesthetic touches can be incredibly soothing, and can give your eyes something to focus on while your mind wanders into the depths of creativity. If your home has a fireplace, for example, this can be a great focal point for a writing room. These days, electric fireplaces can be a fantastic alternative without breaking the bank or remodeling your home. If this sounds like a good solution, you can check out Tim Arnolds’ detailed guide to find the best electric fireplace for your creative space. Other alternatives can include dancing lights, candles, small waterfalls, etc. Paintings can be a great way to improve the visual ambience, provided they are not too distracting to keep you from working.
In addition to visual ambience, you can also experiment with audible ambience. Plenty of writers love writing to music, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be music in the traditional sense. You can also try soundtracks or field recordings such as rain forests, ocean waves, or city sounds.
One final type of ambience that may be worth looking into is sensory ambience in the forms of aromas. This can be accomplished with essential oil diffusers, burning incense, aromatic candles, or even something as basic as fresh flowers. Giving yourself something beautiful to smell can certainly help you get in touch with all that is good in life, and give you everything you need to keep the creativity at maximum output.
So what do you think, do you find these tips for designing your creative space helpful? What are your favorite tips for making your creative space your true space of productivity? Let us know in the comments, we’d be very happy to hear from you.
Thanks for reading and happy writing!