If you have been doing fun art projects for a while, you might slowly find that you need a little more space in your home. The materials and medium you are using are starting to take up more room.
This can be even more important for people who are moving into a creative profession or starting their own creative business.
Some creatives need to have silence and others need loud music and bright colors – the great thing about creating a personal artistic space is that you can take it any direction you like.
Why do you need a dedicated creative space?
Most homes are made up of a few dedicated spaces. The kitchen, the bedroom, the living room – they’re all destined for specific things. But when it comes to having somewhere to create – do those spaces give you the inspiration and joy that you need in order to create?
Perhaps not.
A dedicated creative space, however, you can customise this place with as many configurations, characteristics, and quirks as you want. The most crucial aspect of this is having a dedicated location where you can develop, be creative, and be free.
There are numerous advantages to devoting time, attention, and even some financial resources to building a dedicated creative area at home. While inspiration is the primary purpose, it isn’t the only benefit of having a dedicated creative space.
A creative space is better for your productivity! If you want to go deep into a piece of work, then an area with closed doors and no distractions offers that possibility.
You’ll have less justification not to be productive if you have a creative place in your own home. It’s so easy to use and personal that you may be effective even if you don’t realize it.
Reflection upon your work is an essential part of the process. When the work has been completed, you can sit back for a while and take it all in. Is it how you pictured it? Does it speak to you? Would you want to change anything about it?
The ability to reflect quietly is a vital part of producing your best work.
Noise
Some creatives like to be surrounded by the noise of others. It helps them to feel a connection to the world around them. Others need to have silence with either nature or their own choice of music playing in the background. Getting into the zone with your art takes many forms.
Most often, though, whether you enjoy noise or not, it is essential to think about where the room you choose is positioned in the house. And, do you want to create with the others in the home? Children love to be creative!
Natural Light
If you work with color, you want them to look as accurate as possible. This means that natural light is one of the most beneficial things that you can have in your dedicated creative space.
While many creatives like to channel their inner classical creator and work in the dark or by candlelight, most people prefer not to have eye strain late into the evenings. They want to see their work progress, see the actual colors and work in a bright and light environment.
It can be essential to keep the walls light too, often white painted walls or light wallpaper is the best option to keep it light!
Only dressing the windows with light voiles is perfect for getting as much light for the most hours in the day. It will softly diffuse the light through the room and offer some level of privacy too.
As the evening draws in, rather than switch to a warm-toned bulb, there are many daylight replicating bulbs that can elongate your working hours if you choose to.
Comfort
You have the opportunity to make the dedicated creative space as comfortable as you like. If you have a larger room, you might choose to have a larger sofa or chaise lounge. Creative pursuits can be exhausting when you are channeling your emotions into your work.
Or if you are on a client deadline. You might not want to leave the space that you have created. When you step out of the room, you lose the flow you were in.
If you have a space that isn’t based within the home, but perhaps an outbuilding – then you must consider how you will keep warm in the winter months. And equally, if you need to have some industrial ventilation installed. If you work with chemicals, glue, and other strong-smelling substances, it is good to ensure that you have the proper ventilation.
When you consider different pieces for the room, it must give you some joy when you look at the item. Having furniture that makes you happy makes this space one that you can soak up every drop of inspiration.
Organization
Working in a chaotic environment is some people’s idea of heaven. Paint brushes, pots of paint, notes, or canvas laid all over the floor. However, it is always a good idea to ensure that you have a wide range of storage available for your tools.
If you sell your creative products, it is good to make sure that you have a filing system somewhere in the room. For tax purposes, the neater this is, the better it will be for you in the long run.
Make sure that you label all of the storage boxes so that when you need a tool, bead, or specific color, you can grab them nice and quickly.
Before you start putting all of your items away into the storage, it is a good idea to pay attention to how you move around the room. This will give you some key indicators as to where the tools or materials should go. For example, if you reach for mechanical pencils constantly, that is something that should be on or near your desk or workspace at all times.
Having waste paper baskets is going to be a must too. Cleaning your workspace correctly at the end of every session or project will be an essential part of maintaining the creative space that you want to be in.
Inspiration
Where does your inspiration come from, and how can you incorporate it into your work in this dedicated creative space?
If you often pull inspiration from music, it is good to have some speakers that can play your favorite music. However, if you draw inspiration from nature but don’t have a great view from your window, artwork on the walls can provide a great solution.
Your creative space should feed your inspiration so that you can give and take in the room. Many people find that the faces of the people they love like friends and family can get through moments of things like writer’s block, or when they can’t see which color should make it to the canvas yet.
You are looking to add in anything that brings you joy, makes you smile, or evokes some sort of emotional response from you. This is what will give you a big dose of happy hormones and enable you to tackle even the biggest of creative projects.
Often, there are quotes from other creatives that we can find comfort in, or that we naturally feel inspired by. Having these within the eyeline can also remind us why we are creating.
Extension of you
The dedicated creative space is an extension of you and what you do. Which means it should look and feel like the artwork that you already produce. The rest of the rooms within your home do need to be catered for everyone – and sometimes they can be more difficult to add to your personality too.
The dedicated creative space should be organized and decorated in a way that brings you peace and joy. Enough for you to feel your creative sparks fly when you step into it.
Fluidity
If you paint large canvases, for example, it is essential that you flow through the room, around the canvas, and that perhaps the canvas can be moved to where you want to.
Having a space that allows you to move your body means that you will enjoy the full extent of creativity and movement. Art and other creative pursuits are often used for therapy and can help us work through a whole range of emotions and happenings in our life.
Moving your body when you need to or simply dancing around the burn on any excitable energy before you get to work on your creations can be of great use.
A dedicated space for creating can give you privacy, peace, joy and allow you to explore your creative abilities fully. Once the room is arranged to facilitate how you work, you might find that adding more creative pursuits to your repertoire becomes easier. The space is ready to be manipulated and used as you see fit.
Are you currently exploring which creative pursuits might suit you best? This excellent post can help! Four Creative Hobbies To Take Up This Year.