How to Set Up a Creative Workspace
I have a theory that creative people tend to need a lot of space. Whether you have a collection of art supplies, musical instruments, poetry notebooks, or cool dance moves, you need some room to play. As artists, it’s important that we have space in our physical environments to explore and express our creativity.
If you have a dedicated art studio or writing room, wonderful! If not, though, don’t worry. There are still plenty of ways to set up a creative workspace in a smaller home. I would recommend finding a dedicated space somewhere in your home, even if it needs to serve more than one function. For me, my creative space is also my home office (which is actually a corner between my kitchen and living room). Because it’s a multipurpose space, it’s really important to keep it neat and tidy.
If it feels challenging to keep your workspace organized, you’re not alone. My favorite way to do this is to have dedicated storage for each different project. For example, I have a shelf where I store my work materials when I’m not using them. I also have a dedicated space for colored pencil and drawing paper storage. This makes it way faster and easier to put away my work materials when it’s time to make art, and to put away my art supplies when it’s time to focus on work tasks.
Another thing I’ve done in setting up my space is to make it as beautiful and functional as possible. As a person who’s very in touch with my senses and sensitive to the environment around me (which a lot of artists are), I like things to be beautiful whenever possible. I like to have things that inspire me in my creative space, like artwork and plants. Making my environment functional means I’m more efficient and less likely to get frustrated - this means looking for practical storage and furniture that just work really well for how I want to use them.
Lastly, it’s always helpful to clean up after yourself when you’re done with whatever you’re working on. I think this is generally a good idea if you’re living in a smaller space or a shared space, or if you just don’t have a whole room or studio for your art. This can also help you to be more intentional with your art-making time, because getting your supplies out and putting them away can be an opening and closing ritual that encourages you to be mindful when you’re making art, and to focus on other things when it’s time to focus on other things.
If you want to dive deeper into setting up a creative workspace that works for you, make sure you get your key to the Secret Garden of Creativity! Inside, you’ll find a two-part video workshop with downloadable homework that guides you through the whole process, with reflection questions, practical tips, and feng shui guidance. Once you have your creative workspace put together, I’d love to see it! Send me an email or tag me on Instagram.
