When you work in a corporate setting, everything is already decided for you, from the layout of your workspace to your hours to how you will spend those hours. And while you like to gripe about that control, the fact is that when it’s gone, you won’t know how to behave. That’s why it’s so important for you as a creative entrepreneur to find your own craft room inspiration and stake out a creative work space that y streamlines your productivity.
Your creative work space must sync with the work you create. If you decorate like your old boss, or refuse to spend a few extra dollars for file bins, you may as well go back to the corporate office. In order to produce creative work, your craft room inspiration must leave room for the playful, the sacred, and, most importantly, organization.
Your inner artist is a child. The last place that child wants to play is in a boring cubicle with a Thomas Kinkade calendar and a "2nd Best Employee" plaque. Instead, find craft room inspiration in colorful pennants, magazine cut-outs, inspirational quotes, and small knick-knacks that make you smile. For me, Chinese lanterns and photographs from other countries inspire daily play. I’ve seen artists with bunny lamps and others with board games on their walls. Listen to your inner child and see what makes you smile. The sillier, the better.
Your creative work space, once decorated, must also become sacred. Explain to your family members that when you’re at your desk, it’s the same as if you were at the office. That means no barging in on a whim or pulling you away to do "real work." Your creative endeavors are a time for you to connect with yourself. Buy a lock for your studio door and a sign that lets people know when you’ll be coming out. It may sound childish, but if you don’t set these boundaries when creating your craft room inspiration, you will constantly be pulled away from your work.
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However, even with a playful, secure workspace, there’s a good chance creative work will be put off if there’s no organization in place. An organizational system is a crucial part of your craft room inspiration. You’ll waste countless minutes and suffer continuous interruptions to your creative flow if you constantly have to search for a pen, the right brush, or a mailing address. Instead, group all tools together within easy reach. Make a certain corner of your creative work space devoted to a calendar and to-do list so that you don’t wander away to find them. And most importantly, take five or 10 minutes at the end of each day to clean off your workspace. This will allow you to have a completely fresh start the next morning. You’d be surprised how inspiring a clean desk can be.
To enjoy the privilege of working from home, you must take a few steps to ensure you’ll be productive there. A sense of playfulness is necessary to get the creative juices flowing - after all, there’s a reason data entry only gets done in grey cubicles. But you must keep your creative work space your own. Be inventive, be yourself, and let others know what your workspace symbolizes: your place to make a successful, creative living.
photo by Megan Eckman
