It’s easy to let our creative spaces become junk piles as we move from project to project, leaving unfinished necklaces, paintings, and typed paragraphs behind us. But how can we ask our muse to visit if she can’t find a spot to put her back end?
The truth is that you have to make an effort to organize your work space so that it is inviting to our muse.
When I was little, I used to consider the entire house my studio space. I covered every flat surface with my ‘projects’ like some sort of artsy mold. My mother put up with it until cleaning day rolled around each week and then everything would be deposited in one giant heap on my bed. (Cleaning day took me longer than anyone else because I had to first clean like normal and then find my bed again.) I learned from my mother that I needed to do 100% of the job and clean up after myself before moving on to a new project. Then, and only then, would my bed remain clean during cleaning day.
When you have an "official" studio space, however, doing 100% of the job might not be enough to organize your work space
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I not only need to clean up after every project, but after every day, every week, and every month. I de-clutter to create a place for my muse in the morning and I clear off my receipt piles to balance my budget. When you take the time to organize your work space, each small act clears some of the clutter in your mind as well, and it certainly keeps the to-do lists in check. But even that isn’t enough to make an environment inspirational.
Even the most beautiful, and beautifully clean, studio space can become a bore if you don’t regularly find new craft room inspiration by changing the decor.
I set aside the first day of each month for craft room inspiration. I pin up new photos and magazine clippings, I set weird leaves that I find on my morning runs in the windowsills, and I decorate the refrigerator with a new free poster from an art opening. (For those of you who don’t know, the fridge acts like a bulletin board for part of my office.) It’s silly, yes, but so is my muse. You’d be surprised how easily your muse will whisper creative ideas to you when she has a place to sit and new things to ogle.
So take a few minutes today and gather new craft room inspiration.
Go for a walk and pick some flowers (from the park, not from someone’s yard, obviously), buy your favorite magazine and tear out the pages that make you smile, or paper the walls with wrapping paper or an easy bunting project. Even the simple act of moving around the existing items on your desk can channel new ideas and inspiration.
photo: The studio space of Penguin and Fish
