Tag Archives: creative space

How to Get Your Creative Space Working For You

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I had not picked up a paint-brush in ages.  I decided a few months back to devote my time to writing and the site.  But, to be perfectly honest with you, I am missing the art side of things like crazy.

I suppose you can’t just switch something off in you that is innate and is trying to bash down the walls to come out again.

My Studio — the Graveyard

I was also feeling trapped and confined in my creative working area — my studio and office space are one room.  It had become a dumping ground with boxes bursting at the seems full of, well, for want of a better word…crap.  There were also boxes in there for donation that had been sitting there for at least 6 months.

My studio had become a morgue, a place for things to come and die.

When I made my decision to stop painting for a while, I still allowed myself personal time to paint and get creative for myself but not even this was happening.  It’s a case of ‘no-shit-Sherlock’ if you had to take a look at my studio.

I had my painting desk facing the corner of the room like I was in the ‘dunce’ timeout zone.  A really stupid place to put a table where you are going to hopefully create works of fine art.

Making the Artist Retreat Respectable

Last week I got a huge yellow and black bee up my bonnet and decided to make a concerted effort to beautify, clear up and simplify my space to best work for me.

I buzzed hither and thither on my mission of organization and beautification.  I even made it into a little spiritual retreat with fairy lights dangling from my curtain rail to candles and incense burners dotted around.

After this was done, I actually got a bit of painting in!  Can I hear a ‘whoop whoop‘?

Let the Creative Juices Flow…

I wanted today’s creativity/inspirational blog to be about why we need to create, what get’s us going?  What do other artists and masterminds have to say.  I stumbled upon this great blog called ’15 Famous Quotes on Creativity’ — well worth a read.

Here are my top 3 favourite quotes from this article.

And last but not least…my childhood guru, Dr Seuss:

For more creative inspiration, please read:

9 Great Reasons for Getting Creative (No Artistic Experience Needed)

5 Tips on Getting Back In The Groove

5 Tips on Getting Back In The Groove

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Lost your Mojo?

This can apply to any creative endeavour.  When you feel like you have done all there is to do or that you just don’t know where to turn next, you have lost your groove!

“I was selling out and painting what the public wanted.”

I was feeling really stifled a while ago (actually, it was only about a month ago) with my art. I felt like I was selling out and painting what the public wanted.  I really wanted to get into my own style and flavour of art.  But I was holding myself back.

I wrote quite a few blogs on the process that you can read here:

The Space Within Series — Inner Art

Going Deeper…Inner Art Expression

Got It! Inner Art Expression Expressed

Digging even deeper…Inner Art Expression

I just want to outline a few steps that you can take to find your creative space.

5 Tips for Getting Your Groove On:

  • Quiet Time — Meditate on the problem and the solution.  Give yourself some time-out to reflect and to plot your new course of action.  You can’t just pile one idea on top of another, this will make you feel scattered and all over the place.  Lay to rest what you have been doing that no longer serves you and make way for the new.
  • Space — Give yourself a proper working space.  Your very own creative space where you can go to when you are feeling inspired or to get inspired.  A place that will trigger your creativity.  If you already have one but it doesn’t work then look around you, does it need a clean up?  Can you make it a working space?  Are you holding yourself back by dumping things in your creative space and cluttering it up so that you won’t have to use it?  Or worse,  you use this as an excuse for why you can’t get anything done.
  • Creative Time — Allocate yourself time for your passion.  It can be an hour a day or a week.  Whatever is realistic to you.  Hold yourself accountable for that time.  Get a whiteboard and plot out a schedule on it, put it somewhere where you will see it everyday.
  • Freedom — Allow yourself to express whatever needs expressing.  Give yourself the freedom to step out of any box you may have built around your unique talents.  Do what you feel like doing.  No matter how bizarre it may seem to you in the moment.  These things have a way of unraveling themselves with divine perfection and timing.
  • Plan — When you are in the zone it feels amazing.  What happens when you are finished with this project though?  This is the process of life, we usually get nicely wrapped up in the journey but when we arrive, there is a sense of disappointment.  Give yourself a game plan to work on for the next creative explosion.  Mark out on your board when you are going to begin, what you need and where you will take yourself to find the necessary inspiration.  Even if the original idea morphs into something completely different — it is a starting point.

Paint on Canvas

Using the techniques above, here are my last 3 projects that have given me so much satisfaction.  I have been using acrylic, textured acrylic and spray paint and it has been a blast!

Let me know what you think.  I have also included some photos of me with the paintings, so you can get a feel for the size of the paintings…

I am happy to say that the originals have found new homes but they are all available as prints (click on photo’s to take you to store).

The 2 above have been purchased by the same client, so they are sharing a home which is kind of nice to know.

What do you do to keep yourself motivated and inspired?  Please share your tips and secrets with us.

If you are feeling stuck with inspiration, why not subscribe now and get your FREE copy of ‘Creative Expression — How to find your inspiration…’ — no strings attached!  Click on picture below to sign up, you will receive your copy in the welcome e-mail:

Creative Expression