Designing Your Creative Environment!

Find out how to design a space you LOVE, encourage your creativity, and spark joy + a downloadable "Designing Your Creative Environment" Check List 🎨✍️📚🖍️🏡

This voiceover is an audio version of my Slow Sunday Letter below. It is unedited, so may have some stutters, imperfections, and background noise. I hope you enjoy listening to it anyway!

Welcome to Generosity of Spirit, a gentle community for YOU. We find pockets of time for slow & gentle living, books, writing, journaling & life affirming work. You are so welcome here in our cosy space, grab a cuppa & stay a while... 🐢🙏📚☕💌

Welcome back to another Slow Sunday Letter! I hope you have had a slow and gentle week.

In this month’s A Writer’s Life, I want to talk about the importance of creating an environment that helps your creativity soar and thrive! If you can take steps to understand your own creative style and needs, you can then start designing a muse-infused sanctuary that serves you and your creative goals. It can be fun, cathartic and practical!

Together we are going to consider your space, and find ways to help tweak and improve your current environment, so it better supports you and your creative projects.

So - grab a cuppa, get cosy and let’s jump in together!

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Your Creative Environment, Artist Style & Goals

"You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." Maya Angelou

Before transforming your home into a creative sanctuary, it is crucial to understand your unique creativity, artist style and goals. This can be anything from your art, to writing, journaling, learning, crafting - anything at all that sparks your creativity and scratches that inner artist itch.

When we focus in on our uniqueness and individuality, and what it really takes for us to creative with joy, we can drill down on the specific preferences and requirements we need in order to encourage our productivity and creativity.

Consider Your Artist Style :

1. The time of day you are most productive, or inspired.

2. Your preferred creative outlet (e.g., writing, art, journaling, singing/music, nature , crafts, hobbies, etc)

3. The importance of ambiance and environment

4. Level of background noise/potential interruptions you find conducive to deep work

5. Length of creative sessions

6. Need for inspiration, research materials, reference books

Assessing Your Current Creative Environment

Now that you've identified your artist style, it is time to evaluate your current workspace. Take a critical look at your surroundings, and note any areas that support or hinder your creativity.

Consider these elements:

• Available space

• Clutter

• Natural light

• Furniture layout

• Storage solutions

• Distractions

• Comfort or lack of!

Setting Goals For Your Creative Environment

With a clearer understanding of your artist style, and current environment it is time to link it to your needs and set specific goals for your creative environment. These will guide you, and help you design a space that truly nurtures your creativity.

Some potential goals might include:

1. Maximising natural light

2. Creating a clutter-free workspace

3. Incorporating inspiring decor, posters, artwork, quotes etc.

4. Improving comfort and ergonomics (new chair, cushions)

5. Elevating ambiance (candles, room fragrances)

6. Enhancing your storage solutions

By thoroughly understanding your artist style, assessing your creative environment, and setting some clear goals, you will be ready to start transforming your available space into a calm, nourishing and creatively inspiring sanctuary that supports and enhances your creative process.

If you prefer you can download the check list here :

Designing Your Creative Environment Check List

292KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

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Enjoy The Designing Process

“What art offers is space – a certain breathing room for the spirit.” John Updike

I have only had a dedicated writing space for a few months, and so far I am truly loving it. I have taken my time to really create a space that feels like an extension of me, and I have filled it with words, images, and things that make my heart happy and spirit feel inspired.

You can read more about my writing desk here :

Designing creative spaces is part of the fun of being a creative being - whether you are a writer, artist, hobbyist or crafter. Creating a space that reflects who you are, and what you love, whilst making you feel comfortable and relaxed. Hitting that sweet spot of motivation, inspiration, and focus.

It feels a bit like magic...

“the universe buries strange jewels deep with us all, and then stands back to see if we can find them. The hunt to uncover those jewels – that’s creative living. The courage to go on that hunt in the first place – that’s what separates a mundane existence from a more enchanted one. The often-surprising results of that hunt- that’s what I call Big Magic”. Elizabeth Gilbert - Big Magic

Your creative environment doesn’t have to be perfect, and it can change owing to what season of life you are in, or what creative project you are working on.

Your workspace, the rituals you create, your desk (or lack thereof!), your writing routine, your art, your journal, your trinkets and treasures, your basket of crafts, the countless drafts and unfinished documents, the reams of paper, scrapbooks, your notebooks, paints and paintbrushes, pens and pencil cases, as well as your endless ‘to be read’ pile and books that never fail to inspire you - it all comes together in all it’s gloriously beautiful sometimes imperfect jumble, and it is all part of this wonderful creative life that you are building.

It is the beautiful journey, and part of the artist life that we love, and have a life long commitment to. That sense of wonder, achievement and the buzz of creating or producing something we are proud of in our own creative space, is an important part of the puzzle not to be overlooked.

Creating regularly, cultivating your own unique creative environment, and committing to the practice feels amazing, and as Elizabeth Gilbert says… you never know when you will uncover that jewel.

I’d love to hear about your creative space…

Do you have an office?

Or a snatched place in the house?

Is it your dream set up?

How do you make the space your own?

Can you see ways you could improve your environment?

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Slow & Steady - My NEW Paid Membership!

Would you like company through a slow and steady year? Then join my new membership!

A cosy and gentle space to gather together, learn from and inspire one another. Go deeper into Slow & Gentle Living and what it can mean for you.

Slow & Steady will offer 12 exclusive letters for members moving through each month of 2025. The membership is an extension of my free offerings, a deeper and more personal dive into slow and gentle living, creative work and my own life and experiences.

I do hope you will consider joining Slow & Steady - for £3.50 a month (or £35 a year), you will get an exclusive monthly letter, access to our members only journal chat space and a personal welcome letter from me to you!

I would be over the moon to welcome you. To read more about what my new membership includes read my launch post below!

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I really hope this month's A Writer’s Life, has helped inspire you to think about your own creative space!

Transforming your home into a creative sanctuary is a journey of self-discovery, and artistic expression. By understanding your unique needs as a creative, decluttering your space, and designing an inspiring atmosphere, you can create an environment that nurtures your creativity, boosts productivity and brings you joy!

Remember, your creative sanctuary is a living, breathing space that should evolve with you, and reflect you in the best possible way. Enjoy the process of designing your space, and watch as your creativity and art flourishes in your new creative haven.

I would really love to know your thoughts, and what your work space looks and feels like … if you feel able, please do share in the comments.

Thank you for being here,

If you would like to support my work, you can buy me a coffee following this link!

You can buy your very own Slow Living, Book Lovers and Writing inspired Merch designed by me! Do follow the link to take a look (hosted by Teemill):

My Teemill Clothing Store!

If you enjoyed this post, found it useful or want to help me spread the word about how enriching Slow & Gentle Living can be, please do like/leave a comment or share/restack to help others discover Generosity of Spirit. Thank you for reading!