Finding Your Creative Space as an Artist

Have you found your creative space? Where is it? How do you feel when you’re in your haven? Many artists refer to their studios as their creative space and an area of comfort and privacy. It is a place where they develop, experiment with new ideas, and safely leave their work in progress.

While some artists prefer a somewhat messy studio that manifests their spontaneity, some prefer a well-organized place with a bright and airy atmosphere that somewhat feels close to nature. Regardless of preference, one thing is for sure: a creative space allows artists to remain unbothered during the artistic process. It is a sanctuary where artists can lose themselves in a secret universe of ideas and images, which helps them to escape from the chaotic outer world, even for a few hours.

While it is a common notion in the art industry that having a space for creativity is only required for those who do artworks for a living, such is not the case. Whether you’re a professional artist or simply someone who enjoys making artwork, it would be a great help if you have your little space to do your artistic creations. If you’re still finding your creative space, don’t worry because this article will help you find it. Keep on reading if you wanna learn more.

Your surroundings have a big influence on the flow of your creative thoughts, and if they're unclean, messy, or gloomy and unpleasant, it will influence how well your imagination functions and how well your thoughts flow. Surround yourself with your favorite things; declutter and arrange. Display your favorite artworks, family photographs, and anything that make you feel at ease.

When finding your creative space, the place in which you develop your project should not be overlooked in the artistic process. The atmosphere is everything, and the design or overall aesthetic of your space should never be disregarded, either. You should feel at ease, peaceful, and inspired when working in your creative place. Even if your place is only a little part of a room, you can make it your personal space for artistic progress!

A Practical Guide on Finding Your Creative Space

A space for creativity-- the zone for many artists; the area that they refer to as their haven. The location where inspiration and motivation flow nearly effortlessly. Every artist has this type of place, even if you don't know where it is. It is far more significant for some than for others. Finding your creative space can affect the way you function during the artistic process, your artistic preferences, mood, as well as your state of mind. Here are some basic tips that you may find useful in finding and creating your space for creativity.

    1.  Find a quiet spot:

No private art studio? No problem! You just have to find a perfect place that is noise and distraction-free. While some artists can work in a zone of noise and chaos, you may not be one of them so it is best to have a peaceful spot where you can immerse into the creative process fully.

With this type of creative space, your thoughts flow better and if you find it too quiet for your liking, you may opt to play your favorite music. Put a speaker or a record player or simply use your headphones or AirPods, depending on your preference. It may be difficult to create a quiet creative zone if you live with your family so as a solution, you may set up boundaries for them and even make a “no distraction” signpost for your room to indicate that you’re in the process of creating artworks.

You can also give them a specific “off-limits” time so that it’s clear to them that you do not want to be disturbed.

    2.  Make your space as distraction-free as possible:

Finding your creative space not only requires a peaceful and quiet environment: it also requires a distraction-free zone so that you can enjoy yourself in the creative process. Why? A creative space is not just about the physical appeal, but it also needs mental and psychological appeal. With that, try to have a technology-free creative space unless you create digital art but be sure to avoid social media apps, streaming sites, and pretty much any other apps that kill your creativity.

It has been proven by many research studies that the more time you spend on social media, the less you become creative because you are consumed with unnecessary things rather than focusing on the goal of creating and being productive. At the same time, you are bound to set expectations for yourself, especially when you expect yourself to be as good as those artists that you see online. Leave your phone, tablet, etc. when entering your creative zone, it makes a big difference during the creative process.

    3.  Organize your creative space:

Is it true that having a messy creative space improves your creativity? Not exactly! No matter where your creative space is, it is important that your area is clean, organized, and decluttered because your surroundings can affect your state of mind, particularly how your thoughts and ideas flow. A tidy, well-organized studio encourages creativity and helps you to concentrate on your work. You'll be able to create better and more efficiently. Moreover, chaos can be distracting and as discussed above, we don’t want distractions and chaos. 

Don’t forget to find a sweet spot with good lighting, you don’t want to create artwork in a bad light.

If you want an organized creative space, here are some tips to get you started:

• Arrange your art materials according to their category– keep the brushes in one place, put the paints in the same area, and so forth.
• Recycle containers and label them to store your art materials.
• Throw out the expired paints, empty cans, and other materials that are no longer needed.
• Have a cabinet or drawers where you can store all your art materials in one place rather than putting them on a table or in any other random place.

    4.  Create a mood board:

It is crucial to associate yourself with images that will spark your creativity. Plus, it adds an aesthetic appeal to your creative space if you have a mood board. You can use a mesh board or a small bulletin board for this and put it on one wall of your creative space. Creating a mood board is also a great way to remember ideas, inspiration, and motivate yourself to create something.

You can add anything on your mood board– a magazine or newspaper cutout, a random fabric scrap, leaves, a motivational quote, a photograph, etc.

    5.  Customize your creative space according to your likings: 

Having your personal creative space must feel familiar– you can have things that make you feel like it’s your paradise— you can put a humidifier or scented candles of your favorite scent, fill it with your favorite art books, artworks, display your favorite paintings, anything that stimulates your creativity. It should not make you feel uncomfortable in any way so feel free to make it the way you envisioned it to.

Final Insights

We hope that this article enlightens you when it comes to finding your creative space. It can be anywhere as long as it stimulates your ideas, sparks your creativity, and makes you feel calm, productive, relaxed, and happy– it should allow you to dream, wonder, get inspired, and be motivated.

Good luck in finding your creative space!