04: Designing Your Creative Environment
"The space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming now, not for the person we were in the past." - Marie Kondo
You’re Reading Adam Ming’s Daily Blog, This month I’m writing a series about taking time for your creative practice. Each post, includes an invitation to spend Ten minutes developing your creative practice.
I’m doing this in October to complement any Drawing challenge you might be doing. I will be doing the classic inktober.
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Today's 10-Minute Invitation
Spend your 10 minutes today auditing your creative space. Remove one item that doesn't serve your current creative goals. Then, designate a specific area (it could be as small as a shoebox) for contained inspiration. Place something inspiring in this area that relates to your current project.
Day 4: Designing Your Creative Environment
We've talked about taking time, overcoming resistance, and building consistency. Today, let's dive into something that's crucial to my own practice: designing your creative environment.
Why Your Environment Matters
Your environment isn't just a backdrop; it's an active participant in your creative process. The space where you create can either enhance your focus and spark ideas, or it can distract and hinder your progress. When designed thoughtfully, your creative environment becomes a powerful tool in your Ten-Minute Artist toolkit.
The Power of Curation
In my own practice, I've found that the single most important aspect of my studio setup is curation. My studio only contains things that aid in my creative work. I regularly remove items that don't help me focus, and I even rotate books based on the projects I'm working on.
This approach serves several purposes:
It minimizes distractions
It ensures that everything in my space is purposeful and inspiring
It creates an environment that evolves with my work, always staying relevant
Balancing Inspiration and Focus
One of the challenges in designing a creative space is balancing the need for inspiration with the need for a clutter-free, focused environment. Here's how I manage this: