How to make room for creative expression at home
Do this before scrolling more art studios on Pinterest
If you’re raring to take action with your creative expression, but feel like you need to create an inspiring practice space in your house before beginning (a home-studio if you will), this post is for you.
Before you start setting up a home studio, YOU need to start taking up space in your home. That’s right, another mindset shift before opening your wallet.
All that stuff (organization systems, styling, fancy furniture, a door you can close, etc.) is just icing on the cake. Try not to feed into consumerist tendencies, as exciting as they can feel in the moment. Set yourself up to work with what you’ve got before you bring in a bunch of new variables.
Making room for yourself
Enacting this mindset shift to take up space may require:
Getting rid of uninspiring things.
Being a temporary minimalist to free up space for you and your practice.
Self-permission to get messy/quirky/weird.
Having a “socially unacceptable” living space that works for you.
Discussing with your roommates or partner.
Getting real with yourself about what your priorities are.
Making some significant changes in your life.
Some of these approaches are not easy to take action on. But when you focus on aligning with your unique needs for self-expression, you’re already making room for yourself mentally. I find this to be highly therapeutic.
Make expressing yourself a more prominent priority
Here’s what you can do today to turn your home into an expression studio that fits you.
Questions to ask yourself first:
If someone walked into your home today, would they even know that you/your family live there in particular?
If you had complete freedom, how would expressing yourself in your space look? (Would it be murals on the wall? A curated display of textiles? A yoga studio instead of a living room? Hammocks instead of sofas? Gold-foiled everything?) Dream big here.
What is the bare minimum of space you need for your creative expression?
Then take a walk through your home, as if you were viewing it for the first time, and see what areas welcome these new expansive ideas.
No wallet needed
These changes do not require purchasing anything right it away. Instead it might look like:
Moving things you already have into a more visible space.
Grouping together a collection of things you already own in a way that inspires you.
Getting rid of things that generally wouldn’t make it into your donation box so you can prioritize space for what matters to you.
Repurposing a space or an item to serve your creative needs.
Don’t worry too much about the actual square footage you’ll occupy. Turn your entire home into a space that supports your creative expression habit or have a small area that expresses who you are and what’s important to you. Put your expression front and center instead of hiding your feelings in a dark closet somewhere (or turn that dark closet into a well-lit tiny studio 😋).
Sometimes taking action on these steps can feel scary, like you’ve shown up to work in a see-through outfit. If that’s the case for you, set aside a moment to feel into that fear and locate where that’s showing up in your body. You can even bring it into your creative expression practice!
Read next:
37 tips to build your creative stamina
Align with your why
Are you continuing to feel overwhelmed about where to start? Take a peek at your values sheet. Then, reflect on whether your personal space embodies those values. For example, if your goal is to “dance with inspiration,” make sure you have room to dance.
I’ve done this in my home too, so I know how unusual this new way of approaching your space can feel. For example, healthful living is one of our core values in my home. I’m personally a fan of the functional movement teacher, Katie Bowman.
A couple of years ago, reading her work inspired my partner and me to buck socially acceptable norms. After months of deliberation we got rid of our sofa (gasp!) so we’d move more and keep our bodies healthy.
Creative growth is also a value of mine. It’s why my art hangs in most rooms in my house. It’s always there on the walls so I can reflect and learn from my work slowly over time.
Stay flexible and resourceful from the start
Most of 2020 I worked exclusively from a coffee table. I was interested in how being closer to the ground would affect my work. It was a great experience! I’ve expressed my heart out and grown so much in my practice at that coffee table.
So let’s think outside the box! Some ideas for creative, functional workspaces:
Coffee table
Kitchen table
Kitchen counter
Floor
Outside
Sofa
Garage
The park
A reading nook
A window seat
Your parking space
Closets (mostly for audio)
Sidewalks
Front or back yard
Your car
Foldable outdoor table
A picnic blanket
Even when you have a fancy studio someday, you can continue to create in unusual places for the joy of it. There is no rule that you have to box your creative expression into one place.
You might even find you like it more than you thought.
Remember this on your journey
Your creative practice is flexible and can grow and shrink along with your lifestyle. It will look different for everyone, but that’s the point. We all have our own needs and priorities. It’s part of what makes life interesting.
How much space are you willing to take up in your home? And how will you use it as a way to express yourself?
You don’t need everything to be perfect before you begin creating. Let your home and practice be a reflection of your life TODAY, in the present. Every moment counts!
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