Creative Space

I kind of have an office now. Sort of. For the past couple of years I’ve been writing either in the kitchen or the basement, neither of which are really conducive for writing. It’s been working, but it’s not comfortable. Or pretty. Sometimes you need pretty.

Our house has twin rooms separated by very large pocket doors that used to be the gentlemen’s and ladies’ parlors. You see, in the past, it was believed that women’s ears were much too delicate to hear the things being discussed by the men and so the ladies would congregate in their feminine parlors to drink tea, sip sherry, embroider and gossip while the men would meet in their manly man parlors, swill whiskey, smoke cigars and discuss the topics of the day. Imagine the horrors if men should have to sip sherry and women swill whiskey.  I shudder to think.

But, that’s not what I want to discuss today. Today I’m going to talk about my “new” office space, the space that I have claimed as mine, the space I’m converting to my creative space. Writers know that it’s important to have a special place dedicated to the purpose of writing. Oh sure, some writer’s can write anywhere, on a plane, in a coffee shop, in the car while waiting in the pick-up lane at their kids’ school, pretty much anywhere. I envy those people. But, most writers I know, need a space to spread out and focus on the task at hand. The task of writing!

My creative space looks something like this: A desk, or in my current case, a sturdy round table. A comfortable chair, or in my case a hard-as-a-rock, straight-backed chair with a special butt cushion. Shelves for my writing books, and research. Special cups, little crystal dishes, cute little boxes, and cubbies for my pens, pencils, highlighters, erasers, notepads (lots of notepads), and other cute office supplies.

An easel for my cork board to pin up important information pertinent to my WIP (work in progress). Lamps for soft lamplight (I hate harsh overhead lights). A CD player for my special music (I like to listen to new age instrumental music when I write. Nothing too upbeat and nothing with words because words distract me.). My desktop fountain with miniature bright LED light. And my incense, Scentsy, and candles. I am comforted by these aromatic things. Some days floral scented melting wax will do the trick, some days I need a more pungent woodsy incense, like cedar or pine. The incense is more high maintenance, but some days it’s the only fragrance that’ll do.

And, let’s not forget my pretty crystal paperweights (I have 2), my old-fashioned looking desk clock, my special coaster for my cup of tea, and my little porcelain dish to hold my wedding ring. (It tends to slide around on my finger and whacks out my typing rhythm.)

Our front parlor, formerly the gentlemen’s parlor, was being used as a storage room when be bought our house. When we moved in, we turned it into an office where guests come to check-in and it doubled as a gift shop. Over the past couple of months, we have slowly transitioned this space into my private writing space. We still use it to check in guests because this room has the dedicated telephone line that we need for our credit card machine, but once everyone has arrived, I can shut the door and hideaway in my creative space.

While the photo above isn’t my office, it looks like a comfortable place to write, don’t you think? And, I’ve got to say, since I’ve moved into this new room, I feel like I’ve found my writing mojo again. It’s not perfect and I still need a real desk and an ergonomic chair, but it sure beats sitting on a stool at the island in the kitchen or down in the basement, a room I share with my wonderful husband. This space is mine, to do with what I want. My comfort things.

If money were no object, here’s what my ideal office would look like:

Tell me friends, do you have a special creative space in your house? It doesn’t have to be for writing. It can be for painting, woodcarving, sewing, knitting, photography, beading, playing poker, swilling whiskey, whatever your creative outlet is. I’d love to know what special items you surround yourself with when you’re immersed in your creativity.

Word of the Day: Phenolphthalein

Fun fact about me:  I don’t want to jinx it, but I think since I’ve had this new space to work in I’ve developed a more productive routine. Fingers crossed that it sticks.

Original post by Jansen Schmidt, December 2019. Images by Pexels.com.

Stay connected with news about my books and other fun stuff by signing up for my newsletter: http://bit.ly/JansenSchmidtNewsletter

My newest release On Hallowed Ground is available at fine retailers everywhere: http://bit.ly/2KONmnf

On Common Ground is available at fine retailers everywhere: http://bit.ly/2BBu7bb