The Need for Creative Space

Struggling to put words on the page lately? Having enough creative space — both figurative and literal — might be the issue, as discussed in this post from Writing and Wellness. I’m not saying getting the space will be easy or quick, but don’t keep your creativity behind a wall.

Physical creative space, I’m good, but emotional and physical…yeah…

I don’t struggle with my physical space so much, although because I’m 4’8″, ergonomics is always a challenge. With as messy and full as my childhood home was, I learned to be able to write even in clutter. In fact, that was one of the ways I could just ignore the mess. I’m decent at staying organized.

The emotional and mental side of creative space, however, are yuck. I find that there are so many things to keep track of — not even writing-related things — that getting into a real state of flow for any length of time is hard. I end up resenting basic requirements of life, like…oh, I don’t know, having to take the time to feed myself or clean my bathroom. And if you dare to put one more thing on my plate in the 5 minutes of free time I thought I’d have, woe. Woe to you. WOE.

Most of the time, I feel like I’m racing the clock. That feeling makes it hard to enjoy what I’m creatively doing. And THAT comes from the fact that, growing up, there wasn’t really any support. I always had extra logistical problems to overcome before I could start. When I auditioned for choirs as a teenager, for instance, I couldn’t assume my parents were going to take me to practice or concerts. I had to arrange rides on my own. As other kids’ parents paid for their instruments, music, or attendance fees, I had to work after school babysitting and tutoring to cover costs myself.

So, now, I’m constantly asking myself what I have to do before I can relax into something I want to do. I always feel like I have to pre-crastinate so I can beat life’s variables to the punch.

Finding room to breathe

I’m still stretching out in a lot of ways. But what’s helping me find more creative space is being clear about where my projects need to go. I know their purpose and the steps involved in each of them. So, at least with that, I can let the sense of purpose in each project propel me over the yuck. I’m not moving very fast. But at least I’m moving.

Another helpful element is understanding that just because one person had success one way doesn’t mean I have to follow the same path. Say I want to publish books (I do). If traditional publishing worked for someone else, great. But self-publishing is just as legitimate. I’ll do that if it fits my circumstances better. Either way, books get published. So, don’t lose yourself in the “how I did it” stories that are all over the place. The gate you start from can look and feel enormously different than someone else’s.

This ties to the biggest, most fundamental point, which is that you have to be willing to set aside the notion that you’re not allowed to consider other options. You absolutely are allowed. Will some of those options be flops? Sure. But you get to find that out on your own.

Photo credit:
Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels