Design your own creative sweet spot
We all have the ability to be creative. It might lie in the imagination, formulating fresh ideas that lead to a captivating story. Some can paint or sculpt, while others can design furniture and buildings.
Our senses share the responsibility of feeding the creative side of our nature. Inspiration is available in many forms — by viewing glorious vistas, listening to our favourite music, feasting on a special meal that has a unique flavour we have never before tasted, stroking the fibres of a luxurious fabric.
But how often do we allow ourselves the time or the space to enjoy and expand our creative energy?
Desha Peacock is the author of a new book, Your Creative Work Space. It’s her Sweet Spot Style Guide to Home Office + Studio Decor, published by Skyhorse. Peacock is concerned that the core desire to creatively express the essence of who we are has nearly been lost.
For most of us, it has been pushed aside, to be picked up when there’s more time. Or, worse still, never nourished. Founder of Sweet Spot Style, Peacock has numerous creative colleagues and friends around the world. She visits their homes or businesses and focuses on how they have set up unique spaces for their creative pursuits.
There are tips that outline the basics, and the book even breaks down sweet-spot spaces for children, how to organize artwork and setting up a welcoming space to work.
Reviewing the sweet-spot spaces offers excellent inspiration for pulling together your own tiny corner. Peacock reassures us that cost doesn’t factor into the equation. You can design your space almost anywhere.
There is personal stylist Stasia Savasuk’s office, tucked into one end of an upstairs hallway. Her flair for whimsy is evident in a colourful swag of discs draped over a large window, a small bulletin board stuck with photos that inspire, a built-in bookshelf and a small desk that looks homemade.
Anna Margaret is proprietor of Le Souk Le Souk, “a boutique inspired by textiles, travel and female strength — all [her] clothing designers are women.” Anna Margaret’s office, shown here, was originally a cupboard. The wildly cheerful decorating, which includes walls hand-painted by her partner, is organized with baskets and drawers.
The plywood desk offers plenty of room to spread out. Although small, the work space is full of energy and sits ready to inspire.
Also pictured here is the spot that Johanna Stark calls her own. A graphic designer and illustrator, Stark mostly draws or paints patterns, and is inspired by the diversity of nature. Her work table stretches along a wall of windows, her tools neatly stacked. Beside her is a metal grid with recent sketches clipped on, easily switched in and out as work progresses.
Lighting is always important. Stark lives in Sweden, but heads south in the dark, dreary winter months. Her workspace moves easily with her.
The sweet spots are as diverse as the creative personalities that have produced them. In the author’s office, an antique chair sits in front of a contemporary desk resting on work horses, that are also shelves. Think seriously about building a sweet spot for your inner creative self. You may be surprised and delighted by what happens next. Debbie Travis’s House to Home column is produced by Debbie Travis and Barbara Dingle. Email questions to house2home@debbietravis.com. You can follow Debbie on Twitter at twitter.com/debbie_travis, and visit Debbie’s website, debbietravis.com.