Creative space

On Purging, Shifting, and Creating Intentional Spaces

Last weekend I spent time cleaning my office/studio. Five days later I declared a painting complete for the first time since June 2014.

That's no coincidence.

For a while I'd been wanting to shift something in my creative space, so this past Saturday morning I queued up some Jazz, tuned in for guidance from my Higher Power and started sifting through my art supplies.

As I sorted through unfinished projects, bits of paper, and supplies I have no intention of ever using again, I held the vision of how I wanted to use my space in the coming year - how could it support who I want to become?

I moved my print and card-making supplies out of the closet and made them easily accessible. I replaced the old vinyl tablecloth on my art table with a piece of clear plastic that didn't look so bulky and awkward. I set up a tripod with D.'s DSLR camera in the corner of the room as a reminder of my intention to learn how to use it this year.

Creating intentional spaces. I'm a believer.

I'm also a believer that purging, re-organizing and creating white space are powerful ways to shift energy that's become stagnant - both physically and metaphorically.

Add a healthy dose of intention and intuition to the mix and those shifts become even more potent.

first completed piece since June 2014: Man With Cap (Homme à casquette)© 2016 Stephanie Guimond, 12"x12", acrylics on canvas

first completed piece since June 2014: Man With Cap (Homme à casquette)

© 2016 Stephanie Guimond, 12"x12", acrylics on canvas

But don't take my word for it.

Is there an area in your life where things feel stagnant at the moment? Are there any related physical spaces - an art supply cupboard, kitchen pantry, office filing cabinet - that could be sifted through or spruced up? On the flip side, do you feel an urge to purge but you're not sure why?

Either way there may be something good waiting for you on the other side of cleaning.

Why don't you give it a try and see what comes? At the very least you'll have a neater space to show for it and that's bound to make you feel better!

~~~

Related posts:

Project "Studio/Office Renewal"

These past few months I've been toying with a new vision for my studio/office.

My creative space was furnished over 10 years ago based on inspiration words like "crisp", "cool" and "icy." Today I'm more inspired by words like "warm", "earthy" and "textured." 

It became evident that my outer, physical space no longer matched my inner one.

Enter project "Studio/Office Renewal."

This past weekend, after months of pinning images and piecing together a vision of what a nurturing, inspiring and welcoming creative space would look like, I made a few changes that are fitting the bill per.fect.ly. There's still a lot to be done, but ooooh how good it feels to see a vision transformed into reality! I am VERY pleased.

I leave you with a few glimpses of what is becoming...

In an effort to visually streamline my surroundings I splurged on a cube shelf to gather stuff that was either delicately balanced on a tiny bookshelf along the closet wall or piled on the floor in front of it. Even with full shelves this setup looks and feels much better. The practical me thought I should choose white shelves, but the green ones brought me joy. So green.

I replaced my dark blue art table with this new glossy white one. Shiny!

The cushion was an impulse buy, its colours and textures spoke to me and captured parts of my vision for my renewed space. The chair was brought up from the basement and looks perfect there, welcoming. The print above the chair is a favourite digital piece of mine that also inspired the new colour palette. I like how it's displayed simply, yet stands out.

Vibrant green kept coming up as a key part of my desired palette. Based on the Ikea website I thought I'd have to get this drawer cabinet in silver or red, but lo & behold when I got to the store I discovered that they carried it in just the perfect hue! Sometimes things work out like that. To the right of the cabinet I hung up a cheap clipboard I picked up at the dollar store last month, I thought it would be a great way to rotate and display some of the art cards, quotes and prints I love but have stuffed in drawers. Currently on display: a postcard featuring a drawing by Tamara de Lempicka.