One of the main things that I hear over and over that gets in the way of maintaining a creative practice is not having the space.  First there is the literal and practical question of a physical environment for art making.  And then there is the question of motivation, or perhaps more accurately put, what may be blocking you from establishing a creative practice.  Today I will focus on the practical side of setting up a physical space conducive to regular creative practice. Sometimes when we change little things in our environment it can make a big difference in shifting us into a creative mindset.  Every creative practice needs space that supports it.  The mind has too many excuses for finding something else to do, so having a “user friendly” area in your home already set up or at least quick to set up will be one less excuse for it to side track you with.

A number of years ago I wrote a post about creating space looking at ways to have your art supplies at your finger tips for creating on the fly.  Today I’m sharing a peek into my updated creative space and ways that I have tweaked, added to, and organized my art supplies making room for my creative endeavours.

I love using Pinterest (you can follow me there) for gathering ideas and be inspired by other artists’ studios.  Recently during my perusing for art studio inspiration on Pinterest I came across this DIY foldable art table (with tutorial).  Though I am not in need of one now, at one point before I had cleared my space, it would have been wonderful to have.

In my home studio I need to make sure that things can be accessed easily and put away with ease because the space I use for my own art-making and for those coming to my workshops has dual purposes.  I am lucky to have an addition on the back of the house with large picturesque windows facing my beautiful garden.  A bright open space with a connection to the outdoors is important for my creative space because nature helps me ground, feel calm, centred and connected with the “bigger picture” of life.

These carts from (you guessed it) Ikea, have made it so easy to move from studio space to home space.  When I run my art journaling workshops and vision board workshops they make it easy to have supplies within reach.  But mostly I love them because they allow me to have my supplies out in plain view, which means more creating time for me.  When I have my supplies tucked away (and there are many that I have to store for my intuitive painting workshop), I tend not to use them as much.  Art journaling allows me to express and explore in a relatively small space, in as little or as much time as I need to.

With sturdy wheels and 3 trays, the carts are portable, and have enough room for my art journaling supplies.

Nifty countainers which I have collected like this simple wood letter desk box, make supplies easy to find for me and workshop participants.

When table sapce is tight, a round tray with a lazy suszane underneath and repurposed spice rack are perfect soloutions for my art journaling paints.  When its just me, I use a sheet of plexi glass underneath my art journal, otherwise when I have a group I cover the table with heavy duty plastic sheet and reuse this.  Like the plexi glass the plastic gets coloured with strokes and drips of paint which I tend to leave as is.  I find the effect quite inspiring.

Buckets or caddies like this one that have built-in dividers are perfect for drawing pens and pencils, making it easier to find just the right drawing or writing instrument.  If you can’t find a basket or bucket already divided you can make your own dividers with toilet paper rolls or recycled tin cans.

Two tier desert trays make excellent holders for odds and ends.  Originally I had my craft paints for art journaling on this one, but the 4 oz bottles on the bottom made it hard to turn it around.  Smaller 2 oz bottles work better (yes it’s another item from Ikea, *sigh*).

An old tray, be it wooden, metal or whatever can be used for holding other supplies.  Trays are great for bringing with you outside on the balcony, front porch or back patio/deck, for art making out in nature.  Just place your desired supplies in and go!

I am a bit of a basket fanatic (not a basket case) and love putting what I can into baskets because it just makes it look prettier.  Tin cans serve as the perfect dividers to  keep pencil crayons separate by colour.  These ones belong to my kids, at one time they were colour coordinated. This basket tucks away on the shelf under a wooden bench my husband built for me.

I recently discovered a great use for a utensil dryer tray I saved from years ago.  It makes a great brush holder, particularly for foam brushes and tooth brushes I use for texture.  I’m always trying to figure out how I can reuse items I already have before I throw them out.

I also like to up-cycle materials such as these foam trays from the grocery store which have become my workshop palettes.  The coats of acrylic paint make them stronger and pretty!  They also serve as the background for quotes I post on my Facebook page.

Sometimes at night when I don’t have the benefit of the daylight brightening my workspace, I tuck myself into the corner of the living room where I have created a kind of nook with a repurposed secretary desk that a neighbour was throwing out.  It brings me back to my childhood days when diary writing and secret corners filled my heart with joy.

I hope you find some art-making space where you live.  Remember, it doesn’t have to be big, it just needs to be accessible.  Chose an area of your home that feels inviting for your creative muse.  Claim it now, embrace your creative self and take the space that you need and deserve to have for making your art.  What will you do to claim your creative space?