Get Creative, Be Inspired!

Background image via www.layeredtrust.com

Workspaces are too often overlooked, don't you think? We're quick to say that our lack of productivity is being caused by mere laziness or a severe case of the Mondays. And, oh yes, to a point that's exactly what's causing it. We all have those off-days where you just can't get anything done. And sometimes Mondays are just terrible and you feel like they should be wiped off the face of the calendar. But Monday plagues us only one day of the week. What's the problem for the rest of it?

When it comes to workspaces, I'm pretty adaptable. I'm not picky about where I do my things. I drift around the house and into whichever room sounds best at that particular moment, making use of the couch, a random desk, or my bed.

There are a few things I've noticed, however, that really spark my creativity into gear and make me feel as if I can suddenly create anything at all. And that's what a workspace should do for you - you should enter that room and feel ready to go. Inspired. Here are a few things that do that for me (and do keep in mind that I said I'm not picky. You might see some very different ideas here).

The area is..

1. Clean and well organized.

Okay, we're starting out obvious here. Everyone likes a clean and organized room, but it rarely ever stays that way for long, right? The desk always ends up littered with papers and numerous other things that you didn't put away last night. Or worse, that you felt belonged on the desk for easy access later. And shelves, cabinets, drawers and so on slowly start to resemble the results of that dang tornado that always seems to aim for your space when you're not looking.

But whenever I redo my work areas, or when I'm on vacation in a near spotless, well-decorated little place, I feel renewed and energized. Ready to take on any project! The huge impact that cleanliness and organization has on both my productivity and creativity makes it a necessary mention.

(For the record, well-decorated, for me, simply means that everything in the room fits nicely together. It could be of nearly any style if that's the case.)


2. Calming and relaxed. Private and homey.

Last year, I spent a weekend in a cabin surrounded by woods. It was absolutely amazing. Every time I looked out of the windows I felt inspired to do something.

Part of the view from the cabin.

I'm a lover of nature. An environment like that is perfect for me. Why?

• The calm, relaxed feeling that being out in nature gives you.
• The privacy. The space to think, to truly relax and be yourself. In a private space, you can enter your own world, or just enjoy the one you're already in and really put yourself into your work without wasting brain power as you think about how everyone is watching you. (*cough* no self-consciousness here!).
• The inspiration. It's everywhere!

At the same time, I'm also a lover of modern designs and lifestyles. Those cliche, black and white minimalist living rooms and spaces? Love them. They're gorgeous and have a clean, easy appearance. But, honestly, it might get old after a while. On the other hand, have you ever heard someone complain about the "homey" feeling their place has? I haven't, and I don't think you can beat the comfort of the average home.

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Those are just a few general things that I personally think would make for a wonderful workspace. Other, specific, kinds of areas that I adore are reading nooks.

I just love the idea of a cozy little workspace nestled in the wall. I suppose it might be a bit confining when it comes to big projects, but hey. You can change your nook to be whatever you need it to be.

Now, those are my types of dream work areas. But why am I talking about workspaces at all anyway? This is quite different from my normal postings. 

I'm writing about this because I was recently introduced to WeWork, a coworking company headquartered in New York City, and offering shared office space all over the U.S., London, Israel, and Amsterdam. WeWork is constantly growing, and they're on a mission "to create a world where people work to make a life, not just a living." They highly value creative workspaces and, because of that, they started a project to get people talking about their current or dream work areas and what inspires them. I loved this idea, and you don't hear much about this kind of thing, which is unfortunate because having an area that you enjoy working out of is so, so important.

As you can see, I'm more of a work-from-home kind of person. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't enjoy the type of environment that WeWork offers. Especially when they encourage passion and creativity as much as they do.

I should also point out that I'm student - I don't work yet. You can take "workspace" however you'd like to take it. Paid work, hobby work, where you study, etc. It's all work in some form or another. But if you're a business, large or small, you're a freelancer or entrepreneur seeking a great little place to work out of and to be part of a great team of fellow coworkers, then you might want to give WeWork a look sometime. I know my dad always wanted to run his own business - he would have just loved something like this.

I'll wrap this up with a simple question (or, maybe not so simple): What inspires you to create? To do? What would your perfect workspace be like?

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Images used:

- Reading Nook Image 1 (top):
Via houzz: Traditional Living Room
by Los Angeles Interior Designers & Decorators Tommy Chambers Interiors, Inc.

- Reading Nook Image 2 (left):
Via blog.arieladesigns.com

- Reading Nook Image 3 (right):
Via houzz: Rustic Bedroom
by Bozeman Architects & Building Designers Miller Architects LTD