Clearing Space for Creativity
There’s a Facebook meme that says something like “A messy desk is the sign of a creative mind”.
Invariably a few friends will take ownership of this as a sign of victory. Their messy lives and chaotic rooms now offer up validation as a sign of creativity, instead of a problem that needs dealing with.
If you look to the both extremes — obsessive compulsive disorder and hoarders — there are psychological drivers behind both groups. A happy, productive, well-balanced creative life doesn’t appear at either end of this spectrum, and I’m here to tell you, creativity needs clarity.
There needs to be a physical and mental space that allows creativity to flourish. Much like a garden where everything is allowed to grow, eventually the weeds will take over. Any seedlings and delicate flowers will be strangled and suffocated. Your blossoming ideas need space to grow.
If memories and worries crowd your brain or you find yourself remembering to remember to remember things, then any fledging creative ideas will be shouted over. If notes and thoughts and sketches need to find their way onto paper and there is nowhere to sit and write, then these ideas may never see the light of day.
You can clear mental space can by writing daily journal pages, or working towards inbox zero. Clear physical space by putting aside the weekend to tidy up the sewing room, or take all the clean clothes off the back of your sofa. Buy that new table from IKEA and make space in the corner of the room.
