Tag: creative writing space

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Building Your Creative Space

Creating a Productive Writing Environment: Tips for Setting Up a Distraction-Free Zome

Building your creative space

Keeping some measure of focus is so important as a writer that you should even try to avoid distractions during your breaks. If you have an issue with distractions in your writing space, this guide will provide tips and tricks for creating the perfect sanctuary.

The Importance Of A Distraction-Free Zone

Whether you’re writing full-time or you’re just getting started, you’ll find that creating your own special writing space has many benefits.

One of them is the ability to avoid distractions. When you carve out your own space, you have more control over what’s around you and can give your work your full attention. Also, when you walk into your own writing sanctuary, you go in there knowing that it’s a place to work. Whether it’s a spare bedroom or a separate personal writing studio, getting into that working mindset could be what you need for success.

Little Things Can Be Distracting

One thing to remember about creating a distraction-free zone is that it isn’t just the TV or your smartphone that can cause an issue. Simple things like lighting and your desk setup can cause problems.

Poor Lighting

You may not realize it, but poor illumination can affect workplace productivity. Working in a room with few windows and without natural light can make it hard to see what you’re doing. Plus, natural sunlight helps to regulate your mood so you’re more alert and focused.

Working in a room with windows also means you don’t need to turn on artificial lights. If you must purchase light fixtures, try LED lights, which are more efficient and last longer. Try to find a bulb with a color temperature closer to 1000k because it’s a warmer light that can put you in a better mood. Color temperatures of 5000k and above produce a bright white light that mimics more of a clinical atmosphere and can be less conducive to creativity.

Poor Seating

How you sit can also be distracting. If you’re constantly in pain or stretching to reach the keyboard, you’ll likely need to stop writing more often than you’d like.

To protect your back, find a chair that lets you sit at a 90-degree angle so you’re not stretching uncomfortably. You also want to create a setup that allows your computer monitor or laptop screen to be level with your eyes so you’re not always looking up or down and straining your neck. Another option is a standing desk, which can help you to be more alert throughout the day.

Eliminate Unnecessary Sounds

There’s a reason why many people turn down the radio in their cars when looking for a street address, and it’s because noise can be distracting. When it comes to your writing and work productivity, noise can pose many issues, including causing stress that can hamper your creativity. Noise can also make it difficult to focus, especially when you’re reading and researching. You may find yourself reading the same sentence repeatedly.

Pick a writing sanctuary far enough from the living room so you don’t hear background noise. If you like to listen to music while writing, consider classical music that will provide inspiration and not have lyrics that can distract your thinking.

If you can’t find a traditional space to make into an office, try converting a place like the garage. Clear out the clutter, find a space near an electrical outlet to plug in your computer, and ensure the garage is insulated so you don’t get too hot or cold during the changing seasons.

The next step would be to soundproof the garage. Find suitable soundproofing material, which may include spray foam or acoustic panels. Start soundproofing the spaces around the main garage and smaller entrance doors. If the garage doesn’t have drywall, stick acoustic foam between the panels on the wall. Finally, consider soundproofing the floor because it can reflect sound waves. A thick and durable carpet will do the trick.

Tools That Can Enhance Your Focus

There are many tools and gadgets that you can use to stay focused and efficient while writing. Look online for a timer that you can sit on your desk. Set a time duration and dedicate that time to avoiding distractions as you write down as many ideas as possible. Another great gadget is a high-quality set of noise-canceling headphones. Use them to play classical music or block out the background noise from other parts of the house.

You can also find various forms of software that help you be more efficient with your writing and editing. One of them is Grammarly. Use it to review your work after it’s written or write it directly into the software, and it will fix grammatical errors as you go. Another tool is FocusWriter, which uses a hide-away interface that keeps distractions on your computer at bay. The tool also provides daily statistics and updates on your writing goals.

Conclusion

Distractions can wreak havoc on your creativity and make it impossible to concentrate long enough to write a quality sentence. Only by creating a personal writing space can you let your imagination run free. Follow the tips and tools discussed here, and your productivity may skyrocket!

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Building Your Creative Space

Boosting Creativity: How Clean, fresh Air Can enhance Your Writing Space

Building your creative space

Staying creative is essential for life as a writer. Even for those who consider themselves endlessly creative, there can still be occasional challenges. Indeed, sustaining creativity throughout the course of writing a book is difficult in itself. One of the steps you can take to keep creative is improving your access to clean and fresh air.

In our current environment, being able to breathe clean air isn’t necessarily guaranteed or easy. Nevertheless, having an understanding of the value of fresh air and how you can enhance it in your writing space and routine can be positive.

How Clean, Fresh Air Helps

On the most basic level, breathing poor quality air may have a detrimental effect on your well-being. In the short term, it’s not unusual for pollution to cause throat and eye irritation. On a longer time scale, though, exposure to pollution can lead to issues such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), among other serious illnesses. As a result, you may find you have less energy, get unwell more often, and that these symptoms disrupt your writing sessions.

Additionally, one recent study has shown that poor access to quality air may specifically impact creative performance. In particular, higher levels of total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) in the air were associated with the originality, quality, and fluency of participants’ creative activities. As a result, it’s in the best interest of your health and your creative functioning to prioritize clean and fresh air into your working space.

Taking Practical Steps

Getting access to clean and fresh air in your writing area is a primary area of focus. After all, this is likely to be where you spend the most time working. It can be challenging, particularly if you live in a city that’s subject to a lot of pollution. The key is to take some regular practical steps to mitigate the impact of the outside contaminants.

Some ways to improve your indoor air quality include:

  • Investing in air filters: High-quality air filters can capture particulate matter in the air. High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters are particularly effective, as they remove some of the smallest particles — including mites and allergens — that could cause problems. You can use these for both stand-alone filtration units and those connected to your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system.
  • Minimizing sources inside your home: Filters can remove polluted air that enters your writing space from outside. But it’s also important to reduce the sources of poor air quality from within your home. This might include tobacco smoke, which can be a source of benzene. When decorating your writing space, you should also use low-VOC paint. Using a dehumidifier can also be key to mitigating mold and dust mites during humid times of year.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that some of the steps you’ll need to take will be specific to your location. For instance, if there are fluctuations in air quality due to wildfires or allergens, investing in a smart air quality monitor may be useful for making informed adjustments as circumstances change.

Incorporating Nature

Making the most of clean and fresh air doesn’t have to be reliant on filtration methods alone. The natural world can be a great source of both healthy air space and inspiration as a writer. Finding ways to incorporate nature into your writing routine can be an advantage to your well-being and creativity.

One way to do this is to occasionally take the time to write in natural areas. You could go to a nearby hiking trail, National Park, or urban forest area. Finding spaces to visit where you’ll be surrounded by a lot of trees is particularly beneficial. This is because trees are carbon stores, which means they capture certain toxins, giving you access to cleaner air. Therefore, taking your notebook to write in the great outdoors can be beneficial.

At home, consider bringing a little of nature into your writing space. While it would take a lot of plants to completely purify the air in your space, having different types of vegetation can still improve quality. Not to mention that the presence of nature can lift your mood, impacting your creative productivity. Items such as peace lilies, chinese evergreen, and spider plants are among the plants recognized to be good for air quality.

Conclusion

Maintaining clean, fresh air in your writing space can have a great impact on your creativity. It is vital to minimize pollutants in your home as well as find ways to embrace nature. Remember, though, that this is just one step toward a healthier and more productive writing lifestyle. It’s equally important to look at other areas in your life and routine that can be more conducive to a healthy and creative experience.

Amanda Winstead is a writer from the Portland area with a background in communications and a passion for telling stories. Along with writing she enjoys traveling, reading, working out, and going to concerts. If you want to follow her writing journey, or even just say hi you can find her on Twitter.

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Building Your Creative Space

How Modular Construction Can Make Personal Writing Studios affordable

Building your creative space

As an author, you probably dream of the day when you can write your next novel or poetry anthology in your own writing studio. Something about writing in a dedicated workspace is innately alluring for writers from all backgrounds. A writing studio is free from distraction, well-equipped with resources that you need, and may help you form a stronger writing habit.

However, for most people, writing studios are unattainable. Unless you have tens of thousands of dollars burning a hole in your pocket, you probably can’t afford to bring in a team of builders to erect an ancillary building that meets state specs and is well-equipped for your writing needs.

Today, however, modular construction is set to change that paradigm and may turn your writing studio dream into a reality. 

What is Modular Construction?

Modular construction is an increasingly popular option for folks who want to build ancillary sites on their property. At its core, modular construction is defined as “the process of assembling buildings in a dedicated factory or workspace.” Once assembled, these buildings are shipped to the site where they are to be installed. The benefits of modular construction include:

  • Reduced costs
  • Quicker turnaround
  • Minimal disruption

These benefits make modular construction the go-to for writing studios. You can save some serious cash by opting for a modular studio and won’t have to turn your yard into a construction site while the studio is being built. This can be a real boon if you’re a busy writer and need to produce a manuscript or opinion piece on a tight deadline. 

Modular design gives you a blank canvas to work with, too. While most modular builds look similar, the internal design of the space is entirely up to you. So, while others are working on assembling your home office, you can spend time researching the interior design principles that promote productivity and help you feel at home in your writing space.

Studio Inspiration

Literary giants like Virginia Woolf and Ernest Hemingway paid great attention to the design of their writing spaces. Monk House, Woolf’s final home in Sussex, contains a functional dove-gray writing lodge on the garden grounds. Similarly, Hemingway did much of his writing in a second-floor studio that overlooks palm trees in Key West, Florida.

Nowadays, you can even purchase a modular version of Woolf’s writing hut in Monk’s House. The Modular build comes in Dove Grey and features the same iconic French double doors and deck. This type of space could provide perfect inspiration if you enjoy writing while a cool breeze blows in.

You don’t need to decorate your studio like your favorite authors to enjoy the benefits of a dedicated writing space, but you should abide by some basic rules when laying out your design. Start by installing full-spectrum light bulbs. These bulbs ensure that light positively affects your mood by mimicking natural light to foster mental sharpness and sharpen your mental faculties. This can lower stress and help you feel at ease in your new studio, too.

You can also draw inspiration from other mediums that move you. For example, if you’re a fiction writer who enjoys surrealist themes, consider hanging thought-provoking abstract art on your walls. Alternatively, if you enjoy writing realism, you might want to purchase iconic artwork by portrait artists like Annie Lebowitz or Steve McCurry. These images will help you tap into the kind of human spirit you want to capture when writing and may help you beat writer’s block.

Building Your Writing Space

Once your modular space arrives, you’ll want to take steps to make it comfortable and functional. This doesn’t need to break the bank, as small changes can make a big difference. Get the ball rolling by utilizing DIY writing sanctuary tips like:

  • Functionality: A beautiful hardwood swivel chair may look the part in your studio, but will it support your posture when writing from dawn to dusk? If not, consider opting for a more modern office chair with ergonomic features.
  • Comfort: Install an HVAC unit and an air purifier if you want to work in the space year-round. This will add some extra costs to your space but will pay dividends when you can still use your writing studio in comfort for 8+ hours a day in the winter months.
  • Break-Space: Consider bringing in an additional chair where you will sit, snooze, and relax away from the desk. A quick break can be the perfect tonic if you’re mentally fatigued and need to hit the reset button after a lengthy writing session.
  • Nature: Letting natural light and a calming breeze enter your space can help you de-stress and feel at peace in your space. Consider bringing in some houseplants to further blend the boundaries between nature and your writing studio.

Building a writing space that meets your needs is all about experimentation and adjustments. Get started by nailing the basics like installing an HVAC system and adequate lighting. This gives you a strong foundation to build on and will ensure that you’re able to work in your studio year-round.

Conclusion

As a writer, you should be able to sit down and work regardless of your physical location. However, if you want to maximize your productivity and write in comfort, a writing studio is the way to go. You can reduce the cost of building a studio and minimize delays to your writing process by leaning on modular construction designs. These are budget-friendly and will be delivered with a quick turnaround. You don’t have to worry about erecting the structure yourself, either, meaning you can focus on making interior design choices that inspire you to write.

Amanda Winstead is a writer from the Portland area with a background in communications and a passion for telling stories. Along with writing she enjoys traveling, reading, working out, and going to concerts. If you want to follow her writing journey, or even just say hi you can find her on Twitter.