I find that setting up a solid creative environment for myself can be crucial for getting into the daily art-making process, and it also helps me to enter that creative flow state more easily.
The concept of a creative environment and how to set it up is also one of the core concepts of my new course, Creative Habits, so if you’re interested in starting and keeping a sketchbook practice, this might be for you.
Here’s a video lesson from the course:
Setting up a creative environment | essential habits to make more art (Youtube)
Tips for establishing a creative setting
Depending on your life and your routines this process might look a bit different for everyone.
Some tips:
- Set up a dedicated creative space so that you can get started right away. If you don’t have a lot of space, put together a portable sketching kit to have your materials ready to go.
- Having a small kit ready to go also means you won’t face decision fatigue when you want to make art. You just use what works best. You can still introduce new materials for experiments from time to time.
- I like to start with a clean desk. It’s fine to make a big creative mess, but when I start I like to have a tidy surface (I know some people thrive in creative chaos – everyone is a bit different when it comes to this).
- Make small pockets of time in your schedule to fit in short sketching sessions, or try out unusual times like the early morning.
- Drawing a bit each day beats drawing for 3 hours once a week – this is where your sketchbook practice can really become a habit.
- Declutter your creative workspace. Again, less decision fatigue.
- Remove distractions: work in a calm environment, turn off devices and feeds (it can feel uncomfortable, but it’s really worth it).
I hope this post has given you a few ideas on how you can set up a creative environment that helps you to make art more often, and more effortlessly. If you want to take a deep dive and really establish a habit for your creative practice, then take a look at my 14-day course Creative Habits.
Hi Julia, I’ve read your blogpost, had a look at my desk and cleaned it up immediately :D all your words are so true, also for working from home with all these distractions. These little routines help a lot but I often forget about them, so thanks for your reminder!
Haha, speaking of that, I need to give my desk a good decluttering, too! Working from home is definitely a huge source of distractions.
Oh yessss :D
Such good tips and easy ones too, provided one is not in a resistive mindset! It always surprises me that the things I really want to do end up on the bottom of my to do list each day, meaning they get put off until the next, and the next, and the next. Really should be first things first. :-)
As a novice watercolorist, I find your posts always informative and motivational. The small rural studio of which I’m a member is my creative space. Although it is a fiber arts studio, my space is now 3/4 painting (1/4 fiber) and efficient space use is important. Luckily I have a 4-tiered rolling cart for supplies that can be stored under my table. It enables easy and quick access. Also now assembling an outdoor kit in a cafe bag, a step up from my 10-yr old sketchbook. My only issue is, as a neurodivergent person, relaxing my perfectionist tendency is challenging and I go down rabbit holes when sketching/painting. :)
Thank you Elzi! Putting together an outdoor kit sounds like a lot of fun. I too go down lots of rabbit holes when I’m sketching, I can’t sit still while the paint dries. My perfectionism got a bit better when I designated each new piece as “practice”, that can take the pressure out.