How To Create A Creative Environment? (12+ Easy Tips For Artists And Freelancers)

A creative work environment is a designated place that fosters creativity, innovation and original ideas. While a lot of companies quite recently have become creative in their endeavor, there are some who haven’t reached there yet. However, the need for creativity is always present in the human gene. For artists, solopreneurs and creatives, an environment that allows them to fire on all cylinders is crucial for better quality of work. That is why, we will see how you can create a more creative environment that can help you make better stuff.

How To Create A Creative Environment: Use These 12 Tips To Create Masterful Work

Now, a lot of us do not have aesthetic homes as seen in movies or TV shows. That is why, organization and using colors to spruce up your place is going to be quite helpful for your productivity. A proper creative environment does not only foster productivity but allows the artist to be confident in the work they are creating. There are plenty of ways in which you can achieve or make your own creative environment.

Note: Some of these tips are straight solutions to having a better creative environment while the others will help you get there. Use these in accordance to your needs.

Clean And Tidy Up Your Workplace

It doesn’t matter where you work, if it’s a table or the floor or your sofa. Clear up the clutter around the workplace and see how your productivity shoots up. Once you are done for the day, take another sweep of your workspace and clear up the clutter so that the work area is appealing for the next day as well.

Dedicate A Designated Workspace

(Image via Ken Tomita on Pexels)

Another rule of thumb for more creative freedom is to dedicate a designated workspace. What this means is that you should not be lounging or watching movies or relaxing where you work.

Pick a corner of the house and separate it from leisure. It should be meant solely for your work and creative outlets. This allows your brain to lock in whenever you are in the designated work area and creates a definite mental boundary between fun and work. It creates a habit, in short.

Spruce It Up

There are tons of things you can do to ensure that your workspace is appealing enough aside from being clean. Here are some things you can do to allow for a more appealing creative environment:

  • Get a plant
  • Optimize natural light (shift the workspace near a window)
  • Use colors
  • Invest in new furniture
  • Get new equipment

There are many other ideas which you can incorporate to get a more creative environment by livening up your workspace. It all depends on your creativity and needs.

Set Clear Goals

(Image via Markus Winkler on Pexels)

For every creative, working without a set goal is like shooting an arrow in an abyss. You have no idea what you are aiming for. In an environment that promotes creativity, the best thing to aim for is a said goal to clear every single day. This harbors consistent creation and helps you improve your work everyday.

If you are a writer, aim to write 3 pages everyday or if you are a video editor, aim to edit a video everyday. Set clear goals so you can follow through and are not affected by mental clutter.

Listen To Instrumental Music

Instrumental music can become the soundtrack to your life. For me, whenever I hear music from Oppenheimer or Interstellar, the creative juices start flowing and my writing starts to get better. Instrumental music does not hamper your creativity since it allows for free flowing mental space. When you listen to lyrical music, your brain gets tunnel visioned on the lyrics.

That is why, listening to instrumental music can allow for a clear head that let’s the juices flow naturally, especially for those who have ADHD.

Keep A Bottle Of Water And Snacks

This might seem like a trivial tip but having a bottle of water and some snacks like dark chocolate or some peanuts handy will do wonders. If you are focused on a task and want to eat, it can land you between a rock and a hard place since you will need to break your concentration.

Keeping snacks and water can let you focus on your tasks for extended periods without feeling the need to get up and wander around the house.

Change The Location

(Image via Fotios Photos on Pexels)

If you can’t focus on your task by staying at your own house, consider a change in location, preferably, an aesthetic coffee shop. This is not just about romanticizing your life, a coffee shop is the perfect place to work since you won’t be bothered by anyone and will have some cold coffee to keep you company.

Take Breaks And Rest

I know that budding creative in you wants to get it done as soon as possible but having proper rest and taking breaks is essential for better quality work. When you make space for rest and work, you are more focused and create better. Get up, stretch, go for a walk, make some food or read a book, DO NOT PICK UP YOUR PHONE AND START SCROLLING.

Try Deep Work

Deep work is one of the best methods to producing better output by decreasing the amount of time you work. A lot of people do deep work for 4 hours a day and earn millions by bettering the quality of work. With better focus and lesser distractions, deep work can let you achieve twice as more in a lesser amount of time.

There are many deep work methods out there but I recommend reading Deep Work by Cal Newport to get started.

Try Doodling

(Image via Miguel Á. Padriñán on Pexels)

Doodling is one of the best methods to get over a creative block. Just start to draw lines, characters and emotions, draw whatever is on your mind. This is a sure fire way to get the creative juices flowing and might even turn into a proper project if it appeals to you. Doodling is one of the best ways to utilize your creative freedom.

In my opinion, every artist should learn how to doodle. This activity can make for some pretty interesting characters and ideas.

Eliminate Distractions

Make sure to disable notifications from your phone, delete games from your laptop (if that’s a problem) and even turn off the music when the going gets tough and you cannot get work done. Sometimes, when I am not in the mood for music, I work without any external motivation and just raw dog it. It should work for you as well.

Eliminating distractions can lead to clarity and allow for better work quality.

Gather Inspiration

(Image via Bich Tran on Pexels)

The final tip might be the most important in creating a creative work environment. Gathering inspiration for your project from your idols and other creators is the key to producing great work. Scroll through the feed of the artists you like, watch YouTube tutorials of various techniques in your field or maybe try a documentary of an artist that you like, better yet watch films.

These inspiration sources can give you ideas that you can adapt in your own work and make creative masterpieces.

Those are 12 of the best methods in which you can use to create a creative work environment. For more creative tips and content, check out the Creativity section of The Introverted Bubble.