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Everybody
needs a space to think, a place to be creative,
an area in which to imagine. Whether it’s
the local cafÈ or a park bench – what
thinking place works best? And how can we create
our own inspired places?
Virginia Woolf said that all artists need a
room of their own. We all have our own peculiar
places that we find comforting to work in. Proust
found solace in his cork-lined room; Edison worked
in a cupboard under his stairs, whilst Dr Johnson
preferred the company of his cat Hodge, lots
of orange peel and a good cup of tea.
My own creative
laboratory can be found in a number of different
places – the park,
the swimming pool and my bed. And most of my
creative ideas come when I’m flat on my
back. And I don’t mean that to sound provocative!
New research says that we think better lying
down.
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“In theory,
there may be greater release of a chemical, noradrenaline,
in the brain when standing up than when lying down,” says
Dr Darren Lipnicki, from the School of Psychology
at the Australian National University. This stress
hormone is suspected to prohibit our creative thinking.
Interestingly, this chemical is often given to
children with ADD to calm them down.
The subconscious
plays an important role in our creative thinking.
It’s incredible
that when we’re seemingly switched off,
we’re still being artistic and inventive.
It’s useful to listen to and act on our
inner thoughts, and to start noticing things
about the spaces we inhabit.
Taking yourself
to a new place is stimulating and helps you
to see hundreds of new possibilities. “Whilst
I’m walking, my brain is spinning and also
noticing what it notices and following those
suggestions. I see it a little as an old switchboard,
which lights up when a call comes through.” Ben
Whitehouse, Project & Event Support Coordinator,
University of Birmingham...
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Treating
yourself well also affects your creativity. Sometimes
it’s what we do before finding our creative
flow that is beneficial. Going to bed earlier,
exercising, or taking a journey are all good triggers.
Photographer Anna Cunnington, gets in the mood
for work on long train journeys, and says, “It
must be a combination of your mind going blank
and images whizzing past you.”
Most creative work is done
at home, and if you’ve got your own area
to work in, it’s easy to personalise it to
suit you. My own creative space backs onto a wonderwall
of photographs and postcards. These are useful
stimulants, which create a mood as well as inspire
me to work.
Many artists find it difficult
to create their work publicly, even in front of
those closest to them. “For most of us,” comments
author Julia Cameron, “privacy takes a little
planning. In order to be alone together, ‘just
the two of us,’ you, and your art - you may
need to sneak off like illicit lovers.”
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privacy might involve a trip to the library,
or house-sitting for friends when they’re
out of town.
Last
year, I was lucky enough to look after a friend’s
Parisian flat and found the new space exciting
and thought provoking. Above
all, my creative juices need nourishment. I
can’t think at all
when I’m hungry, so having a break from
work and going to the kitchen for a change of
scenery is vital. Professional writer, Matthew
Stibbe likes to bribe himself in reward for food
breaks, “Mathew, if you can write another
500 words, you can have a cup of tea and a biscuit.”
Music can help to
create an environment, but it can also be something
that is incredibly distracting.
I like listening to albums that I know like the
back of my hand, which I don’t actively
listen to. The Royal Tenenbaums soundtrack is
a particular favourite; I find the rhythm helpful
for the flow of my writing. Headphones are also
really useful for blocking out everything else
around you.
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Sometimes
working on your own gets lonely and then it’s really
helpful to go somewhere else to work. Ernest Hemmingway
and JK Rowling are authors famous for working in cafÈs.
Perhaps there’s something to be said about creating
in a place where other people are also busy? In this
environment, all your needs are catered for by someone
else and people-watching can also be an inspiration for
your work.
Finding a creative space is
crucial to losing yourself in your work. It’s
important to discover what and where works best for
you, and to explore new spaces to aid your creativity.
Getting into the zone is tricky, but when you do, you
realise hours have passed instead of minutes; and that’s
when something really wonderful starts to happen.
emma_bullen@yahoo.com |
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