Creative space – how space and place inspires our creativity

As part of the #quietwriting hashtag and Instagram Challenge, we begin with a focus on honouring and celebrating creative space.

Use the #quietwriting hashtag across platforms – for the challenge and beyond – as a way to create, connect and link us together on our ongoing journey to draft, process, create, make space for writing and other creativity and otherwise live a wholehearted creative life. Read on to discover more and connect with creative others about creative space.

Creative space 

When I was thinking of prompts for the #quietwriting challenge, creative space was the first thing that came to mind!

Why? Because it’s the beginning of it all – our creativity and that quiet space, wherever it is, inside our house, inside our heads or outside in nature where conditions and influences help us to see afresh or make connections.

What creative space helps you go deep or inspires and fosters your creativity?

Today is an opportunity to reflect on this. Here are some ideas to prompt you!

Creative spaces inside

The first thoughts that comes to mind around creative space are where we actually do our work, which is often inside. Inside our homes or other work spaces – offices, cafes, co-working spaces, our studies, lounge rooms or bedrooms! Then of course there’s what happens in the creative space inside our minds and hearts. Think about:

• Where do you work creatively at home?
• What is around you to inspire you?
• What does your creative workspace look like?
• How do you organise your creative space wherever you work – the ergonomics, the tidiness or chaos?
• What does it feel like?
• What in your creative space helps you get moving – tarot, candles, music, silence, standing or sitting?
• Do you like to look out a window or at a wall with special images and words in front of you?
• What do you see as you work in your creative space?
• What accompanies you as you work – tea, coffee, wine, chocolate, water, incense, oils diffusing?
• Do you prefer silence or music to accompany you?

Love to hear your thoughts and see any images on Instagram – just use the hashtag #quietwriting for the challenge or anytime so we can connect with you. Or share your thoughts in the comments or on Facebook.

Creative spaces outside

This prompt made me think of the creative spaces outside that inspire me. For me, this is the beach and as I shared in my Instagram post:

I do a lot of my creating and writing sitting at a desk at home. But the space that truly inspires my creativity is the beach. Being by the water, in the water, watching the waves, sitting on the sand. Watching the sunrise like this stunner recently in Hoi An. It is all about making connections, relaxing into it, feeling, being inspired. It’s why I chose to live near the beach. It is why when I walk on the beach, I take so many photos capturing that feeling. And it’s also why my new logo and colour palette for Quiet Writing – which I’ll share soon – features these rose gold, watery colours. It’s the deep beginning of so much.

Living near the beach and swimming in the sea stimulates my creativity in so many ways. I love walking on the sand and noticing the shells, gathering the ones that connect with me. In my poem, Narrative, in this post, I share how a walk down to the beach can be so clarifying. I am inspired to gather myself, collect thoughts, connect ideas and often, notebook or camera in hand, new inspiration comes.

When I was in Hoi An and visited An Bang Beach at sunrise recently, I could feel the same sense of creativity and calm. The sound of the waves helped me to settle into my creativity in a new way there. It made me reflect on just how powerful the beach and sea is as a creative space in my life, these colours reflecting my Quiet Writing palette. And those colours reflect everything about me and what matters.

Creative places

Another aspect of creative space is the actual places that inspire or host your creativity.

• Why is it that some places inspire you more than others?
• Do you have a love affair with a particular country, city or village that means you return to try to engage with it and capture it?
• Are there some places that you want to write about or create from?
• Or is there somewhere you just long to be, somewhere where you can retreat for a week to create art and write story?
• Is there somewhere unexpected that grabs your attention and make you want to craft something from the story that you feel there?

Think of Daphne Du Maurier and her love of Cornwall as Jessa Crispin reminds us for the Four of Wands in The Creative Tarot:

Many writers and artists pull inspiration from their surroundings: think of Daphne Du Maurier, who wrote novel after novel with the region of Cornwall as her muse.

What place is your muse? Why?

Creative and connected via #quietwriting

So I welcome your comments here or on social media. I look forward to seeing #quietwriting images that share thoughts and open up dialogue on creative space. All you need to do is share an image on Instagram using the tag #quietwriting and follow the prompts each day for stimulation. Here are the prompts:

And the #quietwriting hashtag will continue beyond the week of the challenge, so use it anytime to create and connect. You can learn more here about #quietwriting

Just a reminder of the key points:

• Quiet Writing is about the strength that comes from working steadily and without fanfare in writing and other spheres to create, coalesce, influence and connect.
• Hashtags are such a fabulous way to gather, finding our creative kindred souls and inspiration online.
• On Instagram, you can now follow hashtags as well as individual profiles. So follow #quietwriting now and into the future to connect around creativity and your quiet work, writing and making art.
• You can head on over to the #quietwriting hashtag on Instagram or Facebook or other social media anytime and see what’s popping up. 
• You could also post on your own profile on Facebook as well using the hashtag.
• Often we write quietly, behind closed doors or in busy cafes, privately. Let’s shine a light behind the scenes and capture the process of writing and creativity in action, wherever we are and whatever we are up to.

Here’s a beautiful snapshot of our hands in action, quietly writing in a sacred creative space at our recent retreat in Hoi An, led by Kirsten Pilz of Write Your Journey. And of course, there is tea! This image is by Nigel Rowles and used with permission and thanks.

Get on board with #quietwriting + the hashtag challenge!

These are just some ideas and they will evolve as we all contribute. It doesn’t have to be all about writing – it can be any form of creativity. Nor do you need to be an introvert; all of us need quiet writing time to get creative work done.

I’ll feature my favourite images from the tag here and on Instagram and Facebook so share your images for the chance to be featured!

So join the #quietwriting party and let us know what you are up to! Who knows what creative connections you might make to support you on your journey or inspire your next creation?

Welcome your comments and images to inspire and connect our creativity online from your quiet spaces and lives!

Keep in touch & free ebook on the ’36 Books that Shaped my Story’

You can work with me to help reset your creativity and wholehearted self-leadership. Free 30-45 minute coaching consults chats are available so please get in touch at terri@quietwriting.com to talk further. I’d love to be a guide alongside to help you conduct creativity and magic with spirit and heart in your own unique way. Consults available now for an October coaching start!

You can download my free 94-page ebook on the 36 Books that Shaped my Story – just sign up with your email address in the box to the right or below.  You will also receive updates from Quiet Writing and its passions. This includes personality type, coaching, creativity, writing, tarot and other connections to help express your unique voice in the world.

Quiet Writing is on Facebook and Instagram – keep in touch and interact with the growing Quiet Writing community.

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