Get Out of Your Craft Space!

I love my craft room so much. It is organized in almost every way. It is both inspiring and calming. Everything I need to create anything I want is right at my finger tips. No matter what state of disarray your craft area might be in, I am willing to bet that you still love it. How could you not?!? You set it up yourself, it’s your personal little corner of the world, and it is where you get to go be creative.

However, I am here to tell you to get out of your craft space. And I am not saying get out and go to the craft store! It’s time to take a break from your craft desk, craft corner, or craft room. While our spaces can inspire us, they can also really limit us as well. We can get so caught up with being in our own creative world, that we forget that there is a huge wide world outside those walls as well! We feel safe in our creative compound, and while we might not have a huge influx of new ideas coming, we also don’t have to deal with all the difficulties that the outside world presents us.

I am as guilty of this as anybody! I spend most of my weekdays in my craft room, plugging away at videos, editing, organizing, you name it. I love that space!!! As gorgeous as my room is with its bright colors and big window, it still isn’t the same as getting out of that space. There is so much beauty and joy to be found by literally just moving myself outside. When I change locations, I automatically change the inspiration that is coming at me. I hear new sounds and smell new smells. Not to mention all of the colors, images, and ideas that come at me. Simply changing my location makes me feel like a new person! This has been one of my recent strategies for dealing with a creative block.

I create something nearly every single day. Whether for a video, for a project, for Patreon, or for my personal use, I am always making something. I hold the belief that creativity is like a muscle and that the more you use it, the stronger it gets. But, just like a muscle you are working, it can reach a “maxed out” stage. When you are exercising and you reach muscle failure, it is time to stop and let your body rest and recover. You are meant to stretch, drink water, eat protein, and do anything else except that exercise. Once your muscles recover, you can continue to work on strengthening them.

The same goes for creativity! When you have reached the point of creative burnout, you have to stop, rest, relax, stretch, and replenish. I have found myself getting stuck in the rest stage though, because I was “resting” in my craft space. While I wasn’t creating anything, I also wasn’t stretching myself, or replenishing my creative bucket. I wasn’t taking in anything new, so how did I expect new things were going to come out of me? It seems pretty counterproductive, but as an introvert, I did find comfort in staying cozied up in my craft room, even when I figured out that it was limiting my creativity somewhat. It can be hard to step out of our comfort zones, but our creativity is always calling us to do just that! Creativity never wants to be contained. It always wants to grow, evolve, and stretch.

So, what should we do when we leave our craft spaces and brave the outside? Well, start with just sitting in the outside world! Go on a nature walk, sit on your patio, and take in all the sights and sounds that happen in the spring. And don’t feel like you can’t bring a little crafting with you! I often bring a journal or a planner and a few supplies with me to just sit outside and soak in the sunshine a bit. Need more of a stretch? Head out to a museum or go see a new movie. Better yet, look up some creative classes in your area. The more different it is from your normal crafting, the better! Expose yourself to new ideas and try new techniques. When you stretch your creativity, it will inevitably grow!

I hope that you love your creative space so much that you never want to leave. And then, I hope you leave it every now and then. Don’t forget…distance makes the heart grow fonder!💕

Keep it creative,

Elisa, The Scrappy Wife

Did you know that I have a Patreon page? There is all kinds of extra, fun perks happening over there! Be sure to check it out at http://www.patreon.com/scrappywife 💕