October Inspirations: Cozy Spaces and Creative Studios
Here’s how I'm using my hand, head, and heart this month to ramp up my work in my creative work spaces.
Ahhhhh, October. Summer responsibilities have been fulfilled. School is in full swing. Now, it is time to snuggle down. Blankets. Warm beverages. Fires.
I’ve been thinking about what takes place in the cozy spaces we create. Relaxation, family time, reading, drinking lots of tea, sharing stories of the day. Spaces of refuge. Spaces where we feel safe, supported, and at peace.
This got me thinking about creative spaces and studios. Places where our creative work takes place. I discovered a magazine at Powell’s City of Books in Portland, Oregon this summer - In Her Studio. Beautiful studios of talented women artists, designers, and makers. The women share their studios, thoughts, insights, what inspires them, and advice for the creative process.
I’ve often wondered about why I don’t have a space like that. A cozy space of my own to do what moves me while I create what moves me. Play music loud, dance around, while making herbal yummies or writing. I’m not sure I actually see me doing that, but I think about it. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t whining. I’ve tried to create a cozy space like these over the years. It just doesn’t last.
Creative Spaces and Studios
My creative friends have a variety of spaces where they do their work. There are the visual artists who have to have spaces that are separate from the house, often for safety reasons - kilns, machines, etc. There are the visual artists who have a separate apartment because their works are so large that they need the space to stretch out to do what they do best.
There are the writers; one who has a little nook in her sunroom where she has beautiful flowers and a lovely tablescape. She looks out the windows and watches the sun rise, sees the green grass, the trees, the deer, and all that brings her joy. The rest of the time it is a space where the family gathers. And, another writer friend who has a dedicated space that she decorates creatively; she gazes out the long windows to see what is happening around her. Its a space where she can close the door and be alone with her writing. A space of her own and a room with a view.
There is the friend who is an artist of so many mediums that art and creative tools just overflow in her house; its like an eruption of creativity and potentiality. Wool. Fiber. Paint. Charcoal. Fabric. Paper. So much more. Its everywhere; it just permeates every surface and inch of the house.
My dear husband has a space for training — kettlebells, ski erg, TRX, etc. Stickers, magnets, and flags that speak to him and inspire him are all around. All sorts of other things that allow him to move as he feels inspired are just an arms reach away. If pushed to do so, he would agree, a gym by another name is a training studio.
I decided to deep dive into creative spaces. What I discovered falls under two ideas: Creatives must have studio spaces and Creatives need studios to do their work.
Creatives must have studio spaces because:
It’s a haven.
It’s a dedicated space.
It’s an inspirational space.
It’s a personal sanctuary.
Where one creates impacts what one creates.
Creatives need studios to be able to:
Center thoughts.
Foster concentration without interruption.
Make the creative process more fun.
Foster creativity.
Let creativity run freely.
Unleash imagination and turn vision into reality.
Give literal space for experimentation, exploration, and imagination.
Be free from distractions, obligations, and noise of every day living .
I do have a studio!
Then I realized, I do have such a space. It’s just not a conventional studio. Art is everywhere, so creativity is everywhere!
Creativity is different from person to person. For me my creativity is so tied to my heart - my family, our home, my connection to Mother Earth - I don’t need a separate room. In fact, I don’t want to be separate from every day living. Every day living inspires me. Interruptions help me come back to the work with new ideas and insights.
Rather than one studio space, the whole house and garden is my studio. I build sacred spaces within the spaces where I do the creative work. Often, my best ideas are germinated when I am sitting in the rocking chair, next to the fire, art on all of the walls around me, warm beverage in hand, snugly blanket wrapped around me. I need the quiet, reflective moments to go deep and see what is bubbling up. To daydream. Then the ideas are born, out of the fire, and I can venture off to the space where the inspiration comes to life.
Then, it is off to the creative space to make the idea a reality.
Kitchen — The kitchen is the location where one of the most intimate family events occur: the place where nourishing food is prepared, food that will enter into self and others. Candles, incense, Hestia statuette, copper pots, cast iron pans, plants. Wooden and copper utensils, and stone mortar and pestle. Treasured housewares from parents, grandparents, great grandparents. Herbal bundles. Dried herb wreath. Vinegar brewing. Sourdough fermenting. Twinkle lights in the window. A seasonal chalkboard that guides us through the special days, holidays, and traditions of our family. Homemade sweets on the counter.
Herbal prep room — Some would call it a still room, which is quite a bit of a stretch, but it is the space where tinctures, cordials, diffuser blends, bath and body products, perfumes, family remedies, and other herbal preparations are developed and created. Some part of a plant always seems to be drying. And, some concoction always seems to be resting in a dark corner waiting to be revealed in 6-12 weeks. There are books and bottles at the ready. Buckets filled with dried herbs. Wooden boxes of essential oils. Art work by the kids on the wall. Treasures from trips.
Garden — I love our garden. It has transitioned over the years from a somewhat formal space to a more natural space full of native plants. Elderberries. Spicebush. Pussy willow. Joe Pye Weed. Black Eyed Susan. A vegetable garden of tomatoes, pepper, carrots, potatoes, onions, spinach, kale, garlic. Herbs throughout. Rosemary and lavender by the garden gate. And, the greenhouse. Small but mighty. Ready for any project that arises. Transplanting. Harvesting. Resting.
Yoga — My Yoga space is carved out in our bedroom. My father’s footlocker (trunk) from his time in the Navy (1951-1955), now covered with stickers from my life journey since high school, serves as an altar of sorts. Yoga blanket, candle, special mementos, and daily intention cards. My Yoga mat rests against it, always at the ready.
Writing — My writing space is a bit more tricky. It’s seasonally dependent. Based upon how the season feels and looks. The energy. The light. Where I write shifts. This summer I wrote at the mid-20th century garden table that was my grandmother’s. A candle. Samsung Level Box. A wild world out the window - squirrels, bunnies, birds, chipmunks. A cat over my shoulder on her hammock. Watching the weather change in a moment. Summer storms. Now, I am shifting back to the dining table. The window behind me brings different light than the sunroom. Candles. A seasonal table. A cat who now prefers to lay on my laptop. A dog at my feet. We’ll see if the location shifts as it gets colder and darker.
I suppose, all of the creative endeavors that inspire my life could take place in one studio. But they don’t. Our house is small by some standards, large by others. For us, it has exactly what we need. Art is everywhere and I can create anywhere. So, I do! I take inspiration from the whole house and garden, my little family, and I create in the spaces where my heart thrives and is free.
Essentially it comes down to three parts: (1) Embrace the space. Even if it is only a corner or a counter, I love the space and the work that takes place there. (2) Organize the space. I make sure I have what I need at the ready. (3) Make the space personal. This is the most fun. Adorn the space with inspiration. Make it cozy. Its important to me that I enjoy being in whatever space I am in. This brings relaxation and dreaming; relaxation and dreaming brings creative flow.
Here’s how I'm using my hand, head, and heart this month
Here’s how I'm using my hand, head, and heart this month to ramp up my work in my creative work spaces.
Hand: Hat boxes full of material
There’s a lot of herbal prep going on right now. Elderberry Syrup. GTG Honey (Garlic, Turmeric, Ginger). Stock blends for cozy teas. Nourishing bath salts. All of that happens every year; so, how am I ramping up the creative work in that space?
Stored in the same area as my herbal supplies are hat boxes full of material and my grandmother’s and great grandmother’s sewing machines. These sewing machines and boxes of material have been tempting me for decades. I keep saying I’m going to make a quilt; I’m going to make an easy sundress. I have books on quilting and I’ve bought patterns for the sundress. Nothing has happened…….. yet. That’s how I’m ramping up the creative work in this space this month - I’m going to take the first step to dive into quilting.
Head: Ancestral Research and Rituals
I’m kind of getting ahead of myself here. Some of what I am about to share fits into next month’s post. But, in liminal times, like this current time between the warm and the cold, the sun and the dark, I endeavor to listen to my intuitive voice a bit more. I find that listening closely can often lead to something amazing. So, using the energy that is starting to come alive right now, I am turning my attention towards my ancestors.
Right now, I’m feeling called to begin to work on a project that will take me right across the threshold of the new year. For me, this time period, beginning towards the end of October until mid way through January, is when acknowledging, honoring, and working with my ancestors is at its highest, most juiciest point.
I have written a Family History Book for each of my grandparents and their ancestors. That makes it sound so complete, it’s not. It’s a continual work in progress. I suspect it will never be truly finished. It’s been going on for about 30 years already, and I suppose the lack of an end point is why I like it. There is always something new to learn, something new to uncover, someone new to bring back into the light of day.
That’s exactly what I am going to do this month, I am going to ramp up my ancestral research and rituals. Here’s how:
I’m going to focus my research this month on the forgotten and silenced ancestors. Those whose names are lost or have been erased. Have you seen the movie Coco? What struck me so deeply and personally the first time I saw Coco was how when someone’s name ceased to be spoken and their stories ceased to be told, they disappeared. That hurt my heart so much. The knowledge that would have been lost and the healing that wouldn’t have occurred if Miguel had never encountered Héctor gets me every time I think about it.
There are so many lost and forgotten names in my ancestry. I have brought many to light but there are still so many more, entire lines in fact. When I sit down to research and write it will be near my ancestral altar, with a white candle burning.
I’m also going to expand the family history books beyond the genealogy, stories and data, surnames list, and preferred images. I want to add new sections: maps and locations; a timeline; cemetery list; and other sections as the ideas arise. I want a reader to connect with moments, locations, and stories while also having the opportunity to see the bigger picture of how it all fits together over time, temporally and geographically.
Heart: Kitchen Rituals
The next couple of months provide an opportunity for our family to give many of our rituals a tune up. Sometimes during the warm and sunny months we move away from the rituals that sustain us during the cold and dark months. It makes sense; there’s a seasonal rhythm to how we adjust to the seasonal rhythm.
The kitchen is a sacred space in our home. A lot of time is spent here during the cold and dark months. Not only meal preparation, but baked goods and snack making increases at this time. Our kitchen is a gathering place, even as small as it is. It doesn’t have an eating area but the kids do fine. They find spaces where cabinets meet to tuck into the corner to snack and read or listen to music. The main dining table is only feet away, but they seem to prefer the kitchen corners.
Interestingly our kitchen doesn’t have heat in it. I’m certain this is the only home in the neighborhood that can say that. When I was a teenager my mother decided to remove the radiator to build a cookbook bookcase. I completely agree with that decision, by the way. Priorities. And, yet, during the winter the kitchen is one of the warmest spaces. Tangibly, all the cooking keeps the space toasty. Intangibly, the cozy, yummy, together feelings warm the space.
This month as I am ramping up the baking and making in the kitchen, I am also ramping up my kitchen rituals. It is important to me that I prepare the space before any food prep begins, and then connect to the sacred on each phase of food prep.
Here's what I do. I begin by lighting a candle. Then, three full inhalations and exhalations to leave behind the tension and anything troubling. These breaths help me shift my energy into the moment and the food prep to come. It also serves to create the best energy possible so that the energy transferring from me to the food is nourishing as well. My words come next, tailored for the morning or the evening.
When the food prep begins, I endeavor to make the process sacred as well. Slowing down. Raising my awareness. Aware of the sounds/light/smells/etc within the kitchen environment. Aware of how my body is entering the space. Being mindful. Hand washing becomes a cleansing ritual. Wiping counters becomes about clearing away thoughts to bring calm and balance. The ingredients are whole foods, mostly plant based. Each phase is an opportunity to raise my awareness and connection.
I’m so excited to have realized that I do indeed have a studio where I do my creative work — it’s my home and garden! This month my hand, head, and heart practices provide an opportunity for me to ramp up my work in those creative spaces.
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I adore how we share our love of our homes as our sanctuaries and sacred life living spaces. Such Virgos! Hestia statuette indeed! I look forward to your jumping into that sundress or quilt. Cozy comforting deep knowing fire moments, here we come!