The importance of a personal writing space
External details impact your ability to access your creative mind
***I originally published this piece in 2019 on Medium. Its advice still rings true, especially now that I’ve moved residence, giving up my carefully curated writing lair. But I now have a new one… I’ll elaborate in my next Substack piece.
It’s a scientifically proven fact: environment affects creativity. The world of business has long been studying this connection. A virtual slew of scholarly articles have been written on the subject.
The conclusion? It’s true. Certain physical conditions really do promote those precious “aha” moments, allowing the door into our creative minds to magically swing wide.
As writers, we each have “our space,” i.e., the place where we usually do our work. Sometimes we change it up when we’re stuck, like moving into a coffee shop to see if we can knock something loose. Why not take a look at “your space,” your home office or wherever you park your butt when it’s time to put words down?
Why not alter the conditions to those scientifically proven to promote creativity and innovation?
For each writer, the conditions will vary. They might even vary according to the individual project. But it’s worth experimenting with changes to your environment to allow you to easily access the creative side of your brain.
Lighting
It’s important to have proper lighting in your writing space. Natural light from a window is best. Add mirrors to your walls to amplify whatever natural light you have.
Much of my own writing happens before sunrise, i.e., no natural light. I had to search for a desk lamp with a soft, diffuse glow to offset the glare of a computer screen (and two additional monitors!) in a perfectly dark room.
The color of the light, according to scientific studies, can also affect your creativity. In a study by Juliet Zhu, Professor of Marketing at CKGSB, it was determined that designs created on a blue background won points for originality over those created on a red background. Images of the designs for new toys were converted to black-and-white before being rated by outside marketing experts.
Designs created on a blue background were consistently chosen as more original.
So change your light bulb to one in the higher lumen range, i.e., closer to daylight. Buy pale blue lampshades. Choose a sky-blue background for your desktop (and additional monitors).
Sound
When it comes to creativity, silence is not golden.
Dr. Zhu’s study revealed that background noise levels in the mid-range, i.e. 70–80 decibels, actually enhanced creative responses over those in either noisier or quieter environments.
I absolutely cannot write a word without background noise. For me, that noise must be in the form of instrumental music. Depending on the tone of the piece I’m working on, my choices will change.
When working on a scary scene in one of my novels, I found my writing became much more spontaneous when listening to creepy music. I chose the soundtrack from the original Assassin’s Creed. Great choice. It did the trick.
When it comes to creativity, silence is not golden.
So find a soundtrack, Pandora channel, or YouTube station that appeals to you. Keep it loud enough to hear but not so loud as to be distracting. Match its tone to whatever you are writing. Write.
Seating & clutter
Common sense tells us that if we are not seated comfortably, our ability to create freely will be impacted. Invest in a chair that is adjustable for height as well as lumbar support. Maintain good posture and keep your feet flat on the floor. Balance and comfort will help open up your creative mind.
Even for those who aren’t neat nuts, studies show that clutter interferes with thinking and adds psychological stress. In fact, Dr. Zhu’s study confirmed this in more ways than one.
Bowls of M&Ms were placed in both study testing areas — the orderly and the cluttered.
Participants in the cluttered rooms not only produced less content and gave up sooner, but they ate more candy.
Start every writing session by clearing your desk of extraneous clutter. Your creative muse will thank you. You might even lose a pound or two.
In order to write freely and make full use of the creative part of your brain, adjust your environment. You may be pleasantly surprised to see your creativity — and spontaneity — bloom.