We can’t all have high ceilings, an epic view, or a private studio, but creativity architect Donald M. Rattner’s book, My Creative Space: How to Design Your Home to Stimulate Ideas and Spark Innovation, has some dynamite ideas for generating inspo in whatever space you’ve got. Luckily for nerds like me, it’s all scientifically explained, too.
If you’re experiencing a creative funk–or you’d like to up your creative game–keep reading for some actionable tips!
Take breaks
Uh-oh. Did you work through your break today? Rattner reminds us how important it is to take breaks: ‘turning the mind away from external, goal-oriented tasks allows ideas to gestate in the back of your mind, a form of subconscious mental churn known as incubation‘. I think it’s especially important to give your brain a break, and Do Nothing at some of these breaks.
Turn meetings into Circle Time
Gather ’round, kids! It sounds totally kumbaya (and probably not ideal in COVID times), but the idea of gathering in a circle for meetings is something organizations should be paying attention to. Rattner suggests ditching the long corporate meeting table for a square or a round. Why? Because it eliminates a top-down hierarchical grid arrangement and introduces a feeling of equality. That’s the meeting that I want to be at–the one where everyone feels safe contributing to the conversation.
Design a flexible space
I love stuff with wheels–just the small tweak of adding casters to furniture allows you to adjust things as needed. Rattner also recommends choosing things that multipurpose: a table or window as a white board, a dropleaf table that expands when you need more space.
Have a drink (!) or a cup of coffee
For out-of-the box thinking, of course! And Rattner emphasizes the one-drink rule–a 2012 study shows that a blood alcohol content of 0.075 is the optimum level for creativity. Not a drinker? Coffee will unleash your imagination, too, says Rattner. His list of ‘creative caffinators’ includes Beethoven, David Lynch, and Margaret Atwood.
Add something blue to your workspace
The blues aren’t necessarily a bad thing…when it comes to your workspace, that is. Science shows that cool colors give us the feeling of depth and expansion, which is associated with open-mindedness. Rattner cites some interesting experiments that measure the impact of color on our brains.
Time to edit!
I’m stoked on all 48 suggestions in My Creative Space. Here are a few more totally actionable Tiny takeaways.
- Get dressed! Especially when you’re working at home. Wearing ‘task-relevant’ clothing helps you focus.
- Take a walk. Breathe deeply. Your brain will bubble with new ideas and process some old ones.
- Bring nature in. Do what I did, and go get yourself a handsome plant!
Happy editing!
Erica
