A space to create

I recently came across a lovely book - "Where Women Create" - and it got me thinking about how beautiful spaces really do get the creative juices flowing. I don't have the luxury of a little home studio, but after reading this book, I decided I needed to find some space somewhere. So, I got my old coffee table out of storage (it's too big for my current living room), plopped a couple comfy floor pillows down and set up shop. I use it to collage, scrapbook, work on my poetry, plan the re-do of my house, play with the paints my best friend sent me, work on this blog, etc. I find that settling into the space really makes my mind "switch" to being creative.

As a side note about the coffee table - it's my old kitchen table from years ago. I didn't really care for the finish on the table, so one day I decided to cut the table down to coffee table height and paint it, despite basically being told I was nuts. But I had a vision going and I was determined - and there are fewer things more unmovable than me when I have a vision going. (Which reminds me of a story I should share involving The Magic Shed, an old front door, and a breakfast nook in sad need of a table. But that's for another day.) The circular form of my new coffee table was perfect in the large living room in my other house - it seemed to invite my furniture to gather round the fireplace. But since there's no room for that now, it's doing a wonderful job of serving as the place where I create.

And if you haven't already, check out this book: