CREATIVE SPARK #6: Where do You Create?

What does your creative space look like? What makes you feel inspired? Do you keep objects within reach that have special meaning? Photographs? Is your space pristine and barren, allowing only pure flashes of genius to enter?

Take a moment to create the ideal space - on paper, in your thoughts or for real. What creature comforts must you have within grasp? Which items will distract you beyond the point of productivity?

A few weeks ago, I realized that the golden walls in my office were leaving me feeling flat. I needed a burst of color to pump up my creativity. So down came the elegant appointments, and up went the deep red paint and soul-stirring artwork. Now, my Indian Summer walls invigorate me. The difference it made to my creative life has been remarkable. My advice to you: follow your gut and surround yourself with color that makes you feel alive.

Five things in my private writing space:
1. My photographs of cathedral angels and carved gargoyles from my last trip to Paris to remind me that loved ones and protectors look after me.
2. A postcard of Albert Einstein sticking out his tongue, just to keep me thinking that life should always have a touch of whimsy.
3. Books, books and more books -- can never have enough.
4. A headline clipping that says "Emote Like A Butterfly" and still another that says "Put on your big girl panties and deal with it!"
5. Snapshots of those people whose images embody my latest characters.

Clean workspaces drive me crazy - my space is cluttered with snippets of inspiration and bits of meaningful memorabilia. I write and create within controlled chaos. The television is usually tuned to a talk show or drama I've already seen - it's a delightful white noise that keeps my thoughts focused on the writing task at hand. Too much quiet and I can't write at all!

Sure, I dream of the idyllic writer's retreat, the home away from home where I can sneak off to pen the next Great American Novel in resplendent luxury. A writer somewhere has claimed a treehouse as her haunt, overlooking the world she writes about from the vantage point of eagles. But my reality is more common, more grounded in the minutia of everyday life.

The ordinary chaos suits me just fine!