It's Not You. It's Your Space.

How Breaking Up with Your Creative Space Will Boost Your Inspiration.

Hey there! I’m Yanuary, a writer, illustrator, and product designer at BynBeary.com. Shop indie at BynBeary for goods & apparel designed for nature nerds. Subscribe for monthly stories, resources, and insights on nourishing a creative practice amidst life and a busy schedule.

Something peculiar happened. Right now, I find myself writing from a local coffee shop built inside an old Tennessee house. It’s rickety but warm and the Baristas recognize my unusual name by now. They finish my formulaic sentence for me,"Yanuary, like the month but with a Y instead of a J.” I beam and nod before disappearing into the “workrooms” in the back of the house.

I’ve never been a “working from a coffee shop” kind of person. My idea of them was this: They’re noisy, cold, and the chairs are uncomfortable. Especially when working on something requiring a full presence like writing, research, and studying.

Yet, here I am, more productive than ever, more fully present in my work than ever, and I’m not even drinking coffee. I have my headphones flowing with a steady rainstorm to block out the random sounds and a warm tea.

This experience led me to reflect on why this is happening lately. Why would someone who would rather be in complete silence and solitude to work, be energized and inspired by a bustling space?

First why.

Our creative spaces will eventually feel like a cage. Our living spaces will weigh down our inspiration by becoming too familiar. That’s like throwing a bucket of cold water on our creative spark.

If we’re committed to keeping a consistent and flourishing creative practice, we have to look around and assess our surrounding space.

Is this space nourishing my presence and focus?

Is this space comfortable?

Is the lightning energizing me or is it making me fall asleep?

Do I have enough elbow room for all of my tools?

Is my periphery free from reminders of all the things I need to be doing instead of being creative?

Do I feel enough privacy where I can pour my heart out without fear of someone looking over my shoulder? Or having my boundaries ignored by interrupting my flow?

One of the biggest obstacles to keeping a consistent creative practice is our physical environment. We attempt to call on our muse yet there’s no room for them to sit next to us. Our muse is a radiant elegant presence. It doesn’t want to sit next to a pile of unfolded laundry. This is why I’ve had to take breaks from my home office, without constant tidiness it becomes a common area and no longer a sacred space.

Second why.

Each project needs different energy.
I started to notice a need to work in a different space when I began re-working my graphic novel. It’s research-heavy work with very little drawing. It’s more like being an architect where the most important work happens in mapping out the blue print.

As soon as I started exploring different spaces to work in, the easier it became to write. The quiet energy of my home office was not sparking new ideas. To my surprise, telling stories in general just became easier as well. The bustling energy of the rickety but warm coffee shop has infused me with much-needed inspiration and motivation.

At the end of the day, we need others. Even us introverts. Our needs just differ. Maybe instead of a 2-hour lunch chat with a large group, it’s a few small interactions exchanging kind smiles and politeness. This exchange of energy is a priceless ingredient that will marinate our solitary practice with new ideas, new perspectives, and it helps our work reflect the world around us more closely.