Your Work Space and Why You Should Love It

theunquietlibrarian/Creative Commons

Do you love your creative niche? Does your work space shout “fun!” or does it leave you breathless? …In a bad way?

For years, my home office has been in transition. When we built our home 13 years ago, I (or…I should say my wonderful husband) put up seashore borders for me. I then placed a few photo frames, sentimental items, and some writing implements on my desk–my desk being little more than a converted tabletop with a lovely pullout–and away I went.

I was thankful for my little piece of paradise and I was blessed to finally have my own writing space. My office suited my needs. It was quiet, relaxing, and mine. But…as time marched on and one year melded into the next, I found my home office uninspiring. Blah. Ho-hum. (My office also had plenty of floor space, but alas, I lacked storage to accommodate my growing stash of books, idea files, manuscripts, and so on.)

My saving grace was a large closet with awesome shelving and a home library just off our rec room.

Life managed to get in the way of my grandiose intentions of someday decorating my work space. And then there was this latest detour.

I finally realized there would always be life events and things that cropped up. Never would it be the right time or the perfect day to organize and decorate my office the way I wanted.

Sooo…

A few weeks ago, I took the bull by the horns, did a little online research, and visited a local office supply store where I ordered my idea of a writer’s dream. I found a lovely desk, hutch, and file cabinet to replace my serviceable affair I’d used for more than a decade. Bye-bye, old friend.

Well, wouldn’t you know two of the three items had to be backordered. That was okay, I reasoned, because after all, my new office furniture should be exactly what I wanted considering the investment I was making.

I’m a creative. In order to create, inspiration is a must. I didn’t want to just like my office re-do. I wanted to love it. My office is where I spend most of my day until my daughter gets home from school. My work space is my one corner of the world where I can go to get into “the zone,” or my creative groove.

Now, if you don’t have a dedicated home office, don’t despair. For many years, I didn’t either. When our kiddos were little, my home office was a comfy chair flanked by burp cloths and nursing pads. Eventually, I graduated to the kitchen table, and then my makeshift desk. The point is: creativity isn’t limited by physical constraints unless we deem it so. I’ve found we can do almost anything for a season.

When the season expands to include something more or in addition to what we already have, it’s a blessing we shouldn’t take lightly. And whether our work space is nothing more than a refurbished closet or an actual 12 x 12 room, there should be something about it we love. Something that makes us tingle. Fires us up. Readies us for success.

Long story short, the pieces arrived and my eager-beaver husband set to work. (He just loves easy-to-assembles. Well, at least he pretends. And he’s great at it–putting them together, I mean. He has the patience for these sorts of things.) The finished products were completed in 30 labor-of-love steps (per the very detailed instructions), and they took about 8-10 hours to assemble. Whew! Go, Team Hubby!

In the near future, I’ll visit some of my favorite craft stores and flea markets for a few more pretties, and I’ll do the “big reveal” for you in a couple of weeks.

In the meantime, I’ve found some inspiring sites (packed with ideas and insight) you’ll want to be sure and explore:

• For interior design and consulting, check out Elizabeth Traub. Some great ideas here.
• Hung out to Buy (loaded with whimsy and fun kiddo room ideas).
• Save some time for this one: Welcome to the Pennington Point (Jam-packed with practical tips, wit, and wisdom and some colorful eye candy thrown in for good measure.) And it’s brought to you by a mom of nine!
• Husbands and Wives Leading Meaningful Lives is the focus of Encourage Your Spouse. Here you’ll find lots of uplifting tidbits to encourage the love of your life (perhaps while cheering him/her on during your next easy-to-assemble!)

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What do you love about your work space?

What would you change?

PLEASE SHARE:

What makes a sigh-worthy work space? (Click to Tweet)

Make it fun, not ho-hum! Why your work space matters. (Click to Tweet)

Photo Credit: theunquietlibrarian/Creative Commons

Blessings Always,