The Creative Home ~ Guest Post by Allison Lynn

 

I love getting a glimpse of a creator’s workspace. There’s something so fascinating about seeing the connection between someone’s home and the art they create.

Monet designed an elaborate garden with water features and “paintbox” flower beds to provide paintable vistas, and to experiment with colour combinations.

Steven Pressfield writes at a simple desk, lined with a small but significant collection of trinkets and talismans.

Virginia Woolf wrote a whole book about the power of having “a room of one’s own”, where you can shut the door and create with abandon.

My husband and I are both writers and musicians, so our home was designed for making art. We intentionally bought a three-bedroom house, so we could each have that coveted private creative space.

Gerald is a writer in the purest sense, having dedicated his life to crafting plays, screenplays, prose, and literally thousands of songs. His “writing grotto” is painted with lush fall colours. His writing desk is a converted church pump organ, complete with elaborate carvings and the original sheet music holder. As the primary songwriter for our Infinitely More music duo, Gerald loves that he can create new worship songs on a piece that led worship for over a century. Talk about inspiration! His desk is surrounded by “the b’ys” (to borrow a Newfoundland phrase!) - a small collection of hand-carved wooden figures. With their whimsical forms, it’s easy to imagine them spinning yarns and telling their own tall tales. 

I write articles, Bible devotionals, and creative nonfiction in the “magic forest” - a room that feels like spring! The previous owners used it as a nursery for a little girl named Alice (feels appropriate!) They painted birch trees along one wall and added a quote by the Cheshire Cat. I kept their painted treasures and added my own touches - splashes of pink in the forms of birds, hearts, and flowery wreaths. I painted the non-birch walls an inviting shade of spring-pea-green - the perfect shade to encourage growth and fresh ideas! My room is overflowing with books - both read and waiting-to-be-read. My single window overlooks our neighbour’s siding, so Gerald found a beautiful pink stained glass panel to fill my view. Along the edge of my desk are treasures made by loved ones and collected on our musical travels. They include a cartoon drawn by a dear teenage artist friend, vintage-style postcards from Green Gables, and a $10 bill featuring Viola Desmond, a reminder to always be brave.

These special rooms, designed around our individual personalities, were crafted to inspire a sense of freedom, joy, and maximum creativity. Sometimes we wander the house with our guitars and laptops to write songs in the dining room, the kitchen, or even the backyard. But having that safe home base, where we can close the door and each be ourselves, is critical in our creative home.

How are you making your home a creative space?

Do you have the luxury of dedicating a whole room to your art?

Perhaps you’ve carved out an intimate corner in your apartment? 

Or a mobile workspace you can take on writing trips to cafes or beaches?

Do you prefer a sparse space like Steven Pressfield’s nearly empty desk, or are you inspired by the abundance of Monet’s effervescent landscape?

Either way, I encourage you to look around your space and ask yourself:

How does my home spark and nurture my creativity?

What small changes can I make to create a more inspirational environment for my art?

Please share your ideas in the comments below!

Singer, songwriter and worship leader, Allison Lynn, is drawn to the power of story to grow hearts and communities. Allison and her husband, Gerald Flemming, just released their 9th Infinitely More album - The Sum of All Love. Publications include The Anglican Journal (national newspaper), Taste and See (journal), Love STC (Niagara Tourism Blog), and five stories with Chicken Soup for the Soul. www.InfinitelyMore.ca