Home offices have encountered makeover after makeover in an attempt to optimize their comfort and productivity potential. Today they have taken on an entirely new need with the increase of remote work and learning. What works for one person may not work for another. Someone may thrive in a creative and colorful environment, while others might need something more monochromatic and organized. Either way, creating a space that brings out your most productive self is essential, and there are many ways you can go about finding what works best for you.
Setting Up a Creative Workspace
Your workspace should be personal and impactful to you, reflecting your own creative identity. Finding what aesthetics and themes work best for you might take some trial and error. The most crucial step is finding a space within your home to dedicate to your remote workspace. Whether this is a spare room or an available corner within your home, you can begin to optimize this space and make it your own.
Designing a Personalized Space
A great place to begin is to determine what environment you thrive in best. Your inspirational space can include vibrant, eclectic colors and ideas, or a minimalist, monotone environment. Exploring color psychology can help you determine what feeling you’d like your space to invoke. Colors like green and yellow are associated with growth, happiness, and intellect, while colors such as brown and purple convey stability, resilience, and ambition.
Organizing your materials or tools in a way that makes them easily accessible allows for optimized workflow, no matter what task you’re working on. This could involve keeping them neatly put away in drawers in order to be found quickly when needed, or keeping them in plain sight where they can be accessed at all times. Adding your own personal touches to your workspace can create an inviting atmosphere that keeps you engaged and focused.
Ky’lah Thomas is currently completing her Online Art Education degree with RMCAD from the Virgin Islands. Using her older brother’s spare room to work, she gets creative in order to make the space feel like her own. “I try to make it feel like a dorm room away from home. I have my high school photos on my desk, pictures I have drawn, graduation cards, and photos with my friends.” This helps with her ability to create and feel more at home within the room, and allows her a comfortable space to create her art.
Investing in the Right Tools
Having the right tools can make a significant difference in your creative workflow. Whether you’re painting, writing, or doing graphic design, investing in high-quality equipment for your craft is essential. Considering items such as a comfortable desk, ergonomic chair, and proper lighting can help to improve your focus and prevent fatigue. It is also important to consider the environment you have to work with, and what tools might be most essential to increase productivity. Would noise-canceling headphones help to drown out your noisy neighbors? Or would a drawing tablet help prevent clutter?
Creating a Routine
A structured routine can be paramount to keeping yourself organized and effective within a remote schedule. While the flexibility can allow for ease and adaptability, it can also be easy to find yourself falling behind in some areas with the lack of structure. Making sure you are able to stick to a routine of your own, however strict or ever changing, is monumental for remote productivity. Exploring different time management techniques can be helpful, such as the Pomodoro Technique that encourages working in 25-minute intervals with 5-minute breaks in between. Alternatively, developing pre-work or post-work rituals, such as stretching, journaling, or listening to music can help signal to your brain the start or end of a creative day.
Staying Connected and Engaged
Aside from the convenience and ease of remote working, getting caught up with others and meeting new people can turn into an unexpected challenge. However, in our current digital age there are a plethora of options that allow you to continue to meet new people from the comfort of your remote environment.
Joining Online Communities
Interacting with individuals who have your same interests and passions can open up a whole new world of passion and discovery. Platforms such as Reddit and Discord offer spaces to meet new people and discuss ideas surrounding specific interests and hobbies. These online communities can provide a great opportunity to seek passion and motivation within your own remote work.
With our large population of remote students, RMCAD’s online clubs and organizations are far from scarce. These groups allow our students to get together to collaborate on work, discuss new and unique ideas, and provide each other with valuable insights surrounding their similar interests. Despite her physical distance from campus, Thomas is working to take advantage of RMCAD’s online clubs. “The different time zones, work, and my other responsibilities make it hard, but I try to participate where I can. I just joined the ESports club and I’m definitely trying to make the most of what’s offered.”
Participating in Webinars and Workshops
Being exposed to new ideas that challenge your way of thinking is crucial for growth and continuous learning. There are a variety of online workshops and webinars available that work to introduce their audience to new techniques and perspectives. Platforms like Skillshare and MasterClass are dedicated to offering online learning opportunities to any person with any background. Alternatively, many resources are available online for free on platforms like YouTube and LinkedIn Learning using your RMCAD email. Participating in these learning opportunities can help keep you inspired and immersed in the latest expertise within your field.
Finding Inspiration in Everyday Life
Drawing from Your Environment
Inspiration can be drawn from every aspect of the world around you at any time. Some find their motivation in observing nature, architecture, or small everyday occurrences. Thomas says she draws much of her own inspiration from the gorgeous environment around her in the Virgin Islands. “I live in the mountains and I have a beautiful view, so sometimes I’ll make myself a cup of tea, go out onto my porch, and appreciate the view.”
But inspiration can also be drawn from places you might not originally expect. Sometimes breaking your routine to do something unexpected can help to change your point of view and experience a fresh perspective you may not have otherwise considered. Thomas shared how her artistic inspiration originated from her brother’s own habits. “I first got my art inspiration from my oldest brother. He used to buy white shoes and then paint them with his own design, and I would sneak into his room to use his paint. Then before he got home, I would add some water to it and mix it in to make it look like I hadn’t used any.”
Documenting Your Ideas
Creativity can strike at any moment! Some find it helpful to always keep a journal or voice-recorder with them so that they are able to record ideas or thoughts as soon as they occur. These can come in handy later when you encounter an inevitable creativity block. Thomas finds herself implementing these techniques with her own camera. “Sometimes I’ll see the perfect image right in front of me, and I’ll take a picture to use for inspiration later because there is creativity all around me.”
Leveraging Flexibility in an Online Program
It’s important to take full advantage of the flexibility of online programs. With aspects as elusive as creativity and productivity, it can be helpful to take breaks and focus on other priorities in between projects. Thomas says the flexibility of her online program is incredibly impactful for her, and even allows her to keep a part-time job outside of her classes. By allowing her to work at her own pace, it leaves her time for other activities and responsibilities in her life outside of RMCAD. Remote programs allow for personal preference that you can align with your own peak productivity hours. Being able to structure your day around your own natural energy levels allows for peak efficiency and motivation.
Staying Organized
One of the biggest enemies to online programs and their flexibility can be procrastination. It’s important not to get caught up in the idea that there is now an endless amount of time for projects and responsibilities. Personal planners, to-do lists, or project management tools are available online or as physical copies in order to assist with your personal organization. A well-organized schedule and priority list are crucial for a stress-free remote environment.
Personal Tips to Stay Inspired
Vision boards or mood boards can serve as effective tools to represent your personal goals and aspirations. Including visuals, symbols, or quotes that inspire you can help keep you motivated. Participating in group challenges or online events can also help to keep you engaged and accountable. Events like ‘Inktober’ require daily drawing challenges to encourage you to push through creative blocks and practice consistency. Thomas’ own advice to herself and others is to, “Maintain a good mindset. Have passion in what you’re doing and never quit. Even if you make mistakes you can always start over. Don’t let anyone tell you that you won’t make it.”
Working Anywhere Creatively
Discovering what works for you and your personal workspace will require time, as well as some trial and error. But being able to achieve your most productive and impactful environment is going to make you the most productive version of yourself, and is going to be worth it in the long run. Developing your remote space to make it inviting and inspiring to you will allow you to overcome creative blocks, stay motivated, and continue to seek passion and productivity.
Looking To Enhance Your Creative Craft Remotely?
Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design (RMCAD) is committed to supporting artists of all trades as they discover their passions and potentials. RMCAD offers ten different online degree programs that allow students to explore their passions from anywhere they choose. You can request more information regarding our online programs, or send in your application today!
Many of the quotes in this story have been edited for brevity and clarity by the author, but retain the significance and purpose of the original speaker.
