So I’ve spent the last few years in a bit of a frustrated rut. After spending nearly two months writing and doing my level best to balance all of the different tasks I’d signed myself up for I just stalled out. Part of the problem I have to think is that I’m fast approaching the one year anniversary of coming down with COVID, and the long haul that has resulted since. But the other issue was that while I had made myself a little nook in the house for my writing and creative projects, I didn’t really have a true space.
The tasks that were then created were not something that could be done quickly. My boyfriend and I agreed that the guest room didn’t need to keep a futon as we had a spare bed now to drag out as needed (when eventually needed), so all that we had to do was completely rearrange all the furniture and come up with a desk. Seemed simple enough…
What I’ve noticed as a would-be writer is that we are very dependent on our surroundings – when I was able to spend weekend mornings at Starbucks, if the atmosphere made a huge difference. If things were pleasantly busy, I could tune out the world to the hum of white noise and get work done. If, though, there were factors that ruined the harmonics of the buzz, then I simply could not.
With that in mind, even after we had moved the furniture around, there was still no true vibe. Sometimes, as an INTJ, my OCD behaviors will make for some interesting choices – today that was perfectly encapsulated by my need to have just the right sort of cork board became a sticking point when setting up the “wall of creativity”. It literally took the better part of the afternoon to have everything arranged in such a way that truly worked.
Once everything was in place – to a certain extent – it truly changed the entire vibe. Suddenly I was able to just put everything else aside and write. Granted, everything had come together late enough in the day that I was only able to tackle one project, but it was with such relief that I did.
I don’t know if being an introvert plays into my need for my own space – it probably does. But I can say with certainty that a would-be writer needs her space. And that space needs to have the ability to become a safe space – one where the atmosphere can be just right for the creative juices to truly flow.
The world we live in has changed irrevocably over the past year, but even with so much unknown about the future, there is still peace to be found in the simple fact that I now have a safe space. Who is to say how long it will last – there is always uncertainty, but I’ll be taking full advantage as long as I can.
Until next time –
L.E.
Ramblings of a Would-Be Writer 