A few weeks ago, my car was in for an oil change. It was going to be a quick turnaround, so I walked down to the local Starbuck’s, grabbed a Venti, selected a table for two, and pulled out my laptop.
Between the aroma of coffee beans, the buzz of customers and employees, and the warmth of the sun coming through the big front windows, I was truly surprised at how energized and clear-headed I felt. (I’m sure it wasn’t just the caffeine.)
I thought to myself, “Why don’t I do this more often?”
Most days, I work and write out of my home office at my standing desk. It’s a peaceful environment with cool, blue walls. Quiet, except for the sound of spa music coming from my iPhone. An ambience of warmth, created by my Himalayan salt lamp. It has seemed like the perfect place to seclude myself and let the content flow out of me. Until….
…that half hour in the coffee shop made me realize that a change of scenery every now and then might do me—and my content creativity, quality, and production—some good.
Since then, I’ve been exploring different places to write.
· There’s the screened-in porch in the back of the house. (Where I sit café-style surrounded by aloe plants and chirping birds.)
· There are the car rides to my daughter’s basketball games. (Don’t worry, my husband’s driving.)
· There’s the reclining chair in the family room. (Best when no other family member is there, of course.)
What have I learned? When my creative juices are slowing rather than flowing, a change of scenery is often just what I need. Sometimes just the simple act of moving from one spot to the next seems to rejigger my brain and free it from its blocked state.
I’m open to trying other environments that might light a creative spark. If I’m able to work through my father-in-law leaf-blowing right below me and my family blasting country music in the car, then there probably aren’t many places where this writer cannot go.
What about you? Do you have one spot where you always write? Or do you like to mix it up?
Please share with Foot-Joy!
This blog was written in my role as Chief Content Officer for Lisa Baker Associates.
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