Create Your Own Space | A Year Of Living Lovely

Never underestimate the power of a personal space. I love living in a loft apartment and I am happy in small spaces, however, I still have daydreams every once in a while about a lovely home office (complete with a home library and a photography studio of course). Realistically, there is no room where I am at the moment, but I knew that I wanted a little corner of our place to be dedicated to my business. For my first month of A Year of Living Lovely, I am focusing on home sweet home. I am decluttering, making the best  of my little corner in the world, and creating a space to get creative this year. As I do most of my work at home, I knew I couldn’t work from my bed or sofa all of the time. I needed a business space and I needed it to fit into my tiny apartment on a budget. I wasn’t going to wait for the “right moment” to start living the life I wanted today. This is a year about embracing the present. Without even looking, I found my word for the year: now. Because right now is the time. 

So I took the backboard and mirror off of this little hand-me-down vanity table I inherited when I was in high school, and I turned it into a desk. The little drawer has my favorite pens, a notebook, a stapler, my memory cards, and a hard drive. It is where I will write, edit photos, and create content for my blog. I placed it right in front of the window, just a couple feet from our bed in our loft bedroom as it was the only available space (but hey, it works). I adore window light and the plants make me feel happy, especially during the winter. It is important that your space is a happy one. Tacked up on the wall to the right is my inspiration board. I’m going to be filling it up with inspiration for my blog and wedding photography (and perhaps even my own wedding and honeymoon). Right now it has a card about Connecticut and a winter watercolor print that I bought when I studied abroad in Canterbury, England. My favorite pine scented candles. No matter where you live, I suggest creating a space that is all your own. It can be an entire room, a corner space, a desk, a shed, a portable box, a mat on the floor, or even just a lap desk. It can be for business, hobbies, or even a space for relaxing. 

Reasons why you should create your own space this January:

• A space for solitude
• To be creative
• To focus on you, your business, or your hobbies
• To inspire
• To motivate
• To focus 

I also keep my “happy blanket” nearby, especially for chilly mornings this time of year. Make a space that inspires you. It can have plants, candles, paintings, cute desk accessories, books, crafts, tools, art supplies, or any number of things that makes you feel creative or inspired. This book, In the Company of Women, was a Christmas gift from my dad and it has been inspiring me a lot so far this year. The books I keep on my desk are always in rotation, but always inspiring to read and look at. It is my hope that I will utilize my space to maximize my potential this year with minimal distractions. That I will soak in the lovely sunlight, the fresh air from the open window in the summer, and embrace the solitude while removing distractions. I have learned that it is not about perfection,  it is about progress. What kind of space do you have at home that is all yours? How does it inspire you?