Mindset is vital to writing, and the creative process in general. If you're not in the right mindset, not much is going to get done and it'll likely be a frustrating experience.
Everyone has their own process for getting into a creative mindset. Some people listen to certain music, take a walk outside, or go to a certain spot. I do all three and I highly recommend them.
But I'm going to focus on that last one, the spot. I believe every artist needs a spot for their work to happen, the same way people who work in an office have a desk, or college students have that one table in the library they always do homework at.
For writers and artists, the creative space is our office. It's where we do our work. It needs to be just as sacred as that perfect library table. It needs to be a zone for creativity, and creativity alone.
That means keeping non-creative work away. Personally, I don't like to write at desks. I usually end up on a couch, a comfy chair, or the floor. In my dorm room last semester, my desk was for homework and the extra bed (I didn't have a roommate) was for writing.
This was a vital distinction. That bed was a no school zone, and that desk chair did not allow for much creativity. Keeping a space for writing and art that is separate from where you do any non-creative work allows that space to be one of freedom. Each time you go to your creative space, whether it's a room, a chair, or a nice spot on the floor, your brain goes to its creative space.
Separating areas is something we do all the time. Bedrooms are for sleeping, dining rooms are for eating, etc. In the same way that you shouldn't sleep on your dining room table, you shouldn't do school or non-creative work in your creative zone.
Keep it sacred and let it be a place that cultivates your creativity. Set it up however you need so you can get in the right mindset. Maybe that's a big table by a window with space to paint. Maybe it's a comfy chair next to a lamp with a really nice blanket. Maybe it's a room with artwork on the walls and color bursting from every crevice. Maybe it's a room full of books. Maybe it's a room that's almost empty.
Wherever your space may be, make it sacred. That is your workplace and you need to treat it as such.
What does your creative space look like? What makes it different from your other spaces?
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