Cultivate Your Creative Muse: Tips to Infuse Wonder into your Workspace
“I couldn’t spend more than half my life somewhere without loving every inch of my space – it’s very simple.”- Johanna Love, Director of Photography at Stampington & Company
There’s no better place to search for inspiration than within oneself, which is why we’re so excited to feature the inside of our very own Director of Photography, Johanna Love’s office.
From rain boots and tiny tea cups, to vintage books and colorful fabric swatches, Johanna surrounds herself with some of the most unexpected yet interesting snippets of inspiration to help draw out her own creative muse in the work place.
***
Inside Johanna’s Office:
- Rainboots for Inspiration: Johanna reveals, “I grab inspirations from everywhere I can, from crafting books to my sons’ rain boots.” She recommends surrounding yourself with things you love by bringing a bit of home into your workspace. You don’t have to leave your shoes at the door if they hold sentimental value.
- Carry on with Creativity: Johanna also collects antique luggage to prop for vintage-style artwork. These pieces add an element of old-fashioned whimsy to her office.
- Floral Appeal: A pot of flowers can give you a lift when combating a stressful work week. They add color, life and a beautiful fragrance. Johanna opts for artificial to add a touch of beauty she can reuse as background props.
- Texture: White walls can drown out your colorful ideas. Johanna keeps a stack of distressed wooden boards ranging in shades from dark-light to use in backdrops for photos. Repurposed wood boards can also be used to add texture to dull, lifeless walls in any work space.
***
A “Type” of Prop: As the Director of Photography, it comes to no surprise that Johanna’s workspace can pile up with a plethora of props. A vintage thrifted typewriter serves as a the perfect platform for showcasing artwork for Somerset Life. Bring your own props from home to creatively display sentimental photographs, stage a certain scene, or infuse a vintage feel into your office space.
Words of Wisdom: “Some are collector’s items, others are more common, but these books all have interesting worn covers and beautiful text pages inside,” says Johanna. If she’s not using these for a photo shoot, books are always inspiring to open and read during a break.
***
Many fellow employees (like me!) have fallen in love with the artful ambiance Johanna has cultivated. Within moments of stepping into her office space, the stresses of work seem to melt away and are replaced by a wonderful eclectic energy.
What interesting or inspiring materials do you surround yourself with at work? Comment below to help fellow creatives find their muse and reduce stress!
***
About Johanna:
Favorite Food: Watermelon
Random Fact: She experiences déjà vu on a regular basis.
Favorite Quote: “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” – Dalai Lama
DON’T MISS OUT: If you haven’t subscribed yet, click here to get inspirational emails from Stampington & Company delivered directly to your inbox.
Posted: Monday, March 18th, 2013 @ 4:10 pm
Categories: Glimpse Inside And Sneak Peeks, How-To Project Tutorials, Uncategorized.
Tags: art, creativity, work.
Subscribe to the comments feed if you like.
Both comments and pings are currently closed.
I love seeing Johanna’s inspired touches! Me, photos, tea, books and art from friends. I love having art from friends surround me-it feels like sunshine on the grayest day! ;D Thank you Johanna for sharing what delights your muse~
What a divine place to create! I surround myself with photos and an inspiration board of art from friends. I also keep a small Christmas tree with decorations (lots of ATCs) from other artists. It helps get me in the mood during summer months when the holidays aren’t really on my mind! Books, ribbons, past pet projects — and speaking of pets, it wouldn’t be a studio without Lizzie Cosette hanging about. (Sometimes for ill!)
Just gorgeous!!! I’ve been dreading reorganizing my work space. Now I am totally inspired and excited to do so. Thanks so much! :)
p.s. Those photo props do take up a TON of space!
I don’t work outside of the home now but, when I did it was filled with the art of the children I taught; On the walls, hanging from the ceiling & adding my own touches of fonts etc…! I keep in mind, whether at work, at home, wherever, if you get to “decorate,” think of your surroundings as a CANVAS!!!!!!!! Hanging decorated sheets on my walls in college…I too HAVE TO HAVE BEAUTIFUL SURROUNDINGS! OLD BOOKS, TEA CUPS, TEA POTS, CLOCKS, LACE, WOOD, SILVER, BRASS, PICTURES, FLOWERS, CHICKENS, I could go on & on about what I LOOOOOOOOVE to surround myself with!I NEED the warmth of color & certain objects that make me feel “AT HOME!”
I use some of my vintage pieces whenever possible for storage, I have Coors pottery holding small trinkets, old glass bottles holding crochet hooks and knitting needles, for example. And photos of my family pinned or framed where I can see them while working. And my supplies……..My studio will never be neat and tidy because I have to be able to see my supplies, I like to be surrounded by them….I’m reminded of the old dry goods or grocers where penny candy of every flavor and color was displayed in glass jars. Delights to play with!
Thank you all for the inspiring tips! I like the idea of adding textures (like ribbons and lace) to add some whimsy. Photos are totally a must too. :)
I don’t work outside the home either but my computer desk and surrounding areas are filled with memorabilia that I pick up here and there. On a close table I have a hand painted china lamp my Mother painted in the 1970s along with a flower vase, the roses are gone but the greenery is still there in a fabulous vintage glass bottle. On my desk, I have 4 pencil containers ( souvenir coffee mugs) full of all kinds of small things, I have a small alpaca finger puppet on top of a pencil, letter opener from a trip souvenir, buttons on a wire like a flower, magnify glass and on my desk I keep a spinner top to play with, an antique trinket bowl full of pins, and charms. I have an amethyst stone pyramid for wonderful color, I also rub it for stress when waiting for computer to load, I use the spinner that way also. A box of jewelry I am listing to sell, and from my stained glass dragonfly lamp on my computer desk I have hung various knick knacks I just like to see, a crown, ballet dancer, fairy, angel bell, and stained glass window ornament. I just stick them hanging from the lamp light bulb arms.
My whole house is like this really, I have to have books around me and I love to go to my craft room and just feel the fabrics, aren’t you glad you asked? LOL! Smiles, Cyndi
Thank you for your wonderful replies, and Bethany for your lovely write-up of my daily activities! If anyone wants additional sneak-peeks into my daily inspirations or ever has questions, please feel free to follow me on your phone or computer: http://instagram.com/lovejohannalove
I work for a small, liberal arts college. On my walks around campus, I collect natural items for my office; leaves, acorns, interesting twigs, pine cones, rocks and pebbles. I am lucky to have a large, south-facing window in my office that looks out onto a large expanse of the campus. I can see different trees, flowers, the weather changing (which it does very frequently, and dramatically in Florida!). The natural environment has always inspired me: the myriad of greens, browns, grays of foliage; blues, mauve, apricot, coral of vivid Florida sunsets; gray, greens, aquas of coastal waters; and the broad range of neutrals found in shells, sand, rocks, and plumage of our native birds. Vintage and antique textiles also inspire me: laces, damask, linen, lawn, silk, 1940s and 1950s bark cloth, embroidery, needlepoint, quilts. Combining these two different inspirations, my creative works often reflect what I call a “rustic elegance,” or what my dear grandmother long ago once called it, “A silver-lined, lace-filled log cabin in the woods.” How right she was!
[…] Cultivate Your Creative Muse: Tips to Infuse Wonder into Your Workspace at Somerset Place. I’m a huge fan of the Stampington & Company mags, especially Somerset Living and Artful Blogging, and I love peeking into the work spaces of people I admire.So it was a real treat to see pics and read about the creative and inspirational work space of their Director of Photography, Joanna Love. She says, “I couldn’t spend more than half my life somewhere without loving every inch of my space—it’s very simple.” Yep, agreed. […]