A Room of My Own

Some of my creative energies are currently focused on creating a home office for myself and my business. I’m so excited!

My Younger Self (aka inner child) is especially delighted. For various reasons, I’ve never had an entire room that is wholly mine.

I’m reminded of Virginia Woolf’s essay “A Room of One’s Own.” She writes about how, in order to have space in which to live a creative life, women should have a room with a door they can shut. This gives us the opportunity to set aside gender roles and demands on our time – something that many men already had at that time, but most women did not.

In a strange way, her essay feels newly relevant in today’s world. Sometimes it feels like we’ve made a lot of progress with gender equity, and then events on the world stage make it seem like we’ve gotten nowhere.

That said, I don’t believe that you have to have a space all to yourself in order to write or create. I know it’s quite a privilege to have enough space and resources to devote an entire room (mine is just under 200 square feet) to one person. Believe me, I’m grateful!

I’ve created five-plus books and an entire business in the corner of the dining area of a busy open-concept house. That’s not to brag, but just to encourage you that it can be done.

If you do have the opportunity to have your own office or studio, though, I encourage you to make it fully your own. I’m decorating mine to include my favorite colors, cozy spots to create, and creative supplies.

The room that will be my new office was my daughter’s childhood bedroom, then the abode of a longtime friend who became a housemate for a few years while starting a new career.

It has one window, and was painted a dark purple, from when my daughter redecorated it during her teen years. I want to lighten up the space, so I’ve painted it a lighter purple, called French Violet, with white trim. I painted the two sets of bookshelves white, too. We’ve removed the original rose-colored carpet, and Quester will be installing some flooring soon.

I still need to get a desk. I’m looking at options that allow sitting or standing. I also want to add some storage cabinets for art supplies, notebooks, office supplies, etc. My daughter-in-love and I visited Ikea (for the first time!) and The Container Store earlier this week to get some ideas. She enjoys home decorating and has been super helpful as I create this new space.

My office may occasionally serve as a guest room. I didn’t want to take up a bunch of space with a bed, or even a fold-out sofa, so I’m going to get a Cordaroy, which is a large beanbag chair that folds out into a queen-sized mattress. It’ll make a cozy reading nook, and then when guests do come, we can just open the bed out into the middle of the room.

I’ve been watching season 2 of Get Organized with The Home Edit on Netflix, and I’m gathering ideas for how I’m going to set up and decorate my office space. I’m endlessly inspired by spaces that are both organized and pretty.

Moving into my own office is bringing an expansive feeling to my career and creative callings. I’ve been preparing myself to step onto a bigger stage, and it feels like this physical move will help.

I didn’t need to have an office in order to become a published author and establish a sustainable business. However, at this point in my journey, I think having a room of my own will allow me to step into this new level of leadership. I’m looking forward to it being completed.

I’ll share some more photos once the room is ready.