Q is for...quiet

I have a great need for quiet in my life if I am to be creative. I need time and space around me within which I can think. I certainly need to be listened to, need to talk and think things through with friends, but quiet is where it starts.

That quiet can actually be quite noisy. It could be the rumble of a coffee shop, the crash-and-hiss of the ocean, the wind in trees... any kind of white noise works as well as quiet. What doesn't support my creative process is interruption, directed noise or voices I need to attend to. I don't work well if the music around me is in English, for example.

It's important that we figure out what kind of environments support our creativity. I know I need quiet, I need blocks of time, I need good light and a comfortable place to curl up. What do you need?  What fosters and supports your creativity?

And if you are in the position of helping others be creative, what do they need? Do cubicles and florescent lights really support their creativity? What might help?

Put some thought into your environment. Find the quiet and space you need to listen to the still, small voice inside. You might be surprised by what it has to say.

(c)2013 Laura S. Packer