What's going through my head right now #8

CREATIVE SPACES

Do you feel the same way? You go to the dance studio to let off steam and turn your inner self inside out. You sit down in a café to notice the people around you, study them and get into a writing flow. Or you can retreat to a quiet little room, make music, warble to yourself, recite texts.

Wherever we go, we hope for a creative boost. A moment of inspiration to express ourselves, to be honest and to enter into a dialogue with what we have created.

But often nothing happens, or so little that disappointment follows. It is difficult to understand why the initial spark for special inspirations and ingenious ideas fails to materialise. We often look for the cause in external circumstances: the room temperature, the noise or the silence, the fluctuating biorhythm, the weather or our private lives.

For me, dance and ballet studios have always been spaces of creative moments. Not always, but there was always enough to do: repetition, consolidation, cleaning. I was also able to experience numerous moments in my studio under the roof, which provided my artistic work with fertile ground for new projects.

Now it's time to say goodbye. We are moving from a spacious house with retreats for me and my partner to a wonderful, but comparably smaller flat. My studio is gone, and my new job in Switzerland (more on this soon) will offer me creative spaces, but nowhere near the same level.

This raises the question: where can I find my new creative space? This refuge that gives me security. A safe space where I can hatch things, spin around and let off steam. Where I can practise in a way that meets my daily needs. A place where I can just let off steam without having to answer to anyone - with empty hours and fulfilling phases of creativity.

Other places like a café or nature are less predictable. Unpredictable events and impassability must be planned for there. They can trigger something, but they can also ruin it. So: shelter or into the centre of life?

And it's not just about creative spaces. As much as I enjoy working alone, I'm just as happy when I can collaborate with other artists. Teamwork, exchange, dialogue. Nevertheless, working on details and developing ideas remains a creative process that I ultimately live out on my own.

How do you feel about that? Where are your creative spaces? What do you need to be creative? Is it a specific place? Or is it rather circumstances, situations, people that trigger something in you? Solo or team?

Let me know and write me your thoughts on this.

I wish you a peaceful start to the Easter holidays.

Yours sincerely, Jochen