My workspace is far from perfect. I don't keep a perfectly clean area and when I try to, I spend so much time maintaining it that it's hard to focus and I forget where I put things that I've "organized." However, this is the first time in years time that I have a studio space that I don't have to tear down at the end of the show. I have been moving my creative space around a lot for the short amount of time I have lived here, and while it still has a little more creative work to be done, I'm very happy about the progress.
My workspace flow is having a space that feels lived in. When I dive into a project, I like to return to a space that was untouched since the last time I was in that flow. Everything is put where I intuitively reach for it, so there's no relearning where I put things. My drawers and things may look out of place, but I have kept markers in the same drawer of my desk for the past 14 years, pencils, pens, tape, rulers, Exacto knives, and other equipment like that are always in the top right drawer. Paint is always to the left of me, and my drink stays to the upper-right. Somewhere in arm's reach I have a collection of inspiring books and objects. I like my workplace to feel a bit like a study, because that is where I make my discoveries and learn more about my craft. My workspace is also my reading space, and where I keep many of my favorite things to look at. When I am thinking creatively is when I take in the most information, which is why you'll find doodles all over my notes from school.
Odd, that there is a stigma against artists, that somehow we are artists because we're bad at math or science or because we just can't learn anything else, but artists are some of the most learned people I have ever met. Of course I cannot speak for everybody, but most artists I keep up with have more drive to learn than a lot of college graduates, and have so much ambition, that we strive to reach the top of Maslow's hierarchy, and want to inspire others to do the same. Self-actualization is a reachable goal as long as you are in your flow...
Among the collection of books I keep on the shelf, I have comprehensive works of John Muir, Sacred Codes by Laurence Caruana, Researches in the Phenomena of Spiritualism by Sir William Crookes, several foraging books, other art books, and some old sketchbooks. I keep quartz, amethyst, labradorite, and river stones on the shelf; I have reminders of my childhood mixed in with the bunch, and art made by my friends, as well. I like having the space to spread out, so things aren't getting too terribly mixed in with each other, and I like having another project that I can quickly shift my focus to, and some small experimental projects within close range. I also like having one of my flow props close by, like my staff or hoop, then if I get stuck, I can dance it off. My workspace is somewhere that needs to feel like home, to me, and as much as I'd like to think I have a good idea of what that is, there's still a lot that I'm figuring out, and that's okay, I can be patient.