I’d like to offer up my views on the creative environment that you choose to work in. Primarily, I’ll be referring to your home office where you have more control over elements of your surroundings. One can only alter their cubicle environment so much before your boss comes by, takes a long and hard look, and says, “Chris, the three lava lamps, concert-grade laser light module, and the three-foot Buddha waterfall sculpture have hit our electric bill in a way that is threatening the future of our company”.
The environment you choose to be creative in can affect the quality of your work immensely. From the décor that your eyes drift to that hangs behind your monitors, to the ambient music you’ve chosen to play while you type. Creating an environment that speaks to you as an individual will both maximize your productivity, and minimize the chance of you ending up in a padded room and wearing a straightjacket.
Let’s begin with the facts. Learning coding, for example, is a bit stressful. It’s mentally taxing and staring at multiple screens for hours on end only exaggerates that stress. Therefore, I have found that everything that surrounds you as you’re coding should be the complete polar opposite. The décor, music, temperature, and even clothing choices should reflect a state of comfort and relaxation. I have found that the lighting in my office area should be bright enough to see the keyboard and mouse, but dark enough to not add to the already excessive amount of light the monitors give off. I try to decorate the walls around my computer desk with imagery I find relaxing. This will vary greatly for each individual, but I tend to like abstract artwork that uses earth tones. I find it to be the opposite color palette of technology as a concept.
Let’s also explore your music choice. It is obvious that one can choose not to have any music playing while you work, but I personally find it to be calming and helps me to focus on the task at hand. This is true only for instrumental music, as anything with lyrics distracts me from my work. Instrumental choices usually are classical, jazz, movie soundtracks, or ambient music. I tend to gravitate toward movie soundtracks with dramatic scores. Hans Zimmer. Danny Elfman. Anything where feels like I’m doing something very epic and intense. While I work, I want to feel like my life is on the line. Clicking on the wrong Photoshop effect is cutting the green wire. Game over.
Lastly, and this may be obvious, you should be physically comfortable. Do not distract yourself with a room that is too hot, or too cold. Likewise, throw on the comfiest clothes you own. Pants are optional. Within the confines of the monitors, it’s all business. Everything outside those monitors should be a swarm of tranquility and relaxation. Only with this mindset will you be able to devote the full amount of focus that your work demands.
