You know the Albert Einstein quote, “If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign of?”
While Einstein may have been a genius, he did get one thing wrong – an empty desk can be just as conducive to creative minds. Sometimes you just need an empty space to fill with all those ideas in your mind!
We asked our artists this week if they prefer a clean or cluttered workspace and had them give us a peak into where the artistic magic happens. Check out what they had to say below!
Do you look at the mess cluttering your desk and smile in approval or bust out the cleaning supplies? Tell us in the comments!
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My workspace is a small room in an old apartment terrace, usually as clean as possible. I’m not much for clutter. Just my materials, a laptop, a wired mouse, and my cats. This room gets pretty cold in the winter, and summer is very hot. I make this design, “Sunlight,” so very hot and the sun is scorching summer day in this room.
I work with silence. There is no music. I’m not exactly a mystery – just a little old fashioned and perhaps shy. Unfortunately, my mind is always cluttered :)
“Bulo” | Izmir, Turkey
I definitely like clean and tidy workspace, but I always struggle to maintain it, especially when rushing on work. I do like cleaning and tidying my workspace when I have free time. I see it as a process – not only you’ll have a good looking workspace at the end, plus you will have a refreshing mind to start to work again.
Lim Heng Swee (ilovedoodle)
I prefer a clean workspace. It’s difficult to concentrate in what you’re doing If your surroundings are chaotic, at least that’s how it is for me. But even though I try to be tidy, my workspace always ends up being a mess by the end of the day…
Lucia Sancho (Lucia) | Valencia, Spain
Well I like a clean workspace but somehow mine is always cluttered…This is what it looks like now [left], but THAT is where it’s gonna be next [right]. Hoping to keep it much tidier.
mckibillo | Beacon, NY
Definitely prefer a clean workspace, but it’s messy 70% of the time!
Brent Schoepf (wowrainbows)
I would send you pics of my workspace but I’m too embarrassed cause its a mess – I will leave it to your imagination. My desk is covered with piles of sticky notes full of ideas I have for upcoming t-shirt designs. I like to call it organized chaos ‘cause I know exactly where everything is even through the mess. I know the modern way is to save notes in a smart phone, but I prefer the old school way using a sticky note to jot down my ideas. I stick them on the inside of my wallet till I get home to my desk and then begin sketching. So there is a method to my madness. I’m always researching on my lunch hour at work for that next big idea.
Chris Phillips (cpdesign) | Raleigh, NC
