Feng Shui For Artists

No matter which of the creative arts you specialize in, learning about Feng Shui for artists will help encourage your creative process. Contrary to what some people have been led to believe, the ideal creative space doesn’t have to be Zen-like and serene. In fact, a space that has ideal Feng Shui for artists is one that has the energy level to match your creative process.

Feng Shui is a design system for arranging surroundings in balance and harmony with the natural world around us. And this system is especially important in creating the best space to support your creativity, no matter which artistic media you choose.

Here are nine Feng Shui tips to help you get started.

1. Setup a Creative Space. Whether you are a beginner, novice, or experienced artist, it’s important to set up a specific creative space. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a separate studio, room, or only a corner of the dining room, as long as you designate an area where you create and try to use the space at the same time every day, your creative energy will flow.

2. Clear the Clutter. In Feng Shui, clutter represents postponed decisions and the inability to move forward, so it’s especially important for artists to remove the clutter from their creative space. And when you clear clutter you make space for new energy to flow into your work.

3. Face the Door. Work from the “Power Position,” which is diagonally across from the door, so you are always in command of your work. It doesn’t matter whether you sit at a desk and write long-hand, use a computer, or paint at a canvas, just avoid working with your back to the door, which is considered inauspicious because things go on “behind your back.”

4. Change Your View. Hang artwork and images directly in front of you that show gently moving water to symbolize flow and creativity for your projects, and images of mountains behind you to keep you grounded. If you paint, create fiber art, or create any art that can be displayed, it’s especially important to hang your own best work.

5. Organize Your Tools. Make sure that everything you need to move forward on your creative ideas is in good working condition and can be found easily. Remove, replace, or repair any tools that are broken or not functioning correctly.

6. Add Living Things. Surround yourself with plants, flowers, rocks, and other symbols of nature and encourage growth of your artistic skills. If you don’t have enough light in your creative space to grow natural plants, silk is an acceptable substitute. Just avoid dried flowers since they represent dead energy.

7. Enhance Your Fame. Display your successful projects, complimentary letters, awards, and other recognition you have received in the Fame/Future area of your creative space to encourage you to move forward. This area is directly across from the main entrance to your creative space.

8. Call on Mentors. Surround yourself with books and articles about artists and craftspeople in your field who you admire, so you can call on them to act as mentors for your creative projects.

9. Add Sound and Movement. Play music and add a mobile or fountain to your creative space to represent moving forward in your artistic endeavors.

One of my clients, who is a watercolor artist, recently heard me talk about these nine Feng Shui tips for artists, and sent me her success story. She had scheduled a painting workshop but wasn't getting the registrations that she expected. However, after she heard these tips, she added two pictures of flowing water to her studio. The next day five students registered for her class.