I fully agree with Virginia Woolf who wrote,
A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.
When we built our house in 1995, I asked for a space of my own, no matter how small. My brother-in-law Keith, who was instrumental in the construction process, heard me and double insultated this tiny room across from the master bedroom. He jokingly called it “the quiet room” because it muffled any noise that might be happening anywhere else in the house by teenage stepchildren.
Over the years, it has morphed as my needs have changed. It started out as my art and writing space. Then, when stepdaughter #2 moved from down the hall to a finished lower level bedroom, the “quiet room” became a guest room, and I moved my art and writing (and later KaleidoSoul work) into the room down the hall.
Today, with all stepchildren on their own (and with kids of their own!), I have been happy to reclaim the “quiet room” as my private writing space. The bigger room down the hall is where I do a lot of my KaleidoSoul SoulCollageĀ® work and Zoom classes; it also houses two long art tables and a veritable abundance of art supplies, along with my old journals and lots (and lots!) of reading material.
Even though there’s no longer a need to shut out the sounds of noisy teenagers, I still relish entering this small space and closing the door behind me. My writing desk is here, along with my writing laptop and all my story files. The window by my desk looks out on our front yard and I feel at home here. Across from my desk is this little reading and dreaming nook. Sometimes I meditate and pray here before settling at my laptop. Sometimes I close my eyes and work out a new story line, or invite a new character to introduce themselves. This little room is a haven of peace . . . and yes, quiet . . .Ā where I go to find myself at home with all the best parts of me.