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Spaces that Inspire   by Maria Oka

5/15/2015

4 Comments

 
Being a stay-at-home mom of three littles, I rarely get to write outside of my home. Instead, I keep my laptop under a chair, and in the quiet moments of the day (HA), I pull it out and write. Or occasionally, I sit in my girls' room while they play (always happily of course) and type while lounging on the floor. In an ideal world, I would have a couple hours a day to sit in a charming bakery and write (and snarf goodies), but that is not my reality. 

Now for a little backstory: eight and a half years ago I got married. Since then I have had three kids, and moved six times (glutton for punishment). Decorating has never been my strong suit, and unfortunately, sometimes that means that it's hard for me to feel happy and inspired in my own home. We recently decided to stay in our little two-bedroom apartment for awhile longer (we live in LA...no other explanation necessary). As a consolation prize, I decided to beautify my spaces. (This does not come easily for me...I've taken a few weeks off of writing, spent way too many hours on Pinterest, and shed a few tears).

The results are helping me feel inspired, and I can't wait to sit in my own spaces and get back to writing!

Front Room:

Picture
(Please forgive the sideways pictures and empty frames...I am *patiently* waiting on a few prints I've ordered).

Putting a picture book on my front room shelf kind of happened by accident. I had pulled Extra Yarn (Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen) out of the girls' room a few weeks ago to study the pacing and the brilliant storytelling. I noticed it peeking out from behind my chair while I was putting picture frames on the shelves, and I threw it into the mix. I LOVE it. Especially since this is my primary writing space. 


Now for the Girls' Room:
Picture
Unfortunately I don't have any "before" pictures of their room room, but my girls' books used to be crammed onto one small, overstuffed shelf. My new shelf makes me want to read more (and write more!) and explore each of their books again and again (it also gives me SIX extra storage bins for toys, library books, soft cover books and magazines). 

Plus I get to showcase some especially beautiful books.

Picture
Picture
Phew! After all that inspira-decorating I'm feeling ready to dive back in and write! What spaces do you write in? If you feel up to it, I'd love to hear how YOU get inspired in your spaces. 
4 Comments
Eve Bangerter Burch
5/15/2015 05:53:13 am

I love your decorating designs. Very inspirational. I loved your writing too. You inspire me Maria, my beautiful niece.

Reply
Mandy
5/19/2015 12:11:25 pm

This looks beautiful Maria! :)

Reply
Joy Higginson
6/1/2015 01:25:15 pm

For me, inspiration and the ability to work well is really impacted by how clean my space is! It makes a big difference!

Reply
Marsha link
6/6/2015 10:14:49 am

Dear Maria, This is just the inspiration I need as I'm thinking about my writing room in my new house, which should be finished soon. So important that you took the time to make your space more comfortable and beautiful. Enjoy!

Reply



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  • Home
  • WRITING
    • Craft & Business of Writing Childrens Picture Books
  • Picture Book Palooza
    • Contributor Bios
  • ILLUSTRATION
    • Craft & Business of Illustrating Children's Books
  • TECH
  • About Us
    • Why Us?
    • Meet the Faculty, Lives & GT Judges
    • Testimonials
    • Books by Students
    • Our Bookshop
    • As Seen In
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
  • Blogfish
  • Teachable Student Course Portal
  • Community
    • Our Bookshop
    • Come Play With Us!
    • Resources
    • Course Scholarships >
      • Yuyi Morales Picture Book Scholarship
      • Andrea Davis Pinkney MG CB Mastery Scholarship
      • Rafael Lopez Illustrating Childrens Books Scholarships