From hiatus to habit: how I rebuilt my creative practice

After an unintentional hiatus of about 15 years from being an actively engaged artist, I found myself wanting to rebuild the creative part of my life.

At Sprout Labs (running Sprout Labs is my day job), I could see that designers who had side projects were happiest. These creative side projects gave them freedom. This return also partly came about when I started thinking about what I would do after Sprout Labs. Some people have always found this hiatus odd because, in the first part of my life, I had a huge commitment to my creative work. It started and finished with a PhD and had a moderate level of “success.”

I’ve tried a couple of restarts in the past, but they all stalled. This blog post is about what has worked well for me this time.

A lesson from Geoff: the power of habit

Back in the ’90s, when I worked as a technician at the art school computer lab, most mornings when I opened the door, Geoff Parr would be working. This was a time when laptops were not common, and the lab included a large-format printer that Geoff was experimenting with. At the time, Geoff was Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research), a highly demanding job, but his art practice was alive. To me, what he had was a creative habit. Creating was something he did every day. He had figured out the best time for him to do this was early in the morning.

I’ve tried this approach of working each day, but other things make it hard. In the morning, I swim laps; in the evening, there are family gatherings. I found that I kept missing days. What has worked for me is aiming to move my creative work forward each week. This means if I get to Friday and haven’t had the energy to do anything, I can get things done over the weekend.

‘Do the work – get into the studio’ – but my ‘studio’ was my laptop

There is the mantra of ‘Do the work – get into the studio.’ But what if you don’t have a studio? For me, my “studio” was my laptop, the same one I used for my day job running Sprout Labs. How is my ‘creative’ work different from my day-to-day job?

Two things have worked for me.

• To make my “studio” feel different, I started using a different computer just for art. I use a PC for creative work that only has the software I need for creating. I’ve been a Mac user for a long time, and working on a PC is slower for me—which is a good thing.
• Working in MAX and its visual way of programming is radically different from the technical work we do at Sprout Labs. By using different tools, I step into a different creative mindset—one that separates my artistic thinking from my day job.

Finding a physical creative space

I’ve never really had a studio space. When I was doing my PhD, my studio at the art school was a storage space. Day to day, I worked in the shared computer lab, and when I was prototyping, I worked in the gallery or seminar room.

This has changed. I got access to the basement space at 71 Murray Street. This basement space has no windows and is perfect for media work. The building owners were keen to see it used as an event space. As I started discussing using the space for prototyping installations, the building manager planted the idea that I could rent a smaller space for storage, which would make setting up in the basement faster.

All of a sudden, I had a studio.

As part of this, I committed to using the basement space for regular open studio events. This gave me a deadline to get pieces finished (or at least ready for prototyping). What surprised me was that I started to use the smaller space on weekends. It’s become a focused space to just do creative work.

The building owners have since started using the basement space for retail storage, but I’ve moved my studio into one of the other buildings they own (Studio 65).

For me, the studio gives me two things:

• It’s a place to escape to and just focus on creative work.
• The cost keeps me accountable. If I’m paying for a studio, I need to use it. It’s a commitment.

The studio does feel like a luxury, but I’m surprised at how much it’s helped me move forward.

Takeaways: rebuilding a creative practice

Reconnecting with creativity after a long break isn’t always easy, but it’s possible with small, deliberate steps. Here are the lessons I’ve learned along the way:

• Build a habit that works for you.
• Define your “studio.”
• Commit to a physical space.
• Set deadlines.

Rebuilding a creative practice takes patience and persistence. It’s not about chasing perfection—it’s about showing up, making space, and keeping the momentum going.