Last weekend I did a major clearout of my office/studio. It was long overdue and had slowly turned from a room in my house that I loved, to a room that I was dreading going into. The clutter had gotten so bad that I had taken to working in Starbucks far more than I was actually working at home – just so I could have a clear table to work on!
I do really enjoy working in cafes and make a point of doing it at least once or twice a week. Mostly because I can. It’s an important reminder to me that I quit my job, in part, so that I could have that freedom to decide where and when I worked. And I like pretty lattes and hot chocolates. They’re more fun to take pictures of than the ones I make at home.
But working out of coffee shops every day gets sooooo expensive and, they won’t let me bring my puppy inside and I really miss it when he’s not lying at my feet while I work.
Plus, what do you do when all that tea makes you have to pee and you don’t want to leave your laptop all by itself for somebody to walk away with? These are the challenges I have! (haha)
So a clear out was in the cards.
I have two desks in my office. A big white table where I do the bulk of my work and a smaller wooden desk behind me that, basically, holds all the junk I don’t want to look at while I’m working. Out of site out of mind.
The only problem is, the wooden desk is the first thing I see when I walk in the door and it makes me cringe!
A good afternoon of work meant I got rid of 5 garbage bags full of stuff as well as 3 boxes (mostly to be given away).
I found six (6!) full sized bedroom pillows in my prop closet. I didn’t even know they were there. I have no idea why they were there or how long they were there. I don’t ever even remember having that many extra pillows! It wouldn’t be that odd except for the fact that I have 6 more extra pillows already in the linen cupboard down the hall!
Anyway, all that to say that I have reclaimed my office… and both my desks! And so I did something I’ve wanted to do since reading Austin Kleon’s Steal Like an Artist. I created an analog desk for myself! (PS… if you ever do anything creative, I highly recommend you read it and Austin’s newest book, Show Your Work – they’re short, entertaining reads but packed with great advice).
I mentioned it on Instagram and somebody asked me what an analog desk is so I thought it would make a perfect topic for a Weekend Studio post!
Basically, Austin’s workflow (he’s a writer and an artist) is that he has a digital desk and an analog desk and they’re exactly what they sound like. The digital desk contains the computer, phone, tablets, mouse, cords, cables, etc. The analog desk is technology free. (I think in his case, Austin allows an electric pencil sharpener on his analog desk). The moment I read about this, a few years ago, I knew it was something I wanted.
My Analog Desk
And now I have one. I cleared off my wooden desk completely. While I was cleaning out my prop closet I found a white plastic tablecloth and I used that as a surface cover. This is great for two reasons
- now I have two white desks and it makes the room feel brighter and more open
- the plastic cover gives me freedom to make a mess with my paints and markers without wrecking the desk and it’s easy to clean up
The desktop holds my Weck jars full of the supplies I use most regularly:
- my pencils
- my Pitt Markers
- my paint brushes
- my ink pens
I keep whatever project I’m working on in plain site – this reminds me to take time out every day and work on something with my hands but, it also makes me happy when I walk into my office and the first thing I see is my jars full of colour and my art (and generally, my doodles make me happy!) instead of stacks of stuff I need to deal with that stress me out.
I also keep a couple of white boards that I lean against the wall – they prop up whatever is giving me inspiration in that moment (right now I’m digging spring colours). And I have my paints, my water container, my superfabulousamazing eraser that doesn’t smudge or wreck paper and washi tape (mostly because it’s pretty)
There’s also an old flat screen monitor – it’s only there because I have nowhere else to put it and, right now, it’s being used to tape images to that I’ve ripped out of magazines because I like the colour combinations.
There’s a shelf pullout below the desk top (it was originally for a computer keyboard) and I’ve used that for all my extra art supplies – extra sketchbooks and art papers, my lettering notes, my big box of pencil crayons, hand lettering guides, extra white boards that I use for photo reflectors amongst other things, etc.
It’s also very easy to clear a space for photography so that makes me really happy too and the light is pretty good.
The side of the desk has two shelves that I use to hold books that I use. Next to that is my bean bag chair that I like to sit in to read with a cup of tea or watch movies on my iMac, which is across the room on the digital desk (and when I do this, Sam will lie with his head on my feet and I get an instant foot warmer!). So the shelves have an empty space that fits a cup of tea and a plate for cookies. It’s a very functional desk!

The digital desk
So far, I’m loving it. It’s so calming to have a space with no technology on it, nothing beeping or pinging at me, no email, no glare. I can get quite lost in it and it helps me relax and get into a creative zone. And, because I’ve moved a ton of my art stuff from my digital desk to the analog desk, I actually feel less stressed at my digital desk now as well – less clutter.
All round it was a great decision. I hope you enjoyed my tour of my analog desk. And thank you Austin Kleon, for the idea and letting me to steal it like an artist!
The lack of puppies is definitely a downside compared to home, that’s for sure. Your analog desk is purty!
PS: You are a pillow hoarder. Or were 😉
thanks Laura-Jane! And yes, I’m learning to let go of the pillows 😉 PS… listened to your podcast for the first time last week and really enjoyed it!
Oh I LOVE the idea of these desks. I don’t even have a desk lol, other than the one at my office, which, to be honest, I love, as it’s completely uncluttered and the office is always empty so I have a clean place to work in. My ‘desk’ at home is an inbuilt counter top in my kitchen and I hate it, it always ends up as a repository for a shit ton of junk and everyday debris. I can’t wait to get rid of it and have my shelves for cookbooks and a reading niche put in.
I love how creative you are… I am not creative, lol, except in the kitchen, but both my husband and daughter love to paint, so I love the idea of creating a place for them to work too. My house is well overdue for a huge cleanout (just waiting for my mom to show up, so I can get her to do it haha)
Thanks for sharing this corner of your world with us. Have I said how much I love these posts?
Oh but you ARE creative! People think creativity is means you can draw or paint but that’s so wrong. SO wrong. You can do things in a kitchen that I could never do and that is it’s own form of creativity. Everyone has a well of creativity inside them, even if they think they don’t. They just haven’t found the outlet for it yet!
I’m working my way through Austin’s books, and so far I love them. I’m feeling very inspired! I have absolutely no work space though, which is driving me crazy. When I get my own place, it has to have a designated room for office/studio work! For now I’m tempted to build a hut on my parent’s deck….
I’m lucky to have a spare bedroom to use as an office/studio. It’s not at all big – about 8x10ft – and it’s awkwardly designed so I can only put certain furniture in certain spots, making it feel even smaller than it is. But, I don’t think I could work from home without it! I have lived in much smaller spaces and still figured out a way to do stuff. It can be done! But I’m very thankful I have the space I have.
And yes, Austin is great! You might also want to check out Steven Pressfield’s the War Of Art. Another quick but thoughtful read!
You’ve basically described my craft room! No technology other than the speaker I use for my iPhone. It’s an Ironman speaker. Shaped like Ironman. 2.0 won it at a golf tournament. It’s the ugliest thing in the craft room. Anyhoo, the walls, table and storage dresser are all white. And all my crafting stuff surrounds me. It’s delightful! I feel inspired when I’m in there. And lucky – because I have a craft room and stuff to put in it. That feeling of happiness and gratitude go a long way…
I actually think the IronMan speaker sounds pretty awesome. I could make that work in my space. Totoally.
But yes… it makes things so much better when you walk into a space that makes you happy and inspired. It changes the entire course of the day! And I’m lucky to have it too. Not always easy to have a spare bit of space in Vancouver (unless you’re a kajillionaire, which I can most firmly assure you, I am not!)
This is such a great idea, Melissa. I’ve been considering having both my desk and a table behind it in my new office. I’m also considering the possibility of having two or three different work spaces in the house (not that it’s huge, but the space is all mine). An office/writing space with my computer, a sewing space and another area for scrapbooking (or I may combine those). Then there’s the gardening space out in the shed. Oh, and the cooking space, aka the kitchen. Why restrict our creativity to a single place? Not to mention, I think it’s more powerful when everything isn’t all jumbled together.
Clearly, I need to re-read the book because I had completely forgotten about the analog desk! Sheesh!