The Empty Space; Add All Ingredients and Frappé

You get to build your perfect space for reading and writing. What’s it like?

My title today is a hidden (?) reference to Peter Brook‘s book in which he defined several types of theatre. It’s a good read even today.

As for my ideal space for reading and writing, it would also have to have space for podcasting. As it turns out, in my old house I had an office space/studio that was ideal. There was an L-shaped desk, and I added a table, to provide even more of a flat surface on which to work.

Looking left to right, I had the printer/scanner, an older laptop on a desk calendar (mostly obscured by the laptop…), a homemade wooden “box” that stored things under it and had my mixing board on top, another laptop with a large monitor, file trays (precariously stacked!), and then various piles of current projects. A mic on a boom hung over it, ready to swing (literally!) into action.

Nearby were bookcases with CDs, DVDs, and books to be used as needed. My office chair was large and comfy, and perfect for rocking back in and reading. I was very productive in this setup.

When I moved, I traded all that in for some “borrowed” desk space that is truly overcrowded. Files to the left of me, files to the right, and the laptop stuck in the middle in front of the tower of file trays. This was my COVID teaching workstation, which always felt a little cramped.

For Christmas 2022, my fiancee bought me an L-shaped workstation with a hutch, but it has yet to be assembled and put in place. So I’m still working elbows-in, doing what I can in a limited space and reshuffling the piles of files to the sides.

I hear the desk will be assembled in the new year—I hope! Otherwise, it’s more, “Oops, my funnybone!”