No. 10: My Analogue Station
On moving my desk and feeling more like myself again
As someone who likes consistency, I’ve sure had an inconsistent start to the year when it comes to my own analogue space. The location in which I create has changed a number of times since the early months of 2025 - from a tiny lap desk on the couch to a shared desk space with my partner who works from home, and back to my desk that got moved into our bedroom recently.
Moving my desk from the second bedroom, with its piles and mess and all, felt more bittersweet than I imagined. On the surface, it was a simple relocation of my creative nook. But on a deeper level, I was saying goodbye to the office I had for almost five years - half a decade! - and transforming it into a suitable space for our child. At the same time, moving the desk out of the room was me reclaiming my creative space. Our daughter had already been sleeping in the second room for a couple of weeks, which meant I wasn’t able to get to the majority of my stationery supplies during that entire time.
Naturally, moving also came with reorganization - having to face the “let’s deal with this later” stack of things on the desk.
The first step was clearing everything off the surface, and that’s where the chronicle of this journey began.
Time to Reminisce
I had limited space where I could place this mountain of items, so I resorted to throwing them on top of the bed at first. In the process, I rediscovered tools and knick-knacks that I had forgotten about for quite some time.
Why was it that I couldn’t remember to reach for them? Maybe it was the state of mind I had been in for most of this year - feeling like I’m usually running around, not knowing exactly what I’m doing or whether I’m doing it well. Regardless, it was fun to look through what I had. I made a mental note to play with wax seals again, for one.
As much as I would have loved to comb through every little trinket, I had to be fairly fast with my thought process of what I wanted to keep within arms’ reach. We were grateful for having help - my partner’s family took care of our baby for the day, and one of our friends came over to assist with moving furniture around. This meant we only had one afternoon to rearrange everything, with my desk being one of the many larger pieces.
With all of the items cleared off its surface, my desk looked alien. This haven that I had built for myself lasted through the work-from-home days over the previous few years, and saw me through the makings of countless journal pages. I was unexpectedly emotional about it, even though the only change taking place was that the desk itself would be right next door. It felt like a part of an identity shift - this whole room was no longer for me, but was now for a special small someone that we had welcomed to the world.
Time to Rearrange
Some vacuuming and measuring dimensions later, the desk was finally moved into our main bedroom. One major change was switching the placement of the desk and the drawers - now the drawers were to the right of me. It was strangely jarring to have it that way, as was the realization that from now on, I’d be creating in the same space in which I slept.
I still had my piles to organize - it had migrated from the top of the guest bed to our bed, and I remember staring at it, feeling a bit defeated. As much as I wanted most of my things close to me - I’m an “out of sight, out of mind” kind of person - it didn’t make sense to keep certain items around just for them to gather dust. After hemming and hawing, I decided to stash away a few things into an empty container as a temporary goodbye.
I barely managed to meet my goal of freeing up the space on top of the bed by early evening - a must-do, since I didn’t want to sleep next to my stationery. I looked at the picture of the old desk setup as reference, then proceeded to put things back where they belonged.
The other key changes I made were:
Removing the phone holder arm: I originally had a clip-on phone holder on the right side of the desk, but I often felt it got in the way when I was writing. Getting rid of it meant I’d have to figure out a new recording setup for YouTube, but I was really happy with having a completely open surface again.
Installing a monitor light bar: I no longer had overhead lights with this new setup, which made screen time difficult for my eyes at night. Getting an adjustable light bar at the back of the monitor turned out to be a good investment because I spend the most time here after sundown.
Time to Settle In
I woke up to a beautiful, sunny day the following morning. When I lifted the window shade, a generous amount of natural light poured over the surface of the desk, as if greeting me in this new space.
As you can plainly see, my analogue station isn’t the most “aesthetic.” I have an ergonomic chair to support my back due to recurring pain, and though it’s an expensive chair, it’s not exactly a sharp-looking one. I have a functional desk mat to place my keyboard and mouse as well as prevent smudges and spills, but it’s not the most unique or interesting kind. The desk itself is quite ordinary in appearance, but the additional standing height feature is so handy for stretching my legs and changing up my posture.
No matter what it looks like, this space is home to my heart and mind, and for that alone it is special. While it would be a dream to have my own stationery room or studio someday, I realize creativity doesn’t demand a specific type of space - it doesn’t require a perfect setting to thrive. I have endless admiration for those who make incredible things from their dining tables, shared spaces, couches, beds, other places of rest. I’m very fortunate to already have a dedicated, go-to spot for playing with stationery and I don’t take it for granted.
I draft these posts by hand, and this paragraph is being written between our baby’s naps at the moment. I love being able to leave my notebook open with a fountain pen by its side, watching the page fill slowly as the afternoon rolls by. It’s like a piece of myself has returned, and this particular summer’s day seems brighter because of it.
I love love seeing people's *real* set ups. Thank you for sharing!
Love this new set up you have! It’s inspiring me to also (re)create my set up.