from college freshman to millennial obsessed with "girl boss deskscapes" to "pandemic teacher" to "art lover writing a dissertation and also a substack and article and weird little e-mails."
My freshman dorm desk. Yikes. That tangle of cords. The 200 dollar Italian book. My first mac. an IHome. My emergency poptarts, a Winnie the Pooh dressed in a turtle outfit, a few books and DVDS and my vera bradley card case which is TORN UP. Where are the pens? The notebooks? I hope in my bag but I was 17 who the fuck knows.
If you couldn’t tell by the modcloth camp bag, the running bibs, the planned parenthood sign, or the 1 dollar Van Gogh print I got at a yard sale, this was 2015 y’all. I was way into “girlboss deskscape” aesthetics but did not know how. So I got some kate spade stationary for this little ikea desk. Fun fact: I got that Andy Warhol print in 11th grade (so like 2007ish) and it’s now framed, in my living room. It’s still cringe but I like to be reminded of my cringe, as long as it’s framed.
Would my girl boss dreams come true? It’s 2016 but pre-election. I painted parts of the desk yellow. I wanted to use a cool A Beautiful Mess tutorial to make it shiny but that was way past my abilities. I was an early adopter of the book cart, if you see to the left. I also had a little gold basket and project planners and list pads and the little sticky week pad. Also my first desktop! How I loved him.
The final form of my millennial girl boss era desk! A heart trash can! That crazy colored desk chair from Ikea! Tiny frames for my formerly taped up photos! (i actually despised those frames). My Bulletin Board (which I started in 2014, in SC when I was homesick and which still lives above my bed), That little pink fuzzy rug was a bitch to clean with cats but also Pillowfort was amazing. Lots of books, inspirational quotes, a gold pineapple pencil cup that wasn’t from Simplified but was definitely simplified inspired. Where is my keyboard, how did I even work? Who knows. Also the Harvard pennant was a gift and a GILMORE GIRLS REFERENCE. I want to rehang it with an exhibit label or something. A SAD LAMP. What’s a girl boss to do? Remember she has a personality.
TIME. TRAVEL. Picture It: Austin, 2019. Pre-Pandemic. I sometimes work at my desk but often as my couch. I still haven’t learned the value of DRAWERS. This is a smaller Ikea table because that craigslist monstrosity was too big and was not coming to Texas. There is still some Millennial Girl Boss moments (because you can’t take the *gurl* out of her era,) but some more unique items too. I got a little tape on acrylic thing for my desktop to put tickets and little notes and remembered that the computer was mine so I could but a decal on it, or a photo. I got the Cat Hair, Don’t Care sign at the Austin Modcloth Store (May it rest in peace). My obsession with Nathalie Lete had started. Prints by Stationary Bakery, Roaring Softly, my friend keith, the Margot Elena Sub Box, and I am forgetting the artists name but I know I got the cat girl print at Book Woman and will find it, That is a simplified x target happy stripe stapler and I still love her. My Daddy got me the giant Shakespeare volume at Joseph Fox Books (RIP) I had been obsessed with so I liked to keep it on the desk. Also my taste in candles got real expensive around this time.
And it’s fall 2020. I am teaching for the first time online and I quickly realize that this desk isn’t cutting it but I will make do. My ex took the desktop. I got a Brother printer (still going strong), a laptop stand, and a ring light. Loved those laptop stickers, “Art” from Crush and Touch and the other from Calliope Paperie. Lots of books, for class and writing and teaching. A print made by my dear friend Ravynn Stringfield. That little Owl was drawn by me! My Simplified planner to the left (I still need to order one this year, Emily Ley is amazing). The cute yellow letter holder I got from Poketo (still cute and on my desk now!) Lots of art and photos and glow in the dark stars and i just feel like I was becoming me and not googling “deskscape.”
January 2021, I survived teaching my first class with the ikea table but I realized I did need more space and also drawers. I FINALLY got drawers. I spent months researching, I did twitter polls, texted everyone I have ever met, and decided on this DARLING PB Teen x West Elm Desk which was definitely not that expensive when I purchased it. That said, it’s been over 4 years and I have never once regretted the choice. I also got a little shelf to hold my printer, some of my first Heidi Moreno art, a Catbird Candle, and a Rifle Paper Co Rug perfectly sized for a desk nook, the painting was made for a tutorial by Crush and Touch Art Supply and I snagged It so fast. I also realized my kooky and much loved ikea chair was not quite working so a friends mom inherited and I got my minimalist pink dream from Article.
For a brief period, in 2021-2022, I had an office/craft room to myself. My books lived on the wall behind this. The rug could go in the middle of the room. I upgraded the desktop after 6 years and shocked the world by going green, though I got a clickity keyboard. I also finally got a cute book stand, a reasonably sized ring light, a stamp with my name for books, felt flowers, more handmade ornaments, and so much art.
And here we are. A makeup organizer for my pens. A giant pencil from Paper and Craft for more pens. A mic for my very infrequent podcast. A tiny pink locker with a lizzie mcguire sticker. A new, non broken, bankers lamp. A pink acrylic monitor stand and plant babies and my vintage SLR. A Kate Spade mouse pad because the MILLENNIAL GIRL BOSS is still there somewhere, just covered in art and books and friendship and love and writing. Oh and a tiny felt monster is up there too.
So what stayed the same in the last what, 16 years? Though I haven’t always had a white desk, I clearly prefer them even if much of my other furniture is not white. I like a pink accent and a desk sized rug (especially if my office is my living room). I will never not have a desk space cluttered with beautiful objects and pretty tools because that’s what inspires me. But I did get slightly more practical too. You see those arm rests? yeah. My love of Andy Warhol has been steadfast, though more classy and ironic now. Idk.
