New Work Space, For Now.

The past few weeks have seemed like a quickly spoken, run-on sentence -- a lot happening but not much completed.  Now that Texas summer hibernation is in full-swing I have few reasons not to pull out my dry-erase planning board and get to work.

At last, I am working on my new desktop computer built specifically for my photographic needs and excessive multi-tab internet browsing.  (A blog post will follow with specifics.)  This new computer needed a new work space because until now I was working on photos with my husband's desktop and surfing on my one-and-only laptop.

Carving a new work space out of a 10' x 11' room takes time, planning and purging, all three of which are highly susceptible to procrastination and diversion tactics.  So when my husband finished the computer it was time time to tackle this:

Yes, this is me at work in my office.  Nothing is staged and I'm not looking at the camera because I was sans makeup and hair goop.  That corner straight ahead is my computer work space "before".

Ideally I want a functional, ergonomic desk and chair but two obstacles lie before me, not wanting to spend money and finding a suitable location for my late 1950's Singer sewing machine (partially seen under boxes in the above photo).  Since creativity is often sparked from tightwaddery I decided to work with my existing pieces and only add when no solution is found otherwise, a concept I carry through to many areas in my life actually.

Using my office floor planning kit I played around with a few configurations and decided on one that moved as little as possible, this allows me to settle in and slowly work out the kinks without needlessly rearranging again.

I found a great website with ergonomic work space information and tried to incorporate what I could with what I have.  A monitor's viewing distance should be about 20"-40" directly in front of you.  Since the sewing machine cabinet is only 18" deep I stacked the boxes I was unable to empty behind the desk to provide a perfect location, which is great because nothing else fits the guidelines at all.  The keyboard and mouse are too high and the IKEA dining chair I borrowed from the dining space is woefully uncomfortable for any extended time.

A few other factors are not ideal either.  The CPU takes up valuable desk space but it does not fit under the cabinet.  The drawers are filled with sewing supplies leaving no space for computer accessories.  When I move my left arm backwards I hit my elbow's nerve on the shelving unit which further aggravates the existing nerve problem I have there.  Finally, I love the window and the light it provides but having it just to the right of the monitor can make for difficult viewing at times.  These are issues I will tackle as I find possible solutions, they do not render the space unusable or unsafe.

Finally I would like to point out the change in wall art.  Down and out went the seventies retro crap pieces and in it's place I hung an original art piece given to me years ago by a dear friend in Arizona and a mirror painted beautiful Bayside blue (a color with a story).  Coincidentally, I used the existing nails in the wall and found the frame bottoms lined up perfectly.

[Photos: Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS UD]