What's On My Desk?

First things first, the title of this post is a lie. I could show you what’s on my desk but I don’t think you want to see a pile of clean clothes that I somehow could be bothered washing and ironing but can’t be bothered putting away. You probably don’t want to see the random notes I leave for myself that are usually not much more than doodles of pizza and cartoon faces either. So, instead of the mundane items that lie upon a desk, I’d thought I’d show you the more interesting things that are scattered all over the area I tend to do my best work; the entertainment unit that I hunch over every day.

I have plenty of surfaces and plenty of chairs in my house so I can’t explain why I choose to sit on the floor and destroy my posture by leaning over an entertainment unit other than it’s surrounded by a constant source of inspiration. Above the unit is a painting of Stirling Castle but Jan Nelson, to the right of Jan Nelson’s work is a painting by Roderick Gauld and further along is a poster of Stephen King’s IT. Next to the unit is a steadily growing pile of books; some of which are illustrative fashion books, others are full of drawing techniques and the rest are fictional. Of course, there is a TV on this entertainment stand which will remain off while I’m chilling on the floor.

On the actual unit is a whole bunch of art supplies. This is where I tend to work on new paintings and drawings and doodles that aren’t pizza or cartoon characters. I’m gravitating more towards watercolour recently so there are a few palettes scattered everywhere and a couple of tiny paintbrushes. I also have a fondness for ink so I have multiple bottles of various colours lying around. A plethora of pencils - both graphite and watercolour - decorate the unit as well as a few pens for outlining. The dreaded smelly masking fluid lies near the ink so I can block off areas that need to stay clear of colour. There are tubes of gouache which admittedly, I keep eyeing up and then going straight back to the watercolour palettes. There are also half eaten packs of Polos everywhere as I discovered in high school that the mint with the hole in the middle helps me stay focused.

You’re probably thinking one of these things is not like the others and you would be right although I have tried to erase lines with Polos on numerous occasions. I keep Polos everywhere; they’re in my pocket, my car, my bag, the side of my bed etc because, although I thoroughly enjoy having minty fresh breath, they’re a “normal” thing for me. If I’m going into a situation that’s completely out of my comfort zone, I pop a Polo in and it gives me something else to focus on while my legs carry me to said scary situation. Polos have gotten me through countless exams, job interviews, driving tests and awkward human interactions. I always have them to hand while drawing and painting as they somehow focus my mind which means I’m less likely to make stupid irreversible mistakes. Having the new sharing pot of Polos to hand is an absolute dream although I am worried I’m going to try and wash my brush in the Polo pot.

While hunching over the entertainment unit is probably going to ruin my back over time, it’s the only place where I seem to be motivated and creative. I don’t know if it’s to do with my surroundings or if it’s just because I really can’t be bothered putting those clean clothes away but for now, I love having art supplies scattered all over a unit that sits in the room I spend most of my time in.

Disclaimer: This post is in collaboration with Polo.