Desk Tour: Grace Atwood
Charleston-based blogger Grace Atwood shares her space!
Welcome to Desk Tour, a series where I interview creative folks about their desks and workspaces. In case you missed it: Catherine Newman’s Desk Tour from last time. Scroll to the bottom of this post for the full catalog of Desk Tours.
If you are a person on the internet, then you likely know
. For nearly 15 years, Grace has shared her perspective, writing, and carefully curated recommendations via her wildly successful blog The Stripe. As her career has evolved, Grace’s audience has followed along, cheering her on the whole time, and inviting new people into the community along the way. I know firsthand how rare and difficult of a thing that is to sustain, let alone grow. In other words, though it’s hard to define what it looks like to be a successful creative on the internet, if someone asked me for a blueprint, I’d point to Grace. And if you haven’t checked out her Substack, The Scratch Pad by The Stripe, then what are you waiting for? It’s great.On both a personal and professional level, I am endlessly thankful for Grace’s constant support of my me and my work. Grace is who first suggested I might make a good replacement when she stepped back from co-hosting Bad on Paper to focus on other endeavors. It’s tiny thing that changed my life, and I’m grateful. Today, I’m so excited to share a glimpse into Grace’s workspace and habits.
OM: Describe your workspace.
GA: My workspace is usually my dining table. I have a proper desk in my guest room but I don’t like that as a creative space. I’m thinking of getting rid of my desk altogether as it just makes me feel bad. I know I “should” sit at a desk, but I don’t want to.
It’s dark and feels a little cramped with the bed and other furniture. I’ve learned that need a lot of natural light to work and love sitting at my dining table as there is a big window to the left and my screen porch to the right. So the dining table is perfect, really. And as Olivia knows, summers in Charleston are brutally hot but now that fall’s rolled along I am finding I can open the doors again, which is so nice. The cats love it and when there is a little breeze it’s such a treat. Sometimes I will work from my couch, and other days if it is nice out, I’ll sit on my screen porch and write.
Another very important thing is that I always have lots of beverages. In the morning it’s coffee and lemon water. Sometimes a green juice too. In the afternoon it is lemon water, seltzer, and maybe a second coffee.
OM: What are your three favorite items on your desk right now?
GA: My Tru Red pen – Jen Shoop gave me these pens as a gift a few years ago and I’ve repurchased countless boxes. My Smythson planner – I buy a new Smythson planner every year; it is one of my most used, most loved possessions. I take it with me everywhere and every mundane detail of my day to day is in there. It is fun to have a pretty record of years past. I have five of them in a nice little stack on my bookshelf. My copy of The Describer’s Dictionary by David Grambs & Ellen S. Levine. Ingrid Fetell Lee recently recommended it in this “Become a Better Writer” list and I am shocked by how often I refer to it. Any time I feel like a description I’ve written is maybe a little weak, I refer back to it. If I might offer up a fourth (sorry I can’t help it - it’s the influencer in me, I’m a recommender!), I might add my Hotel Lobby Hamptons Candle. This smells like the farmer’s market (in a good way!). Tomato, basil, geranium, rosewater. I always have a candle burning and this one is a major favorite.
OM: Do you keep anything specific at your desk that you use as inspiration to stay creative or positive?
GA: Since my desk is my dining table not really, but I face my art wall and that in itself keeps me feeling creative and inspired. Plus, the natural light I mentioned earlier.
OM: Is there anything you absolutely HAVE to have at your desk/workspace or you can't be productive?
GA: Coffee. Always. I am addicted. I’ve tried so hard to quit and/or switch to matcha but it’s just too hard! Also my space must be clean or I won’t be productive. I keep the downstairs of my home very very clean and clutter-free. (And when I say clutter-free, intentional clutter is fine!).
OM: Is there anything you'd change about your workspace? If so, what?
GA: I’d love to have a proper office and desk. The old owner used the small room that I made into a walk-in closet as an office but you know… priorities! Having a dedicated room for an office doesn’t really work with my house and I love my house so I will have to just deal with floating between the dining table, the couch, and sometimes the porch.
OM: Describe your ideal work day at your desk.
GA:
Around 7am I wander downstairs and assume my perch on the couch. I make a coffee, I play my word games, I write in my journal and read a bit.
At 9am, I move my laptop over to the dining table. This is when I try to tackle the more meaty tasks for the day… really, the things I don’t want to do. I like to think of my mornings as task-oriented and my afternoons as creative time. I get through the slog of to-do’s and then I get to be creative (write, shoot, etc. etc)
Ideally it’s warm but not hot, in which case I’ll open up the porch doors.
Sometimes I will do a workout mid-day. That’s when I tend to have the most energy. Then I get ready for the day, and then it’s time for lunch.
Around 1, my special projects manager (Carly!) comes over. Some days we are working in silence, others it’s more collaborative and/or we will have a video or photo shoot.
I really do try to wrap up work by 5, if not 6. People in Charleston work shorter hours than in New York. Back in New York (pre-pandemic at least!) it was normal to finish work around 7. If you do that here, you are going to miss dinner!
OM: Where can people find you on the internet?
GA: You can find me all over the Internet, maybe in too many places. I’ve had my lifestyle/fashion blog The Stripe forever now (it will be 15 years in January!). I launched my Substack last September and finally named it: Scratch Pad, by The Stripe. And of course there is always Instagram. I am @graceatwood.
Note from Olivia: When I asked Grace if she’d be open to being featured on DT, she responded with something like, “My desk is usually my kitchen table, is that OK?” to which I (of course) said, “Absolutely!” This is what I love about diving into individual’s unique work habits. No two desk tours are exactly the same. Everyone’s creativity and productivity is best served and balanced in different ways. We’re all doing our best with what we have and what we are inspired by, and I love to see all the versions of what that can look like.
Be sure to check out the past editions of Desk Tour:
Blogger, journalist, and content creator Ayana Lage’s Desk Tour
PS: One last thing before I go… you can order my first novel NOW! If you’ve already read and enjoyed, I would be honored if you would leave a kind review or rating on Goodreads or Amazon. It makes a world of difference. I appreciate your consideration, time, and support immensely.
A portion of October’s subscriber proceeds will go toward the American Red Cross, specifically its Hurricane Helene relief efforts.
Love this! Will you please re-link “Become a Better Writer?”
loved this! and ooohh, picking up the Describer's Dictionary now!