Welcome to Desk Tour, a series where I interview creative folks about their desks and workspaces. In case you missed it: Clémence Michallon’s Desk Tour from last time. Scroll to the bottom of this post for the full catalog of Desk Tours.
I met Sarah Jacobson of
the old fashioned way — through a friend (hello, !), in real life. Imagine that! Afterward, I followed her immediately (how else do people stay in touch with people they meet briefly at parties these days?) on Instagram, then on Substack, and immediately I thought… ah, yes, this person and I like the same stuff. Sarah shares glimpses of travel, interiors, books, writing (see what I mean — we really do like all the same stuff!) in her little corner of the internet, and it’s all lovely. Since following Sarah’s work, I’ve felt continuously inspired by her perspective on life and her appreciation for tiny moments of joy, beauty, light, words, Taylor Swift, and her cat Penny. I particularly have loved the little snippets she’s shared online of her home workspace. So much so, in fact, that I thought… well, yes, I would like to read/see more about that! Let’s take a peek, shall we?OM: Describe your workspace.
SJ: My apartment is all of 700 square feet, so my workspace/desk is a space I originally designed to be a breakfast bar. It overlooks my kitchen, and pre-pandemic, it was mostly a landing place for mail and cut flowers and the occasional party cheese board. But when the world shut down and i went from five days in an office to five days at home, I transformed it into my workspace. Up until about a month ago, it held not just my laptop, but also a large monitor, which I plugged into on work days. But back in February, I left my corporate job after a very tough few years (I've written about this on Substack), and as a demonstration of commitment to myself and my creative pursuits (I'm in the process of trying to get an agent for my first novel and am working on my second!), I recently stashed the monitor under my bed, and gave both my desk and my brain a bit more space. I've filled the space with tiny tchotchkes and photos that make me feel safe and inspired, and it's become one of my favorite places in my home.
OM: What are your three favorite items on your desk right now?
SJ: Ooh, I love this question! 1) A tiny framed photobooth photo of me and my two oldest and dearest friends, Kim and Joia, in 6th grade. I'm wearing the world's most ATROCIOUS hat, and it always makes me smile. 2) An antique brass 'calendario' that I purchased at my favorite Mexico City flea market this past February. I bought it while on a 6-hour long date with a guy I was seeing down there, and he helped me haggle it down to 250 pesos. Every time i look at it, I think of him, and of that day, and how magical it was. 3) A series of three photos of my best gals from the agency job I left this past winter. That job was hard on me, especially at the end, but it was also the source of so much pride and true joy. The bottom photo is a selfie of me and my partner Hannah at the Harry Styles concert our clients treated us to in LA. We're wearing pink heart sunnies and giant boas and we're a little bit high and oh so happy. It's a reminder that even the toughest of time periods can have some truly epic highs (pun not intended!).
OM: Do you keep anything specific at your desk that you use as inspiration to stay creative or positive?
SJ: When I first gutted my apartment 8 years ago, the 'work hard and be nice to people' poster was ALL THE RAGE. It's probably decidedly un-trendy now, but I still love it, because it encompasses two things I believe DEEPLY in, no matter where i am or what I am doing: Working hard, and being nice to the people around me. When you've worked in corporate America for over a decade, it's easy to forget both of these things, but especially the second one. It might sound trite, but I like looking at it and being reminded of who I am and what I believe in. On a slightly different note, I also have a rough outline for book two taped up on my wall. I use it as a guidepost when I write to ensure I'm at least somewhat on track (I'm way more of a 'pantser' than a 'plotter'). I am unpublished, but for some odd reason, that little outline makes me feel like a real writer.
OM: Is there anything you absolutely HAVE to have at your desk/workspace or you can't be productive?
SJ: ICE WATER. I am a water FIEND. I easily drink eight glasses a day, if not more, and I like it ice cold. A few years ago, the ice maker in my fridge broke, and to say I was devastated is an understatement (I got ice trays, but it's not the same!). I also like to have a scented candle nearby, because i'm a person who deeply loves (well) scented things. Is there a word for this? If not, there should be.
OM: Is there anything you'd change about your workspace? If so, what?
SJ: You know, I'm delighted to report that I can't think of anything! This space has ebbed and flowed with the state of the world, and the state of my world, and I am grateful for that.
This space has ebbed and flowed with the state of the world, and the state of my world, and I am grateful for that.
OM: Describe your "ideal" work day at your desk.
SJ: My best days are the ones in which I sit down at my desk between 7:30 and 8 a.m. with a freshly brewed cup of coffee and my giant glass of ice water, and — before i do anything else, like check my email, or check instagram, or read through a few blogs — I write. I wrote my first book (I feel weird calling it a book when I've neither an agent nor a publisher, but...) by giving myself a challenge to write 1,000 words/day every day of August, then continuing on into September and October. I've adopted the same method for book two — though since leaving my corporate job I aim for more like 2,000-4,000 words/da — and am a little over halfway through, with about 160 pages written. While this is not a blanket statement, I find that I tend to do my best writing in the morning, when it's just me and my beverages and my brain, untainted by my inbox or the world outside my window. Once I've banged out my word count for the day, I go for a run, get a coffee, shower, and make myself a smoothie, and get on with my day. Twice a week, I take an 8am workout class; on those mornings, I write afterwards, not before — but it's still the 'sit down at my desk and tune out the world' method that works best for me. Never do I feel more sparkly and accomplished than when I've exceeded my word count or written a handful of pages that I think are kind of good. Once I do that, I feel like I can do anything.
OM: Where can people find you on the internet?
SJ: You can find me on Instagram @_thegrandapt, which is basically 50 percent content about my Lower East Side apartment, which I gut renovated back in 2016, and 50 percent content of my cat, Penny Lane, who is nearly 17 but still looks like a kitten. Beyond that, you can subscribe to my Substack newsletter, the grand weekly! I publish a Friday edition called "5 things" where i tell you all about the things i'm reading/watching/cooking/listening to that week (and generally, wax poetic about my week and whatever lessons it has thrown my way). I also publish personal essays on dating, body image, work, writing...you name it — plus interviews with insightful folks like Olivia (coming soon!).
Note from Olivia: If you like the things I like, then you probably like the things Sarah is passionate about, too, and that’s exactly why I wanted to share her space here this week. Every time Sarah shares a shot of that ‘work hard and be nice’ photo, I am reminded that sometimes it’s as simple as that. It really doesn’t have to be more complicated. I’m so inspired by Sarah, and I hope you are too. Stay tuned for more fun Desk Tour installments in May! I have some very cool people lined up. And in the meantime, be sure to check out the past editions:
PS: One last thing before I go… you can pre-order my first novel now! Pre-orders are so important (more on that here) and one of the most impactful ways to support debut authors. What’s more, you can still submit your pre-order receipt to Quirk to receive fun goodies! More on that here and below.
A portion of May’s subscriber proceeds will go toward the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is currently working to build, enforce, protect and defend legal protections for reproductive rights around the world (including in Florida, where I grew up, and there is currently a 6-week abortion ban).
I love following Sarah on Instagram! So nice to hear the importance & intention behind the items I often see in the background
This is my favorite desk tour yet, what a cozy and inviting work space! It reminds me of something you'd see in a Nancy Meyers or Nora Ephron movie ◡̈