Introducing: Desk Tour
To kick things off, a peek into the space of writer and educator Amy Estes.
Hi, friends! I’m so excited to welcome you to the very first installment of Desk Tour, a new series where I’ll be interviewing creative folks about their desks and workspaces (complete with photos, of course). This series combines two things I love very, very much: Physical spaces and the nuances of how people work. I love gorgeous rooms, of course, but really what I want to know about are the tiny details — the specific books stacked on someone’s desk, the pens/notebooks/headphones they can’t work without, the notes-to-self or inspirational quotes they keep pasted nearby. Honestly, I love this stuff so much that it’s totally possible this series may just be a completely selfish endeavor. But I really hope you love it, too. I have a few fun interviews lined up already, but I’m still experimenting with how regularly I’ll be sharing them. Every week? Every other week? Once a month? We’ll see! Have thoughts? Want to see someone featured? Be sure to share in the comments!
To kick things off, we’re taking a tour of writer and educator Amy Estes’ workspace. I can’t even remember why/how/when I started following
on social media, but I can confidently say she is one of my very favorite people on the internet. Her content is cozy, thoughtful, and always inspires me to approach life (and writing!) with creativity, empathy, and self-kindness. I had a hunch her workspace would be a warm, happy, joyful place, and as it turns out, it’s somehow even better than that! I so enjoyed hearing Amy’s thoughts about how and where she works, and I’m thrilled to share them with all of you here.OM: Describe your workspace.
AE: My office is a dedicated room in the house I share with my wife (whose name is also Amy) and our two dogs, Hank and Olive. We live in Sacramento, California, and we are in the city, but our house backs up to the American River (and some railroad tracks). I love it because it has a sliding glass door that opens onto a patio in our backyard, which is huge and lush. We have a lot of birds and bunnies that visit, and it’s so peaceful (except for the trains). In the summer, there are a ton of hydrangeas right outside my window and we have a bunch of honeysuckle and jasmine which makes my office smell so good. When it’s warm out, I like to extend my office to the patio and read in the hammock. The natural light is lovely, and every season is visually interesting. I am biased, but I also love my decor — it feels reflective of how I approach my creative practice, which is a lot of consistent, disciplined work, but with room for magic, too.
I am biased, but I also love my decor — it feels reflective of how I approach my creative practice, which is a lot of consistent, disciplined work, but with room for magic, too.
OM: What are your three favorite items on your desk right now?
AE: I have a little clay photo holder that I use to hold up the affirmations (I’m really not an affirmations person, but they help me when I need to refocus) and two tiny little vases (one has boobs painted on it, and the other has little strawberries). They spark joy! Since they’re all in the same vein and from the same Etsy shop, I’m counting those as one thing. I have a huge collection of tarot and oracle decks, but I keep all of Kim Krans’ decks on my desk because they’re my favorite and the ones I use most frequently. Lastly, I have a tiny little ceramic altar with a candle I like to light when I start writing — it’s like turning my brain “on.”
OM: Do you keep anything specific at your desk that you use as inspiration to stay creative or positive?
AE: I keep my all-time favorite picture of myself as a child on my desk. I love it because my hands are folded and I’m in a fancy dress and tights, but the expression on my face reveals that I have had enough. I remember the occasion vividly: we were at a family party, and I was bored and annoyed, and wanted to get out of there. I like to think about that version of myself when I write: the sassy comments that little kid wanted to make but kept to herself so she didn’t get in trouble, and how hard she was trying. I still make that face.
I also have a framed photo of a Zoom chat comment from my friend and teacher, Megan Stielstra that says MORATORIUM ON SHAME. I took a year-long memoir writing class with Megan, and so often, each of us who was participating would mention the shame we felt about whatever we were writing about. Megan was forever urging us to write into the things that made us feel ashamed, and reminding us that those things we feel most nervous to write are probably things other people feel, too, but also that we could just write our way through things and no one had to see them — it could just be for us. When I get the feeling that whatever I’m about to write is going to make me feel ashamed, I channel the moratorium and write into that feeling.
When I get the feeling that whatever I’m about to write is going to make me feel ashamed, I channel the moratorium and write into that feeling.
I have a little bowl of stones, including one from my dear friend Jess’ late mom’s collection. She sent it to me before my first MFA residency, when I was feeling anxious and unsure. It means a lot to me. I recently got a deck of prompts from Moon Lists (they make amazing workbook journals, too!) that has really unexpected questions that I will use if I’m feeling unsure of what to write. Sometimes, I’ll just flip through prompts until I find something I find intriguing.
I keep my all-time favorite picture of myself as a child on my desk. I love it because my hands are folded and I’m in a fancy dress and tights, but the expression on my face reveals that I have had enough.
OM: Is there anything you absolutely HAVE to have at your desk/workspace or you can't be productive?
AE: I am a big fan of Appointed notebooks and Muji pens, and I need them near me all the time. I also need a beverage (at least one — usually coffee and water with the good, tiny ice). I have ADHD, and I use a number of strategies to stay focused when I’m working. I recently discovered Panopads, and I am now addicted to having one in front of me to write things down so I don’t get distracted or stop to Google things and lose my momentum. I am also obsessed with my visual timer. I’m a middle school English teacher, and my students love visual timers as a time management tool, and now that I use one regularly, I understand why. I write in the mornings before I go to work, and I like to set it so I can avoid checking my phone but still have a ballpark idea of what time it is. Nerds Gummy Clusters and a cold Diet Coke never hurt either.
OM: Is there anything you'd change about your workspace? If so, what?
AE: I desperately wish I had a way for Hank, my dog, to sit in my lap while I work. Hank and I lack boundaries, and prefer to be attached to one another at all times. Some day, I’ll get him and I a Seatmate (a ridiculous ramp up to a dog bed that's elevated that I'm mildly obsessed with) so we never have to be separated. Otherwise, I really love my office. It’s my favorite workspace.
I desperately wish I had a way for Hank, my dog, to sit in my lap while I work. Hank and I lack boundaries, and prefer to be attached to one another at all times.
OM: Describe your "ideal" work day at your desk.
AE: Ideally, I would wake up and spend some time reading poetry while drinking a vanilla latte. Next, I’d do my Morning Pages (I’m a devotee) and my wife would bring me breakfast (preferably, eggs and sourdough toast and another latte). I know it’s cliche, but I love the feeling of being in the flow of my work, where my ideas come easily or I solve problems I’ve been trying to figure out on the page. I have been working hard on my book proposal for a long time, and while I am proud of it, I’m also a little sick of it, so working on anything new feels fun. I’m a dual-genre major in my MFA, and I typically write nonfiction, but this semester, I’m writing fiction, which feels refreshing. It’s fun to invent stories instead of mining my life for them. I’d work until I felt either sleepy or hungry, and I’d nap, DoorDash Chipotle, and then get back to work. When my wife is out of town, it’s not uncommon for me to spend entire days working, and I’m not sure I ever feel as proud of myself as I do when I get to spend a whole day writing. It’s my favorite thing, and I feel lucky that I’ve built a life where I get to devote so much time to it.
OM: Where can people find you on the internet?
AE: I write a Substack newsletter called “Reading, Writing, Ranting, Recommending” and that’s the best place to find me! I have some work forthcoming this year, and I teach writing classes fairly often through Second City and The Porch TN — the best way to keep track of all of that is via my Substack or Instagram. I also contribute to Joy The Baker once a month, which is one of my favorite things. I’m in the process of finishing up a book proposal for my memoir-in-essays and doing an MFA, which means that most of my writing lives in my Google Drive or gets emailed to my advisor, but I’m hoping that changes soon!
Note from Olivia: I can’t tell you just how much I will be thinking about the “moratorium on shame” note going forward. Isn’t so much of creating anything (even just a life you love) working through shame… the shame that maybe you don’t deserve it, or it isn’t good enough, or you aren’t good enough? Maybe pushing past that is the secret to feeling good about anything, really. Truthfully, I loved all of Amy’s little details in her office, and her photos and words about her workspace really made me feel wildly cozy and warm, which is how her writing and general internet presence always makes me feel. I hope it made you feel the same! A big thank you to Amy for being so willing to kick off this series with me. Next time, I’ll be sharing a look into the office of author
. Trust me, you’re going to love it. See you then!PS: 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.
A portion of March’s subscriber proceeds will go toward Save the Children to support its work in providing essential services and support to children affected by violence in Israel and Gaza.
OLIVIA NOT TO BE DRAMATIC BUT I BELIEVE after your own Substack posts and you know, the books you’ve written, THIS IS THE GREATEST THING YOU’VE GIVEN TO THE INTERNET.
If I could read one of these every single day to kick off my own work and writing I would. Absolutely obsessed with this series and so excited to read more!!