Why look at a wall??

[Reality4711]

Just popped into my head - this thought.

Why do sooooo many of us have our setups in places where if we look up from the display there is a wall, a shelf, something solid and unchanging.

Is this the most isolationist set up? The lease inspiring OR just technically the easiest to do.

Desk on a wall, machine on the desk and back to the rest of the house/office whatever.

Thoughts?

Happy/Safe & Warm Christmas to you all

 

[Plett]

I am glad that someone else thinks about these things! I move my office around often at home, currently facing a window. The issue I have then is that it is east facing so somewhat distracting in the AM. If point my desk at the wall if offers focus but leaves me feeling isolated from my home. If I turn the desk and face it toward the room and door it looks weird when I walk in (The desk is not the type with a modesty panel). Oh these struggles!!! Happy Christmas to you as well!

 

[Reality4711]

(The desk is not the type with a modesty panel)

why do you need this???????

 

[Plett]

why do you need this???????

I don't "need" it but when the desk faces out it hides cords and such and looks more finished. Clearly the name of the panel is self evident if a person is wearing a dress/skirt or whatever, but it looks better to me regardless of the intent of the panel.

 

[mollyc]

Probably because of cords and outlet placement. My husband’s desk faces out but he has a floor outlet.

My desk is in a corner but it’s a knee wall that abuts the stairwell so I actually look out a window.

Besides, I’m looking more at my screen than the wall/window.

 

[Applefan2015]

My work station faces a wall with a big mirror on it, so I get to look at my beautiful face everyday

 

[EEzycade]

I just think we gravitate towards walls for desks and setups. Cable management is easier and the wall provides focus for people.

 

[Clix Pix]

I didn't have a lot of choices in placement of my computer workstation, but I like it because while seated at the computer I am facing a wall, all I have to do is to look to my right and I can gaze out the sliding glass door and see the lake, the geese, the ducks.....

I'm in a condo apartment unit and when I first moved in here I set up a computer workstation in the smaller of the two bedrooms, but soon found that it felt claustrophobic to me and then decided to try using the computer in the other bedroom instead. While that was a little better, it still wasn't quite comfortable when in there for long periods of time. When I bought my first Mac I started out by using it on the dining table, intending to move it into the other room at a later time after doing something with the old Windows machine, which at that point was still connected and functioning. I found that I really enjoyed using the iMac in the main living area and began thinking about setting up a computer workstation in here instead. A trip to a local office supply store resulted in my spotting just the computer workstation I wanted and so I purchased it and set the iMac up in place. Voila! I'd found my solution. Eventually the old Windows machine in the other room departed and when I bought a Powerbook to join the iMac, the laptop lived in the bedroom on the small computer workstation (which also serves as a nightstand) which worked out well for use at night. Various machines have come and gone since then; my 12" MacBook currently is the one there now. And, yes, that workstation, too, faces a wall.....

 

[kenoh]

I face a wall with a shelf. A shelf with my cameras on it. Above that shelf is another shelf, with a beautiful landscape print taken by a friend on it and a Lego Star Wars AT-AT that i got out of my Lego advent calendar.

Never thougth about it before. I always go for minimal floor space usage and we dont really have floor outlets here in the UK. Anyone who ever stood on a uk plug business side up in the dark knows you dont want anymore of them than necessary on the floor. Second only to standing on Lego bricks in terms of pain.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I face a wall with a shelf. A shelf with my cameras on it. Above that shelf is another shelf, with a beautiful landscape print taken by a friend on it and a Lego Star Wars AT-AT that i got out of my Lego advent calendar.

Never thougth about it before. I always go for minimal floor space usage and we dont really have floor outlets here in the UK. Anyone who ever stood on a uk plug business side up in the dark knows you dont want anymore of them than necessary on the floor. Second only to standing on Lego bricks in terms of pain.

I’ve stood on Lego. It’s not fun. These days I always were slippers in the house!

I also face a wall. But currently my home office is the box room, so not much option for anything else.
We are planning to move the study to the other bigger room when I can face dealing with what’s in there.
But I still think I’ll face the wall. With two big 27” screens, that’s all you really see.

Mind you Ken I thought you’d face the corner to remind you of your school days!

 

[stillcrazyman]

I have one large room that is used as a living room and my work space. My desk is in a corner and faces one small window. I've never had an issue with having a wall in front of me while I'm working.
Now, at work, I've had open work spaces before. I actually prefer looking at a wall or other space instead of other people or open areas.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I have one large room that is used as a living room and my work space. My desk is in a corner and faces one small window. I've never had an issue with having a wall in front of me while I'm working.
Now, at work, I've had open work spaces before. I actually prefer looking at a wall or other space instead of other people or open areas.

We have dividers at work. I can only see the person next to me. Not those opposite. My pair of 27” screens on my desk at work tend to provide a pretty big shield to the rest of the open plan office. That and my Bose QC35 noise cancelling headphones!

 

[Alexander.Of.Oz]

I face 3 windows, to my left is a glass doorway & to my right is my lovely partner! Nyah, nyah!

Can't stand reflections on my screen when editing...

 

[Strider64]

I use to have my computer in a middle bedroom and it faced the window. Now I have it in the end bedroom and it still faces a window, but the window is up high. The only thing I see is the sky and the top of the trees, which is alright by me.

 

[Reality4711]

The reason for the question was one of individual inspiration.

So much of what we do on the machines is on the 'auto' side of our brains; eg look, decide & click - repeat until finished. During that process I wonder how often it would be different if it was interrupted (no matter how slightly) by references to the outside/real world.

I know that there have been occasions where I have scrapped hours of work(layers) simply because I glimpsed a real section of horizon in evening light and when I looked back to my screen with the image ready for print I could no longer allow it to end that way.

This is not an irregular occurrence. So do others. possibly in different areas of work have similar experience or is the wall all that is needed to satisfy the creative demands made by our work.

As an after-thought, watching an artist (painter, sculptor) you see them constant referring back to their subject as they work and even using quick sketches as reference later in their studio. Perhaps the OOC jpg performs this function? Maybe a second screen/TV would serve on the wall as a display for these instant versions of our subject?

Ergonomics in creative work have always been of interest to me, the wall question being a basic one. Do you see any others that you now use or would like to explore. Work or Play.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

I have little kids, so “up against a wall” is also “out of the line of fire.”

Even then, a wall is ok with me. I don’t like glare or distractions, and it is easier to keep cables hidden or at least less of a trip hazard. In fact, I look at a concrete wall now, but I tried to make it cool looking with lighting.

 

[F-Train]

I've spent my working life at a desk facing a door so that people who enter my office can sit on the other side of the desk so that we can talk

For a long time, I had a big window behind me that overlooked a serious river, which was nice. I could turn my chair, look out over the river and do a bit of thinking or daydreaming.

 

[Ledgem]

It is an interesting thought, but there's also a lot of practicality involved. I live in an apartment that has wall-to-wall windows... in the tropics. It's one of those things that sounds heavenly, but is actually a bit of a nightmare. The sunlight comes through and either causes a lot of heat (which is uncomfortable if it's on you, and is probably shortening the duration of your electronics' lives), and depending on how you're positioned, some fierce glare. Even after I repositioned myself to be a bit further back from the windows (which frequently have the shades down during peak sunlight hours, to reduce the heat), I didn't go into a corner... and papers on my desk would be blown about by wind coming through the windows. Probably would either not have been an issue or would be less of an issue if I simply had been in a corner.

It's also worth noting that I started into that setup with a 15" MacBook Pro, but later changed to a 27" iMac. I can still look from side to side and see views and things, but I can't really look over the screen anymore. The screen also blocks the view of other things even when I'm not seated at my desk... again, wouldn't be an issue if it were politely up against a wall.

Get windows at your sides, but not in front of you, I say.

 

[Reality4711]

Is it really just practicality that decides?

Does the ability to relate to the real world (yours) not colour what you are doing on the screen?

I am not sure about 'spread sheets & technical authoring' but surely (don't call me Shirley) if we are trying to create using our visual functions as well as memory and imagination have constant referencing available is almost a must.

Do people who work in photography or fine art production have different needs in this respect to a cartoonist or technical illustrator?

The example of going for a walk when blocked in some way or simply having a cup of coffee in another part of the building are often quoted as ways of helping creativity. Related? Maybe.

More thoughts?

 

[Apple fanboy]

Is it really just practicality that decides?

Does the ability to relate to the real world (yours) not colour what you are doing on the screen?

I am not sure about 'spread sheets & technical authoring' but surely (don't call me Shirley) if we are trying to create using our visual functions as well as memory and imagination have constant referencing available is almost a must.

Do people who work in photography or fine art production have different needs in this respect to a cartoonist or technical illustrator?

The example of going for a walk when blocked in some way or simply having a cup of coffee in another part of the building are often quoted as ways of helping creativity. Related? Maybe.

More thoughts?

I can recall speaking to a lady who painted the room she edited in 18% grey and only wore grey tops when photo editing.

 

[mollyc]

Is it really just practicality that decides?

More thoughts?

If you use a desktop and need an outlet, then yes, practicality decides.

Also, I would imagine there are some people who don't want to be distracted by the windows, artwork, extra stuff, and their creative process relies on a calm environment.

 

[arkitect]

My two reasons for not setting up against a window is:

1. Glare;
2. I like to look at my view.

 

[Ledgem]

The example of going for a walk when blocked in some way or simply having a cup of coffee in another part of the building are often quoted as ways of helping creativity. Related? Maybe.

I suppose the modern equivalent is to change over to your web browser and whittle time away by reading the news, going on a web forum like this one, looking up cat pictures... maybe working on something else entirely. None are quite as nice-sounding as going for a walk or physically changing your location, but I'd presume it's what many people are doing.