artS & culture Festival

A common question from friends who visit my studio is whether I’ve changed the layout again. The answer is yes — at least eight times since I moved in.

I move things around to stay inspired. I can turn a corner into a cosy nook or into a makeshift batcave — a quiet refuge from the outside world, working on late-night pitches.

Taking the MacBook wherever it feels comfortable. It shifts the mood, clears the air, breaks the monotony of being stuck in a space. Ideas seem to pop.

With the rise of flexible workspaces across Asia’s creative hubs, this fluidity has quietly become one of the office’s greatest pleasures — and least discussed advantages. Creative thinkers have known it for years: constraint is not a limitation — it is freedom. You have to invent the way you use the space, and that freedom brings creativity.

Recently, I embraced the deeper wisdom of working with a smaller desk — separate from my drawing desk, this is where thinking happens. By having less room, the workspace feels more open and manageable.

Suddenly the constraint becomes the feature. There’s something almost architectural about this — designing limitations so that it creates a sense of intimacy and control. Much like a well-designed alcove or nook in a library, which makes the act of working feel more intentional and focused.

My mother has been saying “Clean up your desk!” each time she visits the studio. She was right — though not in the way she meant. The solution wasn’t tidying.

When the desk shrinks, the ideas expand.