This is a thread of artist’s desks covered with an insane amount of stuff. Starting it out with the desk of Steve Jobs because, I mean, naturally: 
I started collecting these this weekend after reading Oliver Sacks, which had a few photos of him at his desk. Just look at this! Is he just spending a morning reading sheet music? That rules.
Here’s another good “artist looking at a very specific thing at their desk” photo, Walt Disney reviewing some drawings (or maybe animations?). I like that his phone is behind his head instead of somewhere on his desk. How’d it end up there?
Typewriters at a desk? You bet. This photo of James Baldwin is great because you barely notice anything else on the desk, the typewriter is so HUGE. Will people think about our current setups the same way, with hulking iMacs and external screens?
I would be remiss to make a thread of wonderfully cluttered artist’s desks without including this iconic picture of Susan Kare. I'm forever thankful for the photographer for using such a low angle, otherwise we would never have seen the KFC bucket reigning supreme from above.
I can’t seem to find a high quality version of this photo, but check out this picture of Susan Sontag, particularly the amount of books behind her just hanging out on the ground? What even are those?? Also great: the cork board just OVERFLOWING with papers.
I think it's illegal to talk about cluttered artist’s desks and not include Mark Twain’s. The thing I find most captivating about this photo is how absolutely pissed Twain looks that it’s being taken in the first place. Also tbh it looks like he could use some de-cluttering.
Oh, I'm hearing that I'm also required to include a picture of Einstein. Here it is! The neatly jam-packed shelf is actually the thing I like most. That’s a well-used bookcase!
Really love this photo of John Updike. The desk is cluttered yes, but somehow minimally so? Just the essentials! A typewriter! A book! An ashtray! A clipboard! A stapler?
I find it interesting that it’s sort of hard to find modern photos of artists at their desks! Here’s Junot Diaz at his, and I think that’s a CD-ROM in a sleeve? …But I don’t think ‘Blood Kin’ came out that long ago…? I have questions! But also, hey, neat desk!
WOW, now THIS photo truly has it all. So many screens that he's literally turned away from two of them! A desk that makes Mark Twain's look barren! Decorative frog art! This is what I'm talking about!!
Ooh, look at this great (and recent) photo of Gloria Steinem’s desk. I love that the desktop of the Mac is cluttered too! What a perfect extension!
This desk is great! Plenty of room to kick up your feet but there's still a lot going on — and that is undoubtably the platonic IDEAL of an "artist's trash can" underneath, filled to the brim with papers.
Sadly the desk is merely a background player in this photo of Salman Rushdie but…look at the ground. Is he just straight pushing things off the desk and bench when he’s done with them, or did something topple over? Regardless, respect!
Just remembered that @Austinkleon shared some photos of his desk long ago. Look at the amount of sharpies and pencils! Why have one when you can have ONE HUNDRED? That absolutely owns.
Ooh, do the desks of *fictional* creatives count? I like that she has a whole pot of coffee in the corner.
Journalists and editors certainly count! Look at the amount of papers scattered about, it’s glorious:
I appreciate not only the amazing computer at Stephen King’s desk, but the dog underneath it
LOL how could I create this thread and forget the legend, the master, the person we ALL aspire to be more like:
Alan Watts coming in with the desk plant inspiration. Why not let a succulent take up a massive corner of your setup?
PS: I used many of these glorious desk setups in my video on @RoamResearch! Roam has become my digital equivalent of these desks, and I think the metaphor is really helpful.
