A late happy new year my fellow Desk Hunt readers. After my six week road trip through New Zealand I’m back to bring you some new inspiring interviews of people and their desks from across the world.
Let’s start the year with french photographer Yohann Sento. I’m a sucker for minimalistic spaces so when Yohann submitted his desk I knew I had to share it with you.
Let’s take a look.
Who are you and what do you do for a living?
My name is Yohann Sento and I’m a french photographer. I shoot weddings but my speciality is semi-nude models. Throughout the whole year I work seasonal jobs which means I’m not established in one place and I’m always on the road. I love to discover new countries and traveling is a good way to get and stay inspired. By not having a place that belongs to me, I’m free to stop where I want if I feel a special connection to a place that I just stumbled upon.
Can you tell me something about your desk setup?
I like to keep it minimalistic. Previously I used to have a huge desk with the biggest screen on it that I could find, but since I like to move around, that wasn’t really a great solution.
Is there anything you would like to improve on this setup?
Getting rid of my phone will be the next step. And as a photographer, having a darkroom will be my next thing on the list! So, only notebooks and books on my table. I would like to have a desk where I can switch between standing and sitting and improve the posture of my body. Anything that can help me to avoid spending too much time in a bad position. Also, I would like to be able to have a desk on wheels.
Do you switch workspaces during your day? If yes, what’s the reason behind it?
No.
Can you tell us something about the items on your desk?
I own a wooden camera, the zero pinhole. We have a love affair. It’s always in front of me - telling me: “lets go outside and find a nice spot to make a photo together.”. I said together because with the long exposure, it allows me to go into the photo – it’s amazing. If you’ve lost the special connection with your camera (and today with the buying gear syndrome, it’s so easy) you’ll have to find one you really like so you can keep it passionate!
There are also a lot of notebooks. I couldn’t work without notebooks. I like them so much and have been collecting so many of them through the years, that I’ve been to a workshop in Malaysia to learn how to bookbind so I can make my own!
And last but not least, plants. Being surrounded by plants gives me the inspiration to take care of them and in return they reward me with beautiful flowers.
Oh, and my computer has a cool option - the ethernet cable - it’s my way to unplug from the internet while I’m working on an important file without the temptation to be distracted by the internet (and I know how easily my work attitude can disappear when I’m online). I tried WiFi, but it’s easier for me to unfacebook that way. Plus it’s safer to not have those bad vibes around! To get rid of my iPhone addiction I simply switched to a very old phone.
What are you doing to stay focused?
Nothing special, I like the way my mind can travel without limitation. Without that I wouldn’t be able to write poetry or stay in the mood for postprocessing.
What was your latest self improvement experiment?
No TV but more libraries.
Where do you see yourself and your desk in the next 5 years?
Not in my own country, that’s for sure. I like being out of my comfort zone way too much. Maybe I’m wrong but, it’s in my blood now, there is no chance that I’ll stay here…
