resolute desk

I’ve started the new year with the same resolution I have every year - to tidy my office, respond to all the artists that write in looking for a gig, and sort out the ergonomics of where I work.

1. I am now under some pressure to stop utlising every possible flat surface in my office for piles of paper, as they have all pretty much been classified as a fire risk, and I have given myself until the end of January to sort through them all and file, delegate or discard accordingly. I have started, but there is a very (like, very) long way to go. I've even brought in extra tables over the years to increase the surface area of my office...
   
2. I am gearing myself up for the next wave of cold-calls from potential performers as they all respond to their own various new year's resolutions (the wave after this is the spring). By 'wave' I mean a noticable influx of contacts over and above the steady stream we already get. I do feel bad that I don't respond to each and every artist that writes in, especially knowing what it is like to try to earn a buck through music, and certainly to start a career from scratch with very few contacts. The responses that I received, even the negatives, were always preferable to total silence. But we do get too many, I don't have anyone to delegate this task to, and I really would spend the majority of my time writing to people acknowledging receipt of cds, dvds, biogs, and programme proposals. I do try, however, to respond where time allows. I also have all of the un-listened-to cds watching over my shoulder every day - piles and piles of them...
   
3. My lateral thinking has been sluggish in the area of ergonomics. I was in early yesterday morning sawing 15mm off the bottom of each table leg, and 80mm from the side of my desk so that after four years, my desk is finally snug against the wall rather than leaving the 13cm gap that existed before while also being the right height. I have also managed to locate (swap!) a chair within the office that goes high enough for my legs (most standard office chairs are about 5cm too low at their highest setting) allowing me to retire the three 1995 Lichfield International Arts Festival cushions that I have been sitting on since January 2005. My computer also now sits proudly on top of three consecutive Musical Americas so that my sight lines are right. Oh happy day...

My desk is currently uncluttered and clean for the first time in years, but only because I moved everything to cut a bit off it, which just 'brings us back to doh'.