John Wennerberg
1.) What is your name and where in the WWW (Whole Wide World) do you live?
John: My name is John Wennerberg and I live in Gothenburg, Sweden.
2.) What do you do for a living, what pays the bills? And what is the thing you do when you are not doing the thing that pays the bills?
John: I’m a full-time student and a part-time sales assistant at the local Hugo Boss-shop. When I am not doing that I spend my time harassing my girlfriend and my other friends with my camera, or ranting about anything that doesn’t make sense to me. Having opinions about everything one can have an opinion on has turned out to be one of my favorite pass time activities. It can be an annoying trait at times, but I’ve come to accept it, and luckily some of my friends seem to have done the same.
3.) How much of what you do, personally or professionally, gets done at the work space featured?
John: Basically anything that revolves around my studies is accomplished here. It’s soft, comfy, and the perfect place to have company whilst getting stuff done.
4.) Typically, what time of the day do you normally find yourself at this desk, and for how long? Night owl, early bird?
John: I’d say you’d find me here from 4 pm till some time late in the night.
5.) How much of what gets done at your desk is for work, how much is it to scratch your own creative itch?
John: This is depending on the season, but more creative stuff during the summer half of the year, and more work stuff during the winter. Life in Sweden, as I experience it, evolves around the seasons of the year to a large extent. During the winter, we’re all tucked into our homes whilst freezing cold, snow and rain dominates the outdoors. It’s basically dark all day, and there’s not much to do but work, study or sleep. During the summer half, Sweden turns into another world. It’s hot, green and the sun isn’t down for more than a few hours a night. It’s a great time for outdoor activities, like taking photographs, being slightly intoxicated, or falling in love.
6.) What are the essentials that can be found on your desk more times than not? How about those items just out of reach or out of sight? If it’s not on top of your desk what are the things you most often grab out of a top draw or cabinet?
John: Usually my computer, a cup of coffee from my wonderful MoccaMaster, my favourite pen and a Moleskine notebook are always within reach. Just out of reach, and this one of the best things about my work space, is the door to my balcony. I cannot live without it.
7.) What beverage/food/snack can one usually find at your desk, and why?
John: Coffee and cheese sandwiches during the daytime and tea and cheese sandwiches during the nighttime. Sandwiches are probably my main source of food.
8.) Do you have any reasoning or anecdotes that lend some insight into why your desk is setup the way it is, or the thinking behind certain item(s)? How about the things around your desks? Decoration, wall art, figurines, statues, etc? Any particular reason behind those?
John: One thing that I’ve always felt that has helped me to relax and get things done is the fact that I don’t have a proper “office-like” workspace. I don’t want a certain place in my home where I mostly go to have a dull time, writing essays and whatnot. Having the sofa as my workspace gets me away from the office feeling of a desk, with hard spaces, cold metal lamps, harsh lightning and such. My work space is warm, soft, with nature-like colors, things to look at, a balcony, and thus the outside, nearby. I’ve got my sound system here.
The materials are mostly made out of wood or some sort of textile. There’s life and movement, being the centre of the apartment. This means a lot of distractions, but that just helps me cope with all the stuff I have to do.
As for the room itself, It started out with me and my girlfriend not ever getting a ‘proper’ desk when we moved into this apartment. Moving from a really really small dorm room into this relatively huge apartment, all our furniture looked like miniature models. Having a really big living room gave us the chance to buy a really large sofa. Flare guns are handed out to all new guests who are first time travelers onto the great planes of my sofa. It’s been pretty much the one place where we spend our time whilst at home.
Being a strict minimalist for as long as I can remember, leaving the decoration to me I’d create a room with white walls and as small an amount of furniture and things as possible. Coming of age I realized that having my apartment ‘decorated’ that way makes it very much not homey, and a tad unpleasant. Because of this I’ve given my girlfriend almost free hands when it comes to decoration, resulting in a much more homey, warm, and pleasant feeling throughout the apartment.
9.) How much of what you do, or aspire to do, influences your desk setup, tangibly and intangibly.
John: I’d say not that much. It’s just a place I feel good about. I’m studying to become a buyer of textiles, and I guess it’s kind of fitting that I do all my studies to become that, while surrounded by textiles.
10.) Are you a Mac or are you a PC? What machine(s) are setup and used at your desk? If you are a little bit of both tell us why. How about any other tech gear that can be found at your desk or in your home?
John: Having spent three years with my old MacBook, I finally decided to blow my whole vacation check last year on a MacBook Pro. I’ve been longing to get one since I first saw a Powerbook. Editing photos went from being a punishment into something that I enjoy very much. My girlfriend was very supportive of my decision, particularly after being offered the old MacBook as a bribe. She’s since turned into a Mac geek as well, both of us with iPhones and Macs, making fun of people who are still using PCs.
As for my camera collection, it began with an old compact Panasonic years ago. I had been looking for a creative hobby for a long time, having figured out that playing Xbox wasn’t it, and I took an immediate liking to photography. About a year later I bought my current camera of choice, a Canon EOS 400D. I’ve had a few different lenses throughout the years but my current ones are the 18-55 mm IS kit lens, and my brand new Canon 35mm f/2 prime lens. Having had the 400D for quite some time I recently grew tired of it, and put it up for sale. Having bought the 35mm lens, I can’t tell how glad I am I didn’t sell it. This lens is so sharp, and the pictures turn out so wonderful that it’s a joke. I want people to stop ranting on and on about the super cheap Canon 50mm 1.8. The 35mm blows it away. Miles away. Combined with the Canon Speedlite 430ex II flash, I’ve got enough light to cover the dark part of the year.
Other than that camera I’ve got a few analogue cameras as well, my favorite one being my Minolta XG-1. It’s both pretty and generates lovely results. The other ones I’ve got are a Lomo Smena 8M and a slightly dysfunctional ‘Fully’-automatic Yashica.
11.) What’s the one piece of gear you could not live without?
John: That would have to be the Mac.
12.) What piece of gear cannot be found on your desk, but you wish it could be?
John: My Wacom board, which I’ve lent out to a friend of mine.
13.) Software; what do you use more often than not. What helps you get the job done? And what do you not use, but hope one day to incorporate in your workflow?
John: For my studies, iWork and Google Docs are daily companions. Having had enough time wasted by Office, I’m so happy that I gave iWork a try. Adobe Illustrator is involved in a few chores as well. I’ve got a few folders where I keep my current assignments, which are synced using Dropbox, making them available to me at all times. It’s all pretty slick! I use BackBlaze for a full backup of my entire HD. For my pass time I use the full Adobe CS Suite for my photos.
14.) If you could change one thing about your desk, or the room it is currently in, what would that be?
John: I’d get more stuff up on the walls, including a large shelf packed with books and magazines. Also a nicer coffee table and a TV that doesn’t weigh 72 kg (seriously). And to have the builders finishing up the work being done on my balcony before the summer is over.
15.) Workspace Breakdown; Think of as many things as possible that comprise the setup of your office or workspace, anything from the paint on the walls to the floor mat your chair rolls on, and list them out. Who makes your desk, how about the cabinet next to your desk, your lamp, the overhead light fixture? Anything and everything you can see in the pictures shown, give as much color and background on these items as time and memory permits.
John:
- Brown sofa, Chilli (swedish furniture company), $1050
- Green mat, Chilli, $140
- Brown table, Chilli, $120
- Glowing earth-lamp(?), second hand, $30
- Pink bicycle, imported from the U.S., unknown price (gift)
- MacBook Pro, Apple Store, $2500
- Minolta XG-1, wonderful gift
- Silver lamp, Åhlens (swedish department store), $150
- White acorn, Lagerhaus, $10
- White shelf, String, second-hand, $50
- Both paintings are copied from original artwork done by others, $10
- Silver TV, Philips, second hand, $40
- Black leather chair, second hand, $60
- Beige textile chair, IKEA, $80
- Colorful cushions, H&M, $25
- Glowing rabbit lamp, closed down shop in Gothenburg, $80
- Guitar, no label, $70
- Haircut, barely visible, $70
- Ladder shelf, unknown brand and store from Borås, $80
____________________________________________________________________________
If you would like to learn more about John Wennerberg, his workspace, or his work, you can find him at the sites listed below;
If you have any questions or comments about this, or any other featured setup, or you would like to have your own setup featured here on SetupsandSpaces.com feel free to email me at FValletutti@me.com.
1 Notes