Stephanie Engle

Probably not an item, but the actual desk itself. When I bought the house, I converted a 100 year old built-in buffet into my desk. Sitting in such a beautiful, historic desk area makes me feel like all the little work is more special. If I have to pick an item, I pick my chair - I wanted something ergonomic, but I'm not someone to purchase one of those very modern ones you might see at an office. This one is the perfect blend of beauty and function for me.

For me creativity comes from other people and using new perspectives to "untrain" my mind on certain paradigms. As much as I am an introvert, I do try to seek pair time to work with other designers, and to immerse myself around people who think about very different things with the hope that they will break my brain a bit.

Ruthlessly setting boundaries and pricing my time. I was raised to be a people pleaser, so for awhile it was tough for me to express those boundaries and be the person to cancel the meeting or question a request. Now, I regularly ask myself often how I can automate some task and or reduce my exposure to activities and people who aren't giving me energy.