No. 265 · March 5, 2023

Fatih Arslan

Software Engineer at PlanetScale

Fatih Arslan is a Software Engineer working for PlanetScale. Before that, he worked at GitHub and DigitalOcean.

He's a design addict and loves well-designed goods. He also loves photography and has been shooting for decades.

He also shares his thoughts about gear, design, and photography on his blog.

Follow Fatih on Twitter.

What is your favorite item in your workspace?

This is a tricky question to answer, and I have so many things that I love to use daily. If I have to pick one, it's probably my Eames Lounge Chair, which I wanted forever and could finally obtain last year.

How do you spark creativity?

I love to read new things. It's primarily various subreddits customized to my interests, people I follow outside my work environment (such as designers or photographers), and books. Being exposed to all this information is a trigger for creating new things. But creativity also isn't something you can find somewhere. Just like happiness, it's not a mood you cannot pursue forever. Creativity only happens if you can cope with boringness. Embrace boring things, and occasionally you'll find certain things you enjoy working on.

How do you manage work-life balance?

I don't use any alarms, and I've been working remotely for the past 11 years. I only worked on-site for a few years but worked from home before. It was fantastic. Working from home has a lot of benefits, but you also need to draw your boundaries. Luckily, living in various places throughout the planet, I built my own home and settled in my home country Turkey. I also built my own office/lounge area with a private/dedicated garden. This means that I only work when I'm in this room.
My room is always available for my kids, so it's never closed. With time they also have learned how to approach and not bother me when I'm working intensely. I'm a little bit lucky to have kids that somehow listen to me :)

What do you think is the main benefit of remote work?

As a Parent, seeing my kids grow and being able to grow with them is the best thing about working from home.

Fatih’s gear

27 items.

On the desk27

Monitor Apple XDR Pro display
I love using a single display and having a big 32" inch display helps.
Keyboard Kinesis Advantage 360 Pro
It's an ergonomic split keyboard, and I love it.
Speakers AudioEngine HD4
I had the HD6 versions but later switched to the HD4 because of the headphone input. That allowed me to simplify my desk.
Mouse Logitech MX Master 3 Shop
Headphones Sennheiser HD 6xx headphones
I completely switched to a wired setup after constantly thinking about whether my headphones were charged.
Microphone Shure MV7
Chair Herman Miller Aeron Remastered
I've used the same chair for many years and love the customizability. The mesh seat is also very comfortable during the summer.
Accessories LINAK Shop
Instrument Kawai KDP120 Digital Piano
Even though it's in my room, my son and I are learning and playing the Piano.
Accessories La Marzocco Linea Mini Shop
Accessories Eureka Atom 75 Grinder Shop
Accessories Teenage Engineering Choir
Chair Eames Lounge chair
I love sitting there, sipping coffee, and reading a good book.
Tablet iPad
Computer Macbook Air
Chair LCW (Lounge Chair Wood)
Miscellaneous Wire Base Low Table
Miscellaneous Eames Stool
I use as a side table with my Eames Chair
Lamp Akari 75A lamp pendant
Lamp Akari 1A desk lamp
which sits on the shelves
Miscellaneous Nelson Bench
for my coffee table
Miscellaneous Elvarli
My shelves are from Ikea
Accessories large wall art from a contemporary Turkish painter, Halil Akdeniz
The painting was done in 1989, and I bought it from auctions.
Instrument Pocket Operators
PO-20 (arcade), PO-12 (rhythm), PO-128 (Megaman), and PO-133 (street fighter)
Speakers OB-4
a little portable device, but it's beautiful and reminds me of Dieter Rams's legendary T 52 Radio
Accessories Leica M11 Shop
Camera Summilux 35mm F1.4 FLE