I thought it would be nice to show you behind the scenes at Prior Portfolio HQ. So today we’re going to take a tour of some of my favourite bits of my office.
As I work from home, it’s really important to me that my office is a comfortable and comforting environment. I surround myself with inspiring objects and art to keep myself motivated. Sometimes these objects help me come up with ideas, and sometimes they just cheer me up if I’m having a tiring day. I thoroughly recommend, for example, that everyone gets novelty push pins for their notice board. My swarm of busy bees are always ready to work for their Queen!
The bee pins are a lovely bright yellow, and I’ve echoed this jollity in my armchair. All writers require a reading nook, so while my desk chair is a functional and utterly boring faux leather number, my comfy chair is a glorious squishy buttercup. If you squint it rather resembles a Minion, with its rounded edges and in-your-face all-yellow. The chair recently got treated to a cushion, not just so I can be extra snuggly, but also to add even more colour. I picked up this wonderful seaside fabric in Whitby, North Yorkshire, which is one of my favourite places on Earth. While the seafront at Whitby is very different to the charming scene depicted on the fabric, I love how busy my seaside cushion is. I imagine all the people going into the shops and cafes, larking about on the beach and relaxing in the huts. I’m sure I’ll get a few short stories out of this cushion.
The desk itself has been featured on Prior Portfolio before, in fact, my beloved Brenda (you have to know that me naming a desk is not weird, it’s absolutely standard Vicky Prior behaviour), is so important she is on the homepage. Brenda the Bureau was found in a shop in York, where I used to live and beautifully restored by my Dad. She is guarded by Buddy, a Gnome in shining armour, who got his name because he is rather Buddha-like. Buddy recently got himself a friend, in the form of Harold Best. Now you might wonder why I have a cardboard cutout of a random man from a National Railway Museum exhibition. The truth is, Harold Best is a character from the exhibition, but he was played by my lovely Dad. The chance to own a foot-high version of my father was too much to resist, and the museum kindly gave it to me when the exhibition ended. Dad watches me from his cardboard perch and makes sure I don’t procrastinate too much.
I hope you enjoyed this little tour of my office and it has given you a glimpse into my working practice/my odd brain. If you’d like to make sure I get to spend more time with Brenda, Harold and Buddy, then you can email vicky@priorportfolio.co.uk to have a chat about hiring me.
