Laptop-Only Artist Desk Setup in Tokyo, Japan

Name: Lily Ongartthaworn

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Occupation: Illustrator, artist, designer

Room size: 24 m² (258 ft²)

Cost of setup: ~$300 (without the tech)

Social media: Instagram, X

Hello! Tell us a bit about yourself

I’m an independent illustrator, designer, and artist.

I’ve been creating illustrations for small businesses’ products and promotional materials, musical acts, magazines, websites, and many other types of projects.

I also make and sell my own merchandise, like notebooks, stickers, postcards, and I self-publish books and zines.

My illustration work is mainly hand-drawn with coloured pencils and combined with mixed media — such as papercraft, clay sculpture, wood, miniatures, embroidery, and new media (even soap bubbles).

Often, the handmade components need to be digitally edited.

I photograph or scan them and then use software to finalise them for printed media, online images, animations, products, etc.

Outside design, I also work as a content writer and occasionally as a creative for an agency in Thailand.

I'm originally from Bangkok, but I’ve been in Tokyo for a few years pursuing my master’s degree in the Science of Design at Musashino Art University.

When I was younger, I worked in a design agency back home and had a lot of fun.

I also really enjoy working alone on my own art. Ultimately my dream is to be able to support myself through my own creative direction.

I also enjoy being a design researcher: writing, conducting experiments, exchanging ideas with people, and having the chance to speak at lectures a lot.

My next step is working with bigger clients and finding more opportunities to showcase my work.

I’m working towards holding a solo exhibition, working on an MV, or publishing commercially.

I regularly update my work on Instagram and personal website.

Take us through your setup

Big, blank, wooden, worktop space.

Since I spend a lot of time working with my hands, I need a surface where I can physically spread papers, knead dough, and cut wood.

This is the main reason I opt out of the secondary monitor and dock setup.

My desk needs to function like a craft workshop table: I move things around, sweep away the mess at the end of the day, and put my laptop back.

I put my tools in cookie and castella cake boxes.

The Japanese sweets boxes are durable and pretty. They are just as utilitarian as they are aesthetically pleasing.

My documents and tools surround the edge of the table like a workbench.

Aesthetically, I emphasise material being that material.

Wood looks like wood, metal looks like metal, and light is as warm as traditional lamps would be.

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The wall in front of me is a physical Pinterest board. It changes as my research focus or current project changes.

It took around only one month to come up with the space.

I had just moved into this studio apartment and desperately needed somewhere I could sit and work.

Japanese apartments are tiny. My workspace is directly opposite my bed.

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Since I draw, I chose the place by the window to get as much natural light as I could.

Photographing my work during the day always comes out beautifully.

The rail over my desk came with the room.

I think they’re supposed to hang clothes. I use these hooks to hang my favourite knick-knack collections.

The mini-carpet I hand-tufted myself, a Japanese brush from Kanaya shop, the dried pea-like things I broke off of a dead tree on the way to school, a curiously goat horn-like pine cone, an acorn-shaped folk toy from Yamagata, a little one-leaf basket gift from a Japanese lady, and a hand broom.

The not-so-pretty part of the setup is organising all the art supplies and trying to achieve the ideal sitting posture.

I have my fair share of trash collections such as branches, nuts, dried flowers, metal parts, paper scraps, embroidery threads, you name it.

I sort them into boxes and try to make them easily accessible in a tight space.

The wooden shelf on the right side of the table is actually a letter tray.

I got it as a birthday present from very dear friends. The stuff I put on here is the things I use often.

Another item I always put into action is the aluminium tray.

This kitchen tray is where I rest my colour pencils, or they would scatter all over the table and become very annoying to find.

For the sitting posture, I make sure to put a support pillow for the lower back and a cushion.

And most importantly, the footrest!

I’m small, so my legs often do not reach the floor when seated, making my body tense up during work.

Another important thing is the drawing board.

Like Roald Dahl writing his novels, I colour only when my paper is at a 45-degree angle on this board — half supported on the edge of the table and half on my belly.

This is to preserve my back and neck.

You will notice I put soft rubber mats (for people with kids) on the floor.

This is to protect the soft flooring of my rental, and it helps keep my feet warm during winter too.

Sometimes when I get tired of sitting on the chair, I move down to write in my diary or do crafts on my low table.

I also take breaks and have my meals here.

The one thing I would like to improve about this space is the lighting.

Honestly, I’ve tried over five different types of bulbs to fix the harsh overhead lighting problem and have changed the overhead lampshade twice already.

This rice paper lampshade is much better than before, but it’s still not ideal.

I realise that I might need more lower-placed light sources instead of increasing the wattage of the main light.

What’s your favourite item on your desk?

I have a few favourites, but recently, it’s been this peach that I bought from the supermarket for ¥500 (about $3.40 USD).

It also came with peaches soaked in sweet juice, obviously.

I was looking for a pen cup, but during grocery shopping, I found this.

The next favorite thing is the electric pencil sharpener, bought from Amazon for ¥2K ($13,60).

It changed my life.

My illustration efficiency has increased by at least three times ever since.

And for non-functional items, I love my wooden peach-shaped spinning top.

I bought this at a souvenir folk toy shop in an Onsen village in Yamagata prefecture. Truly lovely and beautiful.

It makes me want to create something as wonderful.

Next to it is an egg-shaped metal mould, probably for an Easter chocolate egg.

I bought this from a little shop near the university in Kodaira; it sells the strangest things.

What apps or tools do you use to get things done?

Notion, without a doubt.

Mainly for its clean aesthetics, simplicity, and its ability to act as my life’s control centre.

I have a ‘Life Tasks’ page for mundane to-do lists such as ‘clean my room’, ‘pay the bills’, or ‘buy a birthday present for a friend’.

Another page is called ‘Project Tasks’, where I gather all the active work projects and track their progress, writing bullet points of things I need to do next.

There is also an ‘Artist’ page, where I gather all the information important to my career, such as my quotation template, rate card, merchandise inventory, and even my future plans and career goals.

I update my to-do list and review it regularly.

I have a lot on my mind, so whenever I feel I’ve lost control, I return to my to-do list.

I either get something done or remove tasks that have been on the list so long they’ve lost their relevance.

What books, blogs, or podcasts recently caught your attention?

I have read a succession of books about North Korea in the past month.

Just next to my university is a North Korean college, so I have been very curious about the people who live there and their living conditions.

My recommendation are A River in Darkness: One Man’s Escape from North Korea by Ishikawa Masaji, Without You, There Is No Us: Undercover Among the Sons of North Korea’s Elite by Suki Kim, and Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick.

I have been learning Korean for quite some time and I’m interested in Korean (peninsula) culture.

Any tips for other makers who want to improve their workspaces?

Getting rid of things that impede your day!

If your table looks cheap, the work you do on it probably won’t look good either.

A pleasing tabletop makes a white, blank paper even more inviting to draw, write, or fold on.

Organise your tools well. Keep them clean and sorted. Pay attention to the lighting.

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What does your typical day look like?

I get up around 8 am and go to bed around 1 am.

The first thing I do in the morning is make the bed and drink a glass of water, and the first app I open is probably LINE messenger.

After washing up, I eat my breakfast, usually fruits, yogurt, and granola, or any leftovers.

I start working around 10 am by creating to-do lists for the day and managing my time blocks on Notion’s Calendar.

I switch between studio work — such as illustrating and creating prototypes on paper — and computer work, like photo editing and graphic design.

I try to work on the art part during the daylight and write articles after the sunset.

Between creative and administrative tasks, I find admin work soothing and a good break from creative work.

So whenever I want to procrastinate, I switch to answering emails and creating documents.

Your tips for working from home?

I use to-do lists and break my projects into very tiny tasks.

Even a big, daunting illustration project can progress with small wins, such as finishing scanning my work.

Although it’s a cliché, the Pomodoro technique is a time management method that works well for me.

I struggle to start important tasks, so the sweet promise of only working for 25 minutes is appealing.

Working from home, especially with my bed just behind my chair, makes it very difficult for me to focus.

I try to keep up with the time blocks I’ve set on Notion’s calendar.

My morning ritual is writing a journal entry.

And at the end of the day, I reflect on what I did that day again in the same notebook.

This practice keeps me calm and gives me a feeling of control over my time.

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