Acquaintance\'s Home Office. While Not

¶ … acquaintance's home office. While not familiar with this individual intimately, I am aware they are a writer by profession.

The office is brightly lit, with a SAD light. This is a special light used to provide "natural" sunlight type like into a dark space. The office is in the basement, so the light provides natural light where no other light might otherwise suffice. The walls are painted a muted white, very neutral, the floor carpeted in a bluish grey. There are two desks, one against the backside of the office, piled with spare computers, what looks like documents, including tax documents, receipts, CDs and other items. The primary desk faces west. It holds a large, approximately 21" flat screen monitor. There are two bamboo plants on the desk, a picture of a family, including the father, and two children. There are multiple pictures of the father and two children. The individual is a mother. There are small statues of Buddha's and other Asian influences surrounding the desk. There are postcards of Kuan Yin, a Hindu goddess, just above the monitor. There are also candles with traditional images of Jesus, Mary and St. Jude.

The office appears rounded. In each corner of the room there is an object that helps detract from the sharp edges of the room. In the upper right corner of the room, hanging from the ceiling, is a painted butterfly, presumably one the children colored. There are multiple pictures of the children around the desk area, in a circular pattern. A calendar lies pinned to the wall just above the desk with the flat screen monitor. To the right of this lies the fax machine. It is a combined fax, printer and scanner as well as copy machine. There are piles of books on a bookshelf adjacent to this, and a single, two drawer filing cabinets against the wall. I notice multiple "good luck charms" spread throughout the room, and a small paperweight on the primary desk labeled "Libra" as fashioned from Jade.

Impressions

The total environment suggests this individual is concerned with creating a balanced environment, but surrounded by chaos. While there is much about the room that suggests a need for harmony, there is also much suggesting the individual observed is disorganized. For example, there are multiple stacks of paper that appear unorganized piled on the bookshelf, on the spare desk, and in boxes on the floor to the left of the primary desk. There is a basket on the floor facing east, one that is filled with books, remnants of laundry and other items.

At the same time, the area immediately surrounding the work area is tidy. The bamboo shoots, the miniature statues of ancient gods and goddesses, surrounded by more contemporary themed religious or spiritual figures suggests an individual that is open to more than one belief system. This person seems like they might be easy to communicate with. The bright light used in the room may suggest the person suffers bouts of depression, or the individual wants to avoid depressive thoughts as the room is rather dark if one were to click on the traditional lighting offered in the room.

The pictures of the children are young, as is the pictures of the husband, suggesting this is a young family, possibly in their late twenties to late thirties. There are business cards, loads of them throughout the room, suggesting this individual engages in much networking. This may also suggest an abundance of work, or the need to advertise frequently to gain new work. The materials on used, including the monitor, computers and figurines are not expensive looking, they seem practical, suggesting the family lives comfortably but does not enjoy luxuries or a higher than average financial status. The good luck charms suggests the person is superstitious, and believes much in spirituality and taking an active role in protecting the fortune they amass through work and other endeavors. There are also motivational quotes posted to the wall facing the desk where the individual would work, suggesting this person consistently seeks motivation, affirmation and confirmation of their activities. There are no other family pictures except those of the children and husband, suggesting perhaps this is a closely nit family unit.

Advantages and Disadvantages

There are multiple advantages to observing a person's home or workspace to gain insights into their personality traits. For example, if you plan to get to know someone from a business vantage, it pays to know whether they enjoy networking, socialization and whether they adhere to stringent religious or loosely-based morals. However, there are also disadvantages in making assumptions. For example, the lack of photographs of other family members or friends does not suggest necessarily that this person is a loner or hermit. However, one might assume that, and either thinks of the individual in more negative terms, or push too hard to encourage the person to make new friendships when such actions are not necessary.

Also, assuming an individual is unorganized because there are stacks of paper and books or clothing in corners or other places in the office may cause one to immediately jump to conclusions about the quality of this person's work. For example, this individual is a meticulous writer. However, on looking at her office, one may assume that she was not organized at all, and fail to offer them a working relationship. However, there are many reasons the office may appear cluttered in some areas. The pictures on the wall for example suggest the individual in question has three young children. It could be the working mother is simply too busy right now to organize every detail of her office, because she has to balance her role as a business owner and her role as a parent. Alternately, what seems cluttered to one may be perfect organization for another. One stack of papers may be tax documents, another job orders, another contracts.