My Space: Inside Sarah Harris and Alec Maxwell’s desks
From Yves Saint Laurent to Joan Didion, the desk has long offered a glimpse into creative life. In a new film with Montblanc, EE72’s Editorial Director Sarah Harris and Chief Visual Officer Alec Maxwell reflect on the making of an issue of 72 magazine.
There is something deeply revealing about a person’s desk. More than a workspace, it offers a glimpse into someone’s inner creative world: handwritten notes, books stacked with references, objects collected over years of working, reading and thinking. From half-drunk coffees to notebooks filled with ideas, a desk often reveals the process behind the work itself.
Fashion and film have long mythologised the art of the desk. Think of the famous photograph of Yves Saint Laurent sketching in his Paris studio, surrounded by swatches and drawings, cigarette in hand. Or Karl Lagerfeld amid towering piles of books and papers. Joan Didion’s writing desk, photographed repeatedly over the decades, reflected the neat precision of her mind, while images of David Hockney sketching captured the quiet intensity of an artist at work. Truman Capote, meanwhile, famously insisted he could only write lying down and did not, in fact, need a desk at all.
Creative rituals sit at the centre of Montblanc’s latest campaign. For more than a century, the maison has treated writing instruments as extensions of identity and personal taste: objects that feel increasingly meaningful in an age of speed and screens. “Writing instruments are at the heart of Montblanc and inspire everything we do,” says Montblanc Artistic Director Marco Tomasetta. “When exploring the culture around writing, I became interested in the desk, not simply as furniture, but as a personal space for self-expression. Inspired by the Meisterstück, the Montblanc desk reflects the design language of our most iconic writing instrument, from its proportions to details such as the signature gold rings. It’s designed as a place where ideas can take shape.”
We partnered with Montblanc on a film exploring the role of the desk in creative life, with EE72’s Chief Visual Officer Alec Maxwell and Editorial Director Sarah Harris reflecting on the rituals behind putting together an issue of 72 magazine.
To begin shaping a new issue, Sarah first maps it out in her notes before commissioning stories across EE72’s global network of contributors. Notepad and pen to hand, she brings the issue’s sub-sections to life by penning the broad themes and stories that are set to fill each one. Her daughter’s drawings that litter the notebook are a welcome addition to her notes.
When Alec isn’t capturing footage of EE72’s diverse roster of talent, you’ll find him at his desk. Here, he pens to-do lists to ensure nothing in his busy schedule is missed. Alec’s favourite way to close off a project? Making sure it’s crossed off his list.
“For me, EE72 and Montblanc share a commitment to storytelling and personal expression,” Tomasetta continues. “The desk became a natural meeting point between our worlds: a place where imagination, ideas and creativity come together. Beyond celebrating the desk itself, we wanted to celebrate the energy that surrounds it, and inspire others to sit down, pick up a pen and create something of their own.”
For Sarah and Alec, the desk is less like a backdrop and more an integral part of the editorial process itself.
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