Un-homed but Not Unhinged: Back Seat Office

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If there鈥檚 anything that can send me over the edge of sanity its knowing that I鈥檝e forgotten to do something important. I鈥檓 one of those people that like to have their projects out on a table. It鈥檚 a simple way for me to keep all the threads of ideas fresh in my mind. It鈥檚 kind of like throwing all the legos out on the table and seeing what I can make of them. It鈥檚 just the way I鈥檝e developed since I am not a natural paperwork person.

You can imagine then that not having the space to do that becomes kind of frustrating. I either have to keep things in stacks in the van or in the closet at work. Either way it鈥檚 not my usual rhythms. Plus I try to keep the clinic looking clean because people love the calm and quiet atmosphere. I don鈥檛 want them to feel like they鈥檙e stepping into my chaotic paper zone.

The days that become the most challenging, like today, are the ones that I鈥檓 not actually doing acupuncture. Since I have one person who uses the clinic space on a couple of days I鈥檓 relegated to my mobile office: my 1995 soccer-mom van. Those are the days that the back seat becomes my filing system for figuring out taxes, bookkeeping (which, by nature, is not my favorite thing), phone calls, or whatever else is needed. Even the occasional calligraphy project has been worked on in there.

So I can鈥檛 say that I have any words of wisdom on this one. If I did I feel like I鈥檇 actually have followed it by now. Instead I just keep grinding through and dreaming that someday I will feel caught up with paperwork, if not actually being caught up. I can always hope鈥

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About the Author

  • Joe Bright
    Joe Bright
    Joe Bright is a graduate of Iolani School and went on to study art at The Cooper Union School of Art in New York City, and later Chinese medicine at The American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in San Francisco. Joe currently runs a small acupuncture clinic, Kama鈥檃ina Acupuncture in Kapahulu as the first dedicated low-cost 鈥渃ommunity acupuncture鈥 clinic in Honolulu. Joe has a varied background that has included working as a bicycle mechanic, freelance artist, teaching calligraphy and Tai Chi, a nanny, and even a CEO of a small entrepreneurial company. He continues to create art, even having work recently appear at the Honolulu Academy of Arts as well the Bishop Museum. He also continues with entrepreneurial projects when possible and serves on the Board of Directors for a local Buddhist meditation organization, Vipassana Hawai鈥檌.
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