Do you have a morning ritual? If so, what does it consist of?
My mornings fall entirely victim to my state of employment. I’m happiest when I’m creeping out of bed at 5am to be on set across town by 6am but any kind of morning ritual beyond sleepily making coffee to-go and cleaning my body is unrealistic. When that isn’t the case, I nurture the opposite kind of start to the day. I languish in bed. Often coffee is brought to me. I read some literature that inspires my latent spiritual practice and then some literature that’s purely for pleasure. I listen to the birds, consider meditating and check my email.
Do you have any self care or beauty habits that you consistently practice?
These days, I take a lot of long walks. Mostly I de-device before these walks and just enjoy the lack of digital stimulation, but sometimes I listen to podcasts that elicit self-reflection and broaden my perspective. I use my favourite skincare masque (by LESSE) a few times a week; I try to do a variety of more-rigorous exercise classes a few times a week; I make myself a thoughtful lunch. My favourite time of day, although it’s often melancholic, is just before sunset when I pour myself a glass of wine and read a novel for a quiet hour.
Describe your home in five words:
Eclectic, natural, evolving, comfortable, calm.
Do you have personal practices for living or well-being that create a reduced environmental impact or are zero waste? (share a recipe, practice or how to)
I definitely have a long way still to go in this area, but right now I do my best to avoid single-use plastic, food waste and excessive use of water. Increasingly, I only support brands/businesses that prioritize sustainability practices and I try to get creative with ways of recycling not only “waste” but also furniture, clothing and books.
Try as we might, humans will inevitably negatively affect the environment in some ways, both on a local and global scale. With this in mind what are some specific intentions and convictions that you hold close?
We don’t “need” more stuff. Take care of the things you already own and love. Drive less, walk (or bike) more, carpooling is fun (fuck you, Covid-19). Setting an intention to start composting; dreaming of living in a solar-powered home with grey water and rain water collection systems.
What is a project for home or living that you have recently started or finished? (share a how to, recipe etc)
I co-"designed" a dining room table for our house, which has a tricky amount of available space and needed a custom fix. We just finished the project fully last week and I’m so chuffed. We got some beautiful ash wood from a lumber yard (a very specific amount meant less waste :) and built it with the help of a wood-worky friend. It’s finally done-done and I love it so.
What distracts you? How do you remain centered?
Instagram; my over-eager, analytical monkey-mind; over-committing socially. Quiet time centres me. Time with my journal, a good book, a walk at sunset, a swim in the sea, music. Collaborating with people centres and refocuses me: the perfect combination of inspiration, ambition and accountability.
How has your relationship with your immediate surroundings and the environment at large adapted or changed through the years?
My immediate surroundings have always been important to me, even if I didn’t know how to fully name that as a child. But the environment at large is something I only properly started paying attention to as a young adult. Or, rather, of course I paid attention to it: I grew up on the coast in South Africa - the ocean and mountains have always been my North star. But I thought fairly simplistically about the environment up until my twenties. My relationship ship with it is much less one-sided now. I try to foster a reciprocal relationship rather than one in which I only take, take, take.
Describe a practice in living well that you admire from someone in your community.
I have a friend who centres ritual in her life so, so well. She wakes with enough time to practice stillness, reads some poetry, goes for a walk, literally smells roses. She often shares her reflections and makes it that much easier for some of us to access this remarkable cultivation of calm. Despite her dedication to that every-day ritual, she’s just as game for a spontaneous adventure. The two feel inextricably linked to me. And i admire the shit out of it.
Share a well-loved family recipe:
My Grandmother's granadilla pudding:
1 cup of the pulp of fresh granadillas (passion fruit) - roughly 24 granadillas
1 cup of whipping cream
1 cup of condensed milk
Beat together well and put in the fridge to set for a few hours.
Eat with abandon :)