Musician Andrekza spends most of her days looking at a screen. The self-declared workaholic doesn’t just use her phone to keep track of song ideas or mark architectural details in the cities she visits. She also runs multiple side gigs from the handheld device — including a fashion venture and successful production company. When it comes to her main creative endeavour, however, Andrekza prefers the quiet surroundings of her studio — or, as she calls it, her “house of inspiration and creation”. There, she can usually be found in the company of her pet bunny Benni. A closer look at the artist’s creative process reveals a longing for emotional connection and presence that explains her prioritisation of the quiet moments. Here, she talks to us about how she keeps track of memories, finding inspiration in other disciplines, and why it’s good to take selfies when you’re sad.
Read MoreBetween leisure time spent flitting around her Clinton Hill neighborhood and beyond, Marina Sulmona takes on the role of working closely with artists to help bring their visions to life, in fully realized form — be it here, as passerby's treasured editor, or in the work she does as a producer and artist manager. Look carefully into her own creative practices and writing, and you'll notice how the act of joining imagery with words lies at heart. Together, her knack for working with artists and her own keen eye induce the multidisciplinary work she's done here — working with writers, taking stock of our audience's interests, and overseeing it all — and for other clients. Marina grants access into the intricate corners of her life in the conversation ahead, speaking about her obsessiveness, when she makes time to write, and saving movie still screenshots.
Read MoreA very recent recipient of an MBA with a focus on leadership from Columbia Business School, Connie Gao earned her degree while working full-time as Book of the Month's Marketing Director. Though her career and academic life are both — alone and together — amply impressive, she still makes time to enjoy life's pleasures. A big fan of the Chelsea Market (and self-proclaimed "huge foodie"), Connie's often spotted perusing its boutiques on her way to "buy fresh seafood from The Lobster Place." In this interview, she describes the challenges she faced as a teen who grew up in China and landed at prep school in Connecticut, the qualities that make an excellent leader, and how her relationship with her mom has evolved over the years.
Read MoreWhether it comes to food or fashion, a certain mindfulness and elegance marks all Alexis Badiyi touches — this is evidenced by the graceful photoshoots she’s styled for the likes of Marc Jacobs or Coveteur, or the thoughtfully arranged and deliciously appealing meals she’s captured for this interview. Naturally, as a stylist by trade, she’s often found on set, or otherwise, in her own space “shooting, shopping, styling, and creating decks.” To recharge and “refill [her] inspiration,” Alexis frequents museums, soaks up nature’s sun, and dines with friends. Here, she chats about slow mornings, the vibrant family for whom food was a love language, and more.
Read MoreGina Correll Aglietti has built a life around communing with others through food and music, and her spirit for entertaining is entrenched in her life's work as a founder of Yola Mezcal. Though Gina sees it as in part "a blessing" that socializing is so central to her life and career, it also means that seeking quietude requires focus. When moments of calm do present themselves, Gina's often found passing by the Silver Lake Reservoir, where she walks her pup Donny — a companion who "doesn't want to party." On a spring afternoon, we caught up with her to hear about how she views her home as a morphing entity, what goes into making handcrafted mezcal, and her secrets on how to throw a stellar dinner party.
Read MoreA true food-lover, Anna Polonsky has spent much of her life tasting everything under the sun, and her career, supporting "those who use food as a beacon for change." Right now, that's through her strategy and design consultancy, Polonsky & Friends, and platform, The Deligram, which are both run out of the creative co-working space, OSTUDIO. You're most likely to find Anna there during the day — unless she's out sampling the neighborhood's Dominican eats for lunch. Read on as the French native digs into childhood summers spent on her family's farm, why she's bored by pretentious views on food, and the lively dream dinner guests she wishes she could host (Monet included).
Read MoreSelf-described as a “creature of habit,” fashion journalist Mélody Thomas is most often found at the neighborhood bistro down the street from her cozy home in Paris’s 18th Arrondissement.
Read MoreA third-year student studying art and film in London, Niki Kohandel can routinely be found across the UCL campus editing films, making prints, or passing the time outside with friends.
Read MoreChef, cookbook author, and mother Mina Stone made a name for herself as an artist and art lover's chef—first by cooking gallery dinners for Urs Fischer and others in the New York art scene.
Read MoreMaryam Mortaz is a woman who sees herself as “a mother, a daughter, and a person who loves to write and help others.”
Read MoreFor Laura Saglio, a born and raised Parisian, music was always her first love. The lifelong relationship was kindled from a young age—in middle school, she covered Metallica with her band Redrum—but quickly sprawled over to other kinds of art.
Read MoreGood, thoughtful sex education has been central to Dr. Sara C. Flowers’ mission over a decades-long career that fatefully began at age 16.
Read MoreGerman-born publicist Claire Brodka made her way to NYC to work with the iconic art book publisher, TASCHEN.
Read MoreAt her core, Tina Bhojwani is an optimist. This spirit that her mother handed down has guided her through a storied career working at brands like Donna Karan, Theory, and Dolce & Gabbana.
Read MoreAlong with her husband BJ, Eileen Winslow has built a life manufacturing specialty props that run the gamut from zombie bodices to pig heads to eyeballs and tongues.
Read MoreKarolyn Pho has worked in fashion for a long time and has arrived at a point where she’s currently styling her dream shoots. Along the way, it’s taken experimentation and a willingness to go all-in on her creative projects. We chatted with her about the moment she felt she’d made it and how to actually achieve a work/life balance by forming boundaries. She also gets into what rebuilding her life after experiencing trauma looked like and how much her parents inspire her. Read on and learn.
Read MoreTwenty years ago, Berna Bilgin left Istanbul to visit New York City for six months, and it ended up being a permanent move. In the decades that have followed, she’s industriously built a career as a restauranteur by opening up MyMoon, with her brother. Here she speaks about luck, how to blend family and business, and the weirdness of using dating apps in your 40s.
Read MoreGrowing up in Toronto, Amaal Nuux embraced the poetry of her culture and, from an early age, sought to make music inspired by the struggles those in her birthplace, Mogadishu, underwent. Here, she elaborates on her very ‘90s early inspirations—which range from DMX to S Club 7 to, of course, Destiny’s Child—to elucidate why those artists became influential in molding her sound today. In doing so, she also curates a playlist that is absolutely filled with bops.
Read MoreA truly multi-disciplinary artist, Charlotte Lindèn Ercoli Coe got her start at a markedly young age. But, that doesn’t mean she wants to hold on to youth or play into how society fetishizes it: the opposite is true. In this interview, she gets into the films and books that have inspired her throughout her life; what starting her new company, Simulacra Pictures, was like; and how things all fall into place when you want something badly enough.
Read MoreAnne Gomez Rubin is a lifelong teacher who—for the first time in her career—is starting a role in school administration. She speaks to us about how exciting it is to watch young people learn and grow, her newfound obsession with perfume, and why her forties are her best decade yet.
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