Q: Tell us a little about yourself, what you love, what you do, your dreams.. you know the usual.
A: Claire:
”I've been around for 20 years and recently moved into a small cosy apartment in Vredehoek. What do I love? Trees. Definitely trees, coupons and books, and creating; making art, baking, planting veggies and herbs, fixing up thrift-store shirts. Knitting! I knit in lectures and give scarves as presents. Also Tevya, my partner. With my conscious time I study at UCT and waitress, I sometimes work through commissioned art but only rarely. Near future dreams; completing a personal art project, fitting into my favourite blue pants by New Years and reading 5 more books before 2019. Far future dreams would be to learn Spanish, have my own art exhibitions, and to publish a successful book before I'm 25 and to finally grow a happy strawberry plant, something which seems to take time!”
Liza:
“Hello I am 27, I live in Observatory Cape Town for now, some of my dreaming include: to see orca whales up close in the wild, to experience as much of the globe as possible, to always nourish a creative life. To create work that brings us closer as a human family.”
Q: What does self-love mean to you?
A: Liza:
“Self love to me is a feeling of being held by your own being, a feeling of the wild one, a feeling of the old knowing. Self love is consciously changing the inner dialogue with yourself that is fear based. Self love is meditation and masturbation in the morning.”
Claire:
“I do things that make me feel solid and stable and well nourished - how I protect myself and my heart ties in a lot with my self love. I practice self love not just when things are tough, but to maintain a sense of peace, and a sense of self that isn't agitated. I strongly believe that although you have loved ones around you, you are the only person who will ever fully be with you - always - and therefore it's so important to be close with that person, to be a companion with yourself. Sometimes this philosophy makes me seem a little odd because I talk to myself, I write letters to myself as me to me when going through difficult situations and it's brought me back from many an abyss. Some self love are small things like care-taking; brushing my hair, moisturising my body, exercising, making a fully home cooked meal and so forth. Some types are writing, going for walks or by simply being still and not speaking, just listening and observing and enjoying being quiet. A huge cornerstone of my self love is to be grateful and have gratitude for the state of your life, where you are, how far you've come and how you've maintained your body. To those you assist you, or help you further your life in some way - it's important to acknowledge them and thank them, even if that person is yourself. Probably more so - after all it's you who pulls you out of bed and lights the fire every morning.”
Q: How do you protect your aura/vibe/happiness on a day to day basis?
*Ya’ll should have seen them, bouncing rays of sunshine.
A: Liza:
“I am very conscious of the kind of energy I want to contribute to a space, and I take responsibility for that energy. I can quickly feel if someone is an energy thief or if their intentions are not aligned with my own. And so I swiftly move in the opposite direction. My mind can also allow much chaos to enter if I don’t do grounding work like my transcendental meditation, writing, exercising, checking in with my girlfriends, they help me to reflect myself back to myself. I am my best self when I am aligned with my seasons of work, play, solitary. So as best as possible, following the compass of my intuition.”
Q: What is the best advice you have ever received?
A: Liza:
“Give yourself a Yes and someone else a No, if that is what the situation requires. And if they think that YOU are the selfish one for giving yourself a Yes, and them a No, then… blink blink… spot the lie.”
A: Claire:
“Best advice ever received from someone called Melissa who trained me to waitress at Royale; "you'd be surprised by how much you can get done in two minutes". This has stuck with me for a long, long time.”
Q: What advice would you give a friend that has never been to Cape Town?
A: Claire:
”I'd tell them to go watch a film and have some glühwein at the Labia, hike Lions Head at 5am and again at 5pm. To go driving along Chapman's Peak. To cycle on the promenade at sunset, and to go have some dark chocolate almond cake at the Blue Café in Tamboerskloof.”
Q: How are you spending your summer holiday?
A: Claire:
”This summer will be sweaty, excited, ambitious and self-actualizing! I'm searching for the fire of one's twenties and perhaps I can find it under the rocks of my laziness, or perhaps it must be built. Either way, I'd love to spend the summer curating my mind and my spaces.”
Liza:
“I could be working, I could be in SA, I might not be. I’m not sure yet. I hope to swim in the ocean a lot, eat yummy food, and laugh until my tummy is sore.”
Claire is pictured wearing her
Annie bralette, Freya knickers & Hudson set in black
•
Liza is pictured wearing her
Safari bralette, Bonnie knickers & Hudson set in white