Between his music and stunning photography, Michael A Muller defies the myth that doing what you love is impossible. He has been an inspiration for my own pursuit of doing meaningful work in both my personal and professional life.  

Michael lives in Austin, Texas with his equally talented artist girlfriend, Leigh Patterson, and the two are a powerful creative force. There is such honesty and sincerity in how he captures a moment that it becomes truly therapeutic to look at. And when not scrolling for hours on his blog, taking a mental hiatus by listening to his six piece band, BALMORHEA is pure joy. 

Following his contributing work for FvonF and feeling a deep connection to his photography, I was compelled to reach out to Michael to introduce myself and of course, he was kind enough to let me interview him. 

1. What’s the first thing you do in the morning? 

Either go for a run around my neighbourhood or go to the skatepark with some friends for an early session. 

2. Where do you typically go after work? 

My girlfriend (Leigh Patterson) and I usually have wine at home and relax. If we go out, we’ll typically either go to Clark’s Oyster Bar for happy hour or meet friends at Brew & Brew.

3. What are you currently listening to/reading?

Listening: Amen Dunes, Death Vessel, Jon Porras, Otto A. Totland. Reading: Morrissey’s Autobiography and Enon by Paul Harding

4. What are your go-to apps (besides Instagram)? 

MLB, Words with Friends, IMDB, and Podcasts (currently listening to Monocle 24 - The Stack, Dinner Party Download, The Splendid Table), 

5. What relaxes you? And what makes you feel alive?

For relaxing I love going to the movies (usually by myself to a matinee). I feel most alive when traveling (abroad and day trips alike). I’ve been fortunate enough to travel a fair bit in my life and I always gain a new-found love, admiration and respect for humanity, nature as well as re-realizing how much I love my own town after being gone for a while.

6. What other city in the world would you live in? 

I grew up until age 10 in San Diego before moving to Texas, so Southern California really feels like my true home. I hope to end up there eventually. 

7. Where’s the next place you’d like to travel to? 

I keep seeing, reading, hearing and meeting people and things related to Australia. I’d love to go explore, surf and take photos all over that continent.

8. Penny-saver or experience-splurger?

Definitely a splurger. I feel that quality and aesthetics outweigh economic rationality more times than not.

9.  Who have you recently discovered on Twitter and Instagram that you’re really excited about and what blogs and online stores are you currently digging? 

I don’t follow things on Twitter too much. On Instagram I consistently love my friends @haydendunham and @westoncolton’s feeds. I have way too many blogs on my rss feed but recently I’ve been staring hard at look books. I find the work of both Jeremy Liebman and Patrick Desbrosses really inspiring.

10. How did you get started in your career? What was the turning point?

My dad bought me a point-and-shoot 35mm camera in 1995. I got a better camera in 1999 and starting shooting actual jobs. In 2004 I started doing photography professionally but I’ve split time between music and photos since 2006 and have never been truly a full-time photographer so don’t think a big turning point has come yet. Hopefully soon!

11. What was the biggest career risk you’ve ever taken? And what was the scariest thing about it? 

In 2004 I quit work as a school teacher to do freelance photography. Doing anything freelance is quite scary, especially if you like having things planned out in advance. You have to wing things and hope everything will work. I feel as long as you are true to what you love about the work, if you do it diligently and if you’re kind to people then things will be ok.

12. Are you an introvert or extrovert?

I’m officially an INFJ but in my head I think I’m really an extrovert.

13. Who is your mentor? And why?

My dad is probably the wisest man I know. He always has a good metaphor or allegory for any qualm I bend his ear to.

14. The one thing you would tell to your younger self?

Take more risks and don’t worry about the rules so much.

15. Best piece of advice you ever got?

When my dad gave me the “sex talk” he said, “Son, there’s just one rule that you should live by: never go to bed with a girl who’s crazier than you are.” I think it’s funny but also true and could also broadly apply to most dealings in life.

16. If money were no object, what would you be doing right now? 

Being on the coast, taking photos, playing music, skating, surfing, cooking and reading good books in a constant 75ºF in the sun.

17. What does the future look like for you?

Leigh and I are planning to spend June and July in Los Angeles this coming summer. We have a fair amount of friends there and always love visiting. It will be nice to be there for longer than just a week at a time and see what can happen. Other than that, I’ll be in Texas working on a couple of photo projects and some upcoming music releases and tours for the fall. 

Follow Michael here, here and here. 

There is no better way to describe Alexa Hotz’s work than a vignette of curiosities. Rummaging through her instagram archives you’ll see what I’m getting at. Whether it’s consciously or unconsciously - her photo gems read like a body of art work and is a nice glimpse into her professional work as Managing Editor at Remodelista.

Above the fact, that Remodelista’s approach is simply unprecedented, Alexa’s dedicated pursuit has earned her the ability to produce exceptional content for them. She has guided their vision in a direction that speaks to me personally. And though we’ve never met as Alexa lives and works in San Fran, we’ve connect through social media.

After following her work for some time, I was compelled to discover more about her because without her knowing it, she has helped to inspire and foster my approach to working more thoughtfully and with greater consideration.  

So, here’s to opening the cabinet of curiosities that is Alexa and to her for letting me share it with you. 

1. Where do you go for your morning coffee and why?

Into my kitchen for a pour over coffee with goat milk, but when I have the chance I visit The Mill for coffee with an almond butter coated slice of toast.

2. Where do you typically go after work?

I like to take a short walk to get my eyes away from the laptop. Sometimes we’ll go out to the beach during the longer days of spring and summer.

3. What are you currently listening to/reading?

Brian Eno is a standard for me, something I can always return to, and the latest album from my boyfriend, Jon Porras (Light Divide). I’m always catching up on the New Yorker and I like to take my time with each page of the Gentlewoman.

4. What are your go-to beauty products?

A secret passion of mine is skin care; I’ve just discovered Joëlle Ciocco and Rodin hand cream. I like Aesop’s Brille for hair, Nars Nico blush for some color, and Red Square is the best for lips—I apply it then blot it off so it’s less perfect.

5. What relaxes you, what inspires you?

Long solo walks and leisure time with loved ones is what relaxes me. For inspiration I’ve come to the point where I need to travel once every six months. I need that time to unplug, visit new exhibitions and performances, cultures and food.

6. What other city in the world would you live in?

New York and London; sorry that’s two!

7. Where’s the next place you’d like to travel to?

I’d like to see reindeer on the beaches of Norway or eat new types of fish in Portugal.

8. Penny-saver or experience-splurger?

Experience-splurger! But that’s something I need to work on.

9. What Instagram accounts, blogs, and online stores do you currently love?

I try to limit myself from visual inspiration overload. It’s all about balance but if I allow too much to flood in, I find I lose my intuition and gravitate toward things I don’t necessarily even like. But on Instagram I do like following Kayten Schmidt and Hanna Åberg. I’m often visiting my friend Lucile Demory’s Tumblr, Post-Patternism, and Maryam Nassir Zadeh for styling inspiration; I love everything MNZ touches.

10. How did you get started in your career and what was the turning point?

I think I’m still in the infancy of my career, the turning point for me was joining the editorial team at Remodelista in 2011. I come from a varied background and didn’t study traditional journalism, but I knew what I wanted to do and spent time going after it. It’s important to me to stay challenged and continue to self educate as much as I can.

11. What was the biggest career risk you’ve ever taken and how did it help you grow?

Last year I pitched an editorial trip to Paris for a series of shoots and interviews. I used to live there so I was familiar with the area, but the experience of meeting people I had admired for years (through their respective online presences) was truly life changing.

12. Are you an introvert or extrover?

Something like an introvert with extrovert tendencies.

13. Who is your mentor?

My mom is my mentor in all parts of life, but at work it’s our editor-in-chief Julie Carlson and co-founding editor Sarah Lonsdale.

14. The one thing you would tell to your younger self?

To stop worrying, but I’ll probably say the same thing ten years from now too.

Follow Alexa here, here and here. 

Claire Cottrell is a film maker, photographer and shop owner living in Mount Washington, California. This past summer, I got to connect with her online and since then, being exposed to her work has had more meaning to me than I ever expected. There is magic in Claire’s style and form that really sets her apart from a lot of the creative content that’s out there. From her work with Freunde Von Freunden and her incredible films to her impeccably curated shop BOOK STAND, you just know that great thought and true appreciation went into it.

The level of creative energy, talent and fearlessness she has for doing what she loves inspires me to keep pushing myself. And I hope I get the pleasure of meeting her in person in the near future.


1. Where do you go for your morning coffee and why?

I’m a tea gal, so it’s Mariage Frères’ Paris Breakfast Tea at my desk every morning because I like easing in to the day.

2. Where do you typically go after work? 

On a walk.

3. What are you currently listening to/reading?

Reading: Grace: A Memoir by Grace Coddington, The White Review No. 5, The Paris Review’s Interview with Doris Lessing: The Art of Fiction No. 102, Jean Paul Michel’s introduction to Bernard Faucon’s Love Chambers. 

Listening to: Dylan 1973.

4. What are your go-to beauty products?

Santa Maria di Novella Rose Water, Dr. Bronner’s 18-in-1 Hemp Rose Pure-Castile Soap, Weleda Wild Rose Day Cream, Weleda Wild Rose Oil, Strange Invisible Dimanche pure perfume and NARS Heat Wave for a night on the town.

5. What relaxes you, what inspires you?

Going on a walk.

6. What other city in the world would you live in? 

Berlin.

7. Where’s the next place you’d like to travel to?

Two places: Naoshima, Japan and Vals, Switzerland.

8. Penny-saver or experience-splurger?

Both? :)

9. What Instagrams, blogs and online stores do you currently love? FvF,the sphinx and the milky way,Tigers to Lilies, Scout Holiday and Where I Was From.

10. How did you get started in your career. What was the turning point?

A friend introduced me to a film director when I was needing a summer job in graduate school. One of my first projects for him was researching locations around the world for something that could play as God’s house. We got along really well, and he offered me a full time position at his production company. Long story short, I’ve been working in film and advertising going on 11 years now and officially became a member of the Director’s Guild 2 years ago.

A major turning point for me was a month-long trip to Paris about 4 years ago. It opened my eyes to a creative culture that really resonated and a way of life that I loved. I decided to make some changes to find both at home. Creating something stable that I believe in and makes a positive contribution to the world - something beautiful that I love so much that it isn’t work - was a big part of that shift. Enter BOOK STAND. It’s pretty incredible what one person can do with a big idea and a web page.

11. What has so far been your biggest career risk?

Starting my own company. Man, it’s hard sometimes. Every single day is a learning experience. Creating something that’s mine - and by mine I mean something that’s a reflection of me and my beliefs, values, passions etc. - has led me to the most amazing like-minded people all over the world. Each new person I meet helps me grow.

12. Are you an introvert or extrovert?

Introvert - I need to be by myself to recharge.

13. Who is your mentor?

Dr. Joseph Juhasz, a remarkable Hungarian professor I had in college who taught design from a psychological perspective. He taught an understanding of the human condition through film, literature and photography. After taking his first year lecture, I worked with him for four years as a teaching assistant, leading recitations but also printing and archiving the thousands of photographs he’s taken over the last 50 years. Things like the interiors of a post-war Budapest, Anaheim, Las Vegas, places of worship, plants growing out of the cracks of buildings and sidewalks, peepholes, “ghosts” etc. I spent hours in the darkroom figuring out the story he was trying to tell with each image and then through trial and error would try to find the best way to print each one to tell that story. I credit my approach to storytelling and editing to him. He completely changed my way of looking at the world. We’re still in touch. We send occasional emails to each other that say things like: “Melancholia: sequel or prequel to The Tree of Life?“   

14. The one thing you would tell to your younger self?

Get up early !

15. Best piece of advice you ever got?

Just do it. 

Follow Claire here and here. 

Joanna Williams is an LA based store owner who is doing it well. Her textile studio and online marketplace, Kneeland Co., is stocked with everything I would want to own right now. She is pure California boho chic and her fashion, art and cultural aesthetic is the ultimate inspiration.

In true social networking form, I don’t quite remember the first time I discovered Joanna Williams but, like all great innovative people you come across, I was instantly hooked on following her creative endeavours. She has a knack for putting together amazing outfits and her keen eye for finding and curating beautiful things from around the world is covetable, to say the least. I consider Joanna a genuine tastemaker and I’m so pleased she chose to share some of herself with me so I can share it with you

1. Where do you go for morning coffee and why?

My morning ritual when I am home and not traveling for work is to stop by Casbah Cafe on the way to my studio. It’s a gem of a place that serves up a delicious chai soy latte. I see the same people every morning picking up tier caffeine and there’s something about it that me feel cozy and calm.

2. Where do you typically go after work?

I usually exercise after work, and if I don’t I like to go home and cook dinner with my husband or go out for a yummy cocktail at Bar Stella with friends.

3. What are you currently listening to/reading?

Right now I’m reading this life-changing book by Guillaume Wolf titled You Are A Circle: A Visual Meditation for the Creative Mind. l It’s comprised of simple tools and thoughts to get your creative energy flowing. I seriously think everyone should own a copy. As far as music, I tend to listen to a lot of old music. Right now it’s The Lijadu Sisters, Simple Minds, Tears for Fears and The B-52’s. I do like some newer bands - Deerhunter, The Allah Las, White Magic, etc. but I really feel like music just isn’t as good as it used to be. I’m really excited about the new Mazzy Star album – that’s probably the newest for me.

4. What are your go-to beauty products?

I’m pretty simple when it comes to beauty products but I do love them. I use Weleda cleansing milk, Burt’s Bees rosewater toner, and a rose moisturizer that my friend sends me from Morocco. In the evening I use Earth Tu Face blue chamomile and carrot seed face serum and Lancôme eye cream – that’s probably the most expensive product I use in terms of beauty products aside from perfume. I’ve been using that combo for the past few years and it really works for me. As far as other products, I am completely obsessed with this body butter by Granado. It’s a Brazilian company and you can’t find it anywhere in the states, but they did a pop-up at Le Bon Marché in Paris and I loved the packaging and the texture so I bought it on my most recent trip. It is literally the most exquisite body cream ever – therapeutic even. I have very dry skin in the fall and winter and this really makes my skin feel smooth and hydrated. I just had my friend in Paris pick me up three more tubs. It even works better than coconut oil!

5. What relaxes you, what inspires you?

Yoga. My teacher is beyond inspiring and always pushes me to do my very best in class. My practice really puts things into perspective. I also love winding down at the Korean spa. I’m inspired by pretty much everything. I think inspiration is everywhere – you just have to keep your eyes and mind open. I’m very inspired by my friends and their creative endeavours, and I like to surround myself with positive people who make things happen.


6. What other city in the world would you live in?

Mexico City and Paris!

7. Where’s the next place you’d like to travel to?

India.

8. Penny-saver or experience-splurger?

I wish I was a penny-saver but I’m definitely an experience-splurger. Life is too short and I love beautiful things!

9. What Instagram accounts, blogs and online stores do you currently love?

Andy Spade’s Instagram feed and Daughter of the Sun’s blog always inspires me. Julia M. Leonard also has an awesome feed. For online shopping I love Creatures of Comfort for shoes and Journelle for lingerie.

10. How did you get started in your career and what was the turning point?

I worked for a trend forecasting company for 3 years and when I left I started doing trend consulting for brands on a freelance basis. I started to get really disillusioned by the whole thing - seeing the same thing over and over and trying to keep up - and that’s when I decided to start my own business outside of trend forecasting.

11. Are you an introvert or extrovert?

I’m definitely an extrovert, but I have moments where I can be a total introvert.

12. Who is your mentor?

My mother-in-law and my friends are my mentors. 


13. Best piece of advice you ever got?

Be curious, work hard, follow your dreams.

14. The one thing you would tell to your younger self?

Calm the fuck down! 

Follow Joanna here and here. 

Rachael Yaeger is one of the most innovative and interesting people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting online. The first time we connected, I was doing social media for MavenSay and Rachael was working for Gin Lane - a creative digital agency. At the time both companies were collaborating together.

Since then, Rachael has ventured into a new role as a freelance project manager. Her fearless pursuit for diverse projects has landed her numerous collaborative and solo projects including running her own gallery and storefront -Humans NYC. Her energy, ambition and undoubtable coolness are what drew me to want to feature her.

1. Where do you go for your morning coffee and why?

West Cafe on Union Ave. has DA BEST iced soy lattes.If I don’t have cash (I will turn my whole apartment upside down to scrounge up 3 bucks) then I head over to Gimme Coffee on Lorimer,they take cards and do a banging latte as well. Both are equidistant from my place. I’m not a true coffee snob. I make shitty filter coffee at home if I’m here during the day or run to the bodega where they load up my cup with caffeine and sugar for a buck. 

2. Where do you typically go after work?

After “work” I like to go and work from my friend and fellow hustler Christina’s.She’s up all hours doing crazy epic nails or graphic designing. We bump hip hop and get shit done. My favorite days are also when my bff Michael Burton Ray and I go to Yoga Vida at 666 Broadway (Kyle Miller is a gem) or we walk the Williamsburg bridge together. He also introduced me to Moto by the JMZ Hewes stop, so dinner and/or a drink there is my spot.

3. What are you currently listening to/reading?

At this very moment I am listening to Ryan Hemsworth - Against A Wall ft. Lofty305. My friend Seb & I saw Ryan at Le Poisson Rouge on Bleeker, I’m obsessed now. My brother, Jake, is a producer in Munich, Germany (and works for K1X) we send links to each other every day. He finds the best shit. “All I Do” by Logic is one of my favorites that he has discovered. We disagree on my undying love for Lil Wayne! I sent him Earl Sweatshirt’s Doris album and he said, “Sounds like it was recorded in a basement… which it probably was.” I love that he’s a tough critic. We both like “Molasses” though which has RZA on it.

I pretty much only listen to hip hop, my friend and talented designer, Greg, knows that anything else usually makes me sad. The new Drake album is off the chain, Worst Behaviour & Too Much (Sampha is so good) being my favs. You can find Cam’ron, Biggie, Nas, Common, A$AP Ferg, Chief Keef, Jay Z, Big L, A Tribe Called Quest, Curren$y, Ghostface Killah, Wu-Tang, KRS-One, J Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Mos Def, Pusha T, Big Sean, Diplo or Action Bronson on my playlists.

My family has a book club, we just finished The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer. I’m reading Zadie Smith’s NW right now. My favorite book on this entire earth is Modoc by Ralph Helfer, it’s about the greatest elephant that ever lived. Bret Easton Ellis and Chuck Palahniuk are two of my favorite authors. If I am reading for work Malcolm Gladwell, Seth Godin, Guy Kawasaki are great, I would recommend Danny Meyer’s Setting the Table to anyone.

I am a magazine junkie. I stop into Bouwerie Iconic Magazine Newsstand and Convenience Store on Bowery or Spoonbill & Sugartown on Bedford Ave. in Brooklyn once a month to stock up. My mom always let me pick out one magazine when we went grocery shopping together, and still does. I am really into i-D magazine right now. The Gentlewoman, Bitchslap, Wilder, Apartmento, Cherry Bombe, Saturdays NYC magazine, Bullet, Work, Brooklyn mag, Numéro, Purple Fashion, Kinfolk, LOVE, Interview, Gather Journal and Please! are a few off the top of my head. 

4. What are your go-to beauty products? 

My mom doesn’t wear makeup and growing up my dad told me I didn’t need it (nice guy, right) so I never learned how to properly apply it. I think I look my best when I’m drinking a lot of water, going to yoga or two days after a facial; oh and sleep helps too! With the help of friends (Kristen Shea) I now know how to navigate Sephora. The only bronzer I will use is Guerlain’s terracotta with mascara and lip stain  by Benefit. I like Josie Maran’s Argan Matchmaker Powder Foundation, Creme de Nude Mac lipstick and Bobbie Brown’s more earthy eye shadows if I am going out. I haven’t mastered eyeliner, it’s a goal I have.

“The most beautiful make-up of a woman is passion. But cosmetics are easier to buy.” - Yves Saint Laurent

5. What relaxes you, what inspires you?

I love the beach. I went to college in St. Augustine, Florida, which has lazy surf town vibes. I cannot get enough of the ocean. I am most relaxed lying in the sand with some friends nearby having a cold one.

I am originally from upstate NY, near the Adirondacks and hiking really inspires me. There’s a sense of accomplishment, the smell of the woods, the cold creeks, the view at the top, it’s all good stuff for me. Camping, building fires, reading, fishing, making rhubarb pies. 

Any moment that locks me down and takes me away from my phone is an inspiring time. I am realizing more and more how much I feel the need to be “connected” and when I’m not, it’s bliss.

6. What other city in the world would you live in?

Copenhagen, Berlin, or, I would go back to Fiji in a heartbeat and study some starfish.

7. Where’s the next place you’d like to travel to?

I want to go to Greece, or do the obligatory road trip out west…preferably on blades, topless.

8. Penny-saver or experience-splurger?

Ah, I am such a splurger, “more is more” is a fault of mine. I can be frugal and scrappy if need be, but the heart wants what the heart wants.

9. What Instagram accounts, blogs and online stores do you currently love?

theprettyaverage & Pretty Averagemy homegirl and inspiration for life (anything but average.) gypsealove & Gypsea Love surf culture x my friend Lex. siloarts for visual stimuli. gunsgermssteal are dope dudes. valentinenewyorkcity & Valentine-NYC I love what they’re doing. I am collaborating soon with Hello-Nova such a cool Brooklyn company aprilfloresworld​  & rypat make my day everyday…well, my feed. indoek & Indoek these guys are killing it. needsupplyco & Need Supply Co. are so on point with everything I’m about. Working Class - I am such a fan. Instagram is lucky to have earlboykins what more can I say. dick a_day and then vagina_an_evening crack me the f up. Its Nice That, Reform, jjjjound, Wired, store.codyhoyt, tommyton.tumblr.com, avenue jo, Pigeons and Planes, Stop It Right Now

10. How did you get started in your career and what was the turning point?Wait, I’ve started my career?! I did my graduate work in London for a year and a half, came home to upstate New York, was a substitute teacher for a bit (gym class, woodshop, Kindergarten, all of it) and then called my friends to see what they were up to. My friend Amy Sanders introduced me to Emmett Shine the founder of Gin Lane & one LOLA’s founders.

11. What was the biggest career risk you’ve ever taken and how did it help you grow?

About five months ago I left my full time position to pursue… my career :) My friend Gordon asked me if I was leaving to make candles (which is semi true, #malove) and my friend Sybil asked me if I was going to rehab (thanks, love) which is not true, ha.

It made me truly realize how much my family believes in me, they are my biggest supporters and give me strength. I feel like it made me grow in how I manage my time, where my energies go is important to me, where I put in work is the amount I am going to get back.

12. Are you an introvert or extrovert?

I am my father’s daughter; we both are loud by nature, which makes me an extrovert. I often jump too quickly and don’t think things over. I think that everyone spends part of their time extraverting and some time introverting. Most of the time I’m moving a mile a minute - stay schemin.

13. Who is your mentor?

Emmett Shine is a boss, brother and mentor to me. He has an insane attention to detail and taught me to question everything. He has solid core values, he appreciates life, friends, family and always keeps it 100% (emoji) - real g’s move in silence like lasagna. He’s focused on his goals and taught me not to settle and to keep pushing, “your setbacks are advantages.”

14. The one thing you would tell to your younger self?

You have time.

15. Best piece of advice you ever got?

Look at your day and do exactly what needs. 

Follow Rachael here and here. 

Ashley is the Editorial Creative Director at Totokaelo in Seattle, which was just named one of the top retailers in the world by Monocle Magazine.  She is a talented artist with her felt pieces and has impeccable taste as a stylist. Her creative direction is truly original and completely transcends the latest trends in contemporary art and fashion. 

I have always wanted to meet her since we started following each other last year. Since settling into her new position at Totokaelo, she kindly let me interview her. 

1.Where do you go for your morning coffee and why? 

My boyfriend Miles makes me an Aeropress cup every morning because he wakes up earlier than me…very lucky :-)

2. Where do you typically go after work? 

Lately to steam and soak at the hot house near my house.

3. What are you currently listening to/reading? 

My friend Cameron’s new album Interiors (Glasser.)

4. What are your go-to beauty products? 

OMG, I’m obsessed with this new Chanel blush/bronzer called  Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Color and think Cle de Peau is hands down the best face makeup- I use their foundation and set it with their powder and a spitz of rose water. I also love Nars Gipsy lipstick because it can look natural if applied lightly and dressed-up if applied heavily.

5. What relaxes you, what inspires you? 

Watching Law & Order Special Victims Unit somehow relaxes me and we just got a car, so getting out in nature has been a real inspiration.

6. What other city in the world would you live in? 

I would live in a lot of places, but I would be most excited about Japan, Paris, Berlin or even New York.The Pacific Northwest weather is beginning to wear on me.

7. Where’s the next place you’d like to travel to? 

Japan. I don’t know if I’d ever come back though!

8. Penny-saver or experience-splurger? 

Definitely experience splurger :-/

9. What Instagram accounts, blogs, online stores do you love? 

Cartwheelsandhardons is a pretty funny instagram, BIG EYES of course, and have to say the new Totokaelo site, but I’m biased :)

10. How’d you get started in your career? What was the turning point? 

Working as a stylist for Totokaelo when it was a small boutique years ago, then styling for a large corporation like Nordstrom and coming back to Totokaelo as Creative Director- I’ve learned a lot.

11. Are you an introvert or extrovert?

Introvert learning to be an extrovert?

12. Who is your mentor? 

My friend Theresa.

13. The one thing you would tell to your younger self? 

There’s only now.

14. Best piece of advice you’ve ever got? 

The thing that bugs you the most about other people is really what bothers you about yourself. 

Follow Ashley here, here and here.