A Day In The Life Of An Artist
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6am
I wake up naturally with the sun, so in the winter this usually shifts to 7am. The first thing I do is say a prayer. I then do 20-30 minutes of meditation and breathwork using the Insight app. I then go for a five-minute walk just to get some fresh air and sunlight.
7.15am
Once I’m back from my walk, I do my morning pages. Each month I get a new journal. I keep them all in an orange trunk and I've been doing that since 2018, so I have a lot. I'll also have my first coffee of the day from Monmouth. I'm really not a breakfast person, so I’ll just have my coffee with fruit and nuts. While I’m in the shower, I will have a podcast by Elizabeth Gilbert, Malcolm Gladwell or Shara Rose on in the background because I love a bit of self-development. After my shower I dry brush with almond oil. I’m trying out Rhode skincare at the moment, which I love. Other products I swear by include La Roche Posay Vitamin C12 Serum and Omorovicza’s Queen of Hungary face mist. I tend not to wear make-up during the day – just a bit of lipstick and a good fragrance sets me up. My daytime signature scent is e11even – I designed the artwork for the bottle.
8am
I get dressed twice a day. First it’s into some athleisurewear as I’ll be heading to the gym or for a run later in the day. My workout gear comes either from Nike, Sweaty Betty or lululemon. Once I’m dressed, I make the 20-minute walk to my studio in east London and get into my painting flow work. I can’t leave the house without lipstick and Elizabeth Arden’s Eight Hour Cream. My studio is in a warehouse space with lots of light, big paintings everywhere, plants, lots of books, postcards and letters. It's my oasis, my safe space. When I'm painting, I love to listen to playlists featuring Gilles Peterson or Haseeb Iqbal. I love jazz, Philly and neo soul – Common and Jill Scott are on rotation right now. Music is so important to me, and I never thought that it would become my biggest inspiration, but it really has. I've also been listening to hours of interviews and speeches on YouTube, everyone from Jim Carrey to Anna Wintour. One of my favourites is by Denzel Washington called Fall Forward.
Louise Wilkie
@VergnanoStyle
12pm
After painting for about four hours, I go for a run. I track my runs with the Nike running app. I’ll also do 30 minutes of light weights then have a shower and get changed for the second time. I have a small capsule wardrobe that I love. It’s only in later life that I’ve realised how good clothes can make you feel. If I feel like I look good, my whole attitude changes. I live in my red Ganni boots – perfect with vintage Levi’s, a white shirt from Julia Allert and my cropped black leather jacket from & Other Stories that I’ve had for years. I’ll finish off the look with a pair of sunglasses. My vintage Cartier sunnies are all that I’m wearing at the moment, but Jimmy Fairly is my high-street pick. I love affordable luxury brands like Reformation. My style icons are probably Bianca Jagger, Jane Birkin and Jimi Hendricks.
1.30pm
Eggs and avocado on toast is my usual lunch. I give myself about 30 minutes to eat and listen to some more podcasts – The Reggie Yates Podcast or Diary of a CEO. I will be scrolling at the same time to catch up on some social media. If I have lunch meetings, I go to House of Koko or Carven. After lunch, I make my way into town to take meetings for the rest of the day.
The House Of Koko
6.30pm
I go out at night three or four times a week. It’s a mixture of work events and seeing friends. I get home around 6.30pm and start getting ready. I like to wear my Shona Joy black halterneck top with black silk trousers and Malone Souliers heels. I love Turkish and Ukrainian brands like Nocturne. British designers I really admire include Bianca Saunders, 16Arlington and Alexander McQueen. A lot of my bags are pre-loved – I've got some good pieces from Paris, LA and New York, as well as places like Buffalo Exchange or artisan markets. I wear a lot of Daisy London jewellery. I’ll put on some make-up to go out, usually a lip and cheek from ILIA, a Givenchy mixed eyeshadow palette and Hourglass mascara.
8pm
I love a good chick flick. If I’m staying in, I will cook dinner with my flatmate and watch a film. My favourites are Hitch and Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet. It’s always a healthy dinner such as fish, veggies, rice or sweet potato. I've just binged Nobody Wants This on Netflix, and I’m also watching The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
10.30pm
I fall asleep within a minute of getting into bed. Beforehand, I will take off my make-up and do some more mediating and breathwork – Lukis Mac is great on YouTube, or I use the app Awaken. My bedside table is full of books by Maya Angelou, Cleo Wade and Elif Shafak – along with an orchid that my friend gave to me and my scented candle. I love my Diptyque candle – younger me never thought I would be able to afford them.
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