Home is …
“Where is home?” is a tricky question for me because I grew up in the UK but I was born in Sydney. I guess I’ll always have two homes and a foot in both countries. I currently live in Bondi but to be clear, I don’t wear white linen and I’m still never sure what I’m meant to wear to the beach. My apartment has been coined “The Penthouse” by friends — it’s by far the best place I’ve ever lived.
How I start my day …
I don’t have a “typical” morning. There’s always some music involved, coffee and cuddles with my cat but it changes day to day. I’ve been told so many times about the importance of a morning routine and I’ve really tried to implement one, but nothing has stuck yet. Someone recently suggested making three different routines for low-energy, mid-energy and high-energy mornings so I’m going to try that.
One of my main goals is to incorporate some kind of meditation practice into my mornings. Meditation is something I’ve always struggled with, which is where the idea for my podcast Relate & Meditate came from. I wanted to listen to meditations that almost felt like a pep talk and a mindset reset, versus light beams coming out of my head, so I made them for myself and for friends, and then shared them with the world. We use the word “meditation” very loosely at R&M.
My work space looks like …
I’m so lucky that my home office is a sunroom with a balcony off it so it’s super bright and breezy on sunny days. Basically I like being outside. If I’m not out on photoshoots or event producing, I’m editing my podcast — if you listen to an episode, you’ll be able to hear all the lorikeets outside my office window.
On work/life balance …
I don’t really believe in the “work/life” balance thing. I tend to have those lines pretty blurred, although admittedly sometimes not in the healthiest of ways. With the way the world is now, and the ways in which social media blends into work, it’s inevitable that there is crossover. It’s just about figuring out where you draw the line.
I’m really emotionally attached to everything I work on, so the decision to go freelance this year seemed like the best way to manage that balance and make sure I’m only working on projects that feel aligned with my values, don’t zap my energy and, most importantly, feel fun! I’m very happy for work to blend into my personal life when that looks like bouncing ideas with friends, finding gems during my Instagram scrolls and jumping into work “out of hours” because I feel inspired. I try not to check my emails 10,000 times a day like I used to, and have recently learnt that it’s actually not rude to not reply within an hour of receiving a message.
On ambition…
I always wished I was one of those people who just knew what they wanted to be when they were younger, but my career path until recently has felt more like being on a conveyor belt of societal norms and discovering different doors along the way. I studied Cinema & Photography at university but lied on my resume when I moved to Sydney and said I had a Communications Degree, which landed me a job in public relations. I moved over as a photographer, but eventually submitted to the part of myself that felt I had to get “a real job”.
As someone who didn’t really know what kind of work I wanted to focus on, Public Relations was a great starting point for me. There is so much variety in what you do, from events to brand positioning, and you meet so many people. It’s a fast track to building a solid network of contacts. I did that for a few years and eventually landed the role of Microsoft Surface Talent Director, running their influencer marketing in Australia, which again introduced me to so many talented and inspiring creatives.
I’ve always been very driven and constantly push myself forward even without much clear direction, just feeling it out and trusting myself to make the leap into different opportunities. It became apparent in the last year or so that I craved more dedicated time to create (rather than just cramming it into weekends and outside of my “email hours”). I felt like I’d betrayed myself in some ways for not being brave enough to step off the conventional ladder-climbing path I was on. I think that happens to a lot of people and you look back and think “didn’t I say I never wanted to work at a desk every day?”.
Now I’m back taking photographs again, creative consulting and working on Relate & Meditate. I’ve realised that all I really need to survive freelance life is being self-motivated and not getting in my head too much about what I’m “supposed” to be doing.
I really like nice things so being disciplined and not settling for less kind of becomes second nature when you’re willing to pay $300 for bed sheets (!).
On collaboration…
If I’m honest, I usually love working alone and sometimes find it a challenge to work with other people because I thrive in my own chaotic style of working. When I have to factor in other people, I need to add in some structure and remind myself that other people can’t see inside my mind and I need to communicate how I have got from A to B.
Collaboration can be so golden and helps you push your creativity further than you thought it could go. I’ve worked with some incredible collaborators on events who have helped add even the tiniest extra details that have made everything so much more memorable; collaborating on a custom scent for an event was a recent highlight.
For Relate & Meditate, collaboration has been key to understanding different people’s needs and perspectives. The podcast’s premise is crafting relatable meditations for even the most niche of issues (like first date nerves or a creativity slump), so collaborating with our guests has been essential for creating something that is actually useful for everyone. There are episodes in there that address issues I personally can’t relate to, but so many listeners have said they’ve found them helpful, so collaborating has been crucial in being inclusive and providing something for everyone.
On success…
Success to me is achieving ultimate freedom. Being able to go wherever, whenever, and not having to ask anyone’s permission. It’s about feeling secure, not guilty, and living a life doing what truly makes you happy. Doing work you’re excited to talk about! On the one hand I’m very money-motivated, but on the other, I’m not willing to compromise my happiness and crush my creativity in order to make bank. Success is the sweet spot in the middle.
Success is also about doing something helpful with my life that supports other people. I really hate doing things just for the sake of doing them. I’ve battled with pretty severe anxiety since I was young and have come a long way from when I used to dissociate and have panic attacks, so it felt important for me to try and do something in the mental health space that supports a different group of people who may not be into going to therapy. Relate & Meditate’s mission is to “provide support before support needs to be sought”, which I think sums it up well.
I do believe there is an aspect of being humbled and putting in the hard yards with your career — potentially doing work you don’t love in order to learn the ropes, but once you’ve got that foundation in place, it gives you the confidence to create your own path.
I have so much I want to achieve and I’m sure the list will keep growing. My plan is to eventually turn Relate & Meditate into a thriving modern wellness company and I’ve always dreamt of having some kind of physical venue that people can visit to just get out of their own personal spirals. I have plans to merge all my career paths and passions: PR, events, Relate & Mediate and photography into one powerhouse of a business. Watch this space.
On travelling…
I miss travelling so much. I’m usually back and forth between London and Sydney, so the last year or so has been tough. In a way, staying in one place has pushed me to create from a more inward place rather than finding inspiration elsewhere. That said, I find so much inspiration online. I know too much social media is bad for you, but seriously, there is real magic that happens during those scrolls, especially when I’m trying to figure out the best way to be of service on a platform a lot of people go to in order to numb out and avoid their problems.
My next trip, which I’ve been visualising in immense detail, will be to Copenhagen. I’ve become obsessed with Danish fashion and can’t wait to head there with my mum once we can be reunited.
What I do to blow off steam …
I dance very badly to blow off steam or go on very long power walks. I’ll just walk and walk until I feel better.
My night-time ritual …
My current night-time ritual consists of clearing “the chair” (you know, the one all of your clothes end up on), putting on a lavender diffuser and I’ve only just started doing an actual skincare routine, which I’ve been sticking to religiously. I’m still guilty of binging screen time before bed, which is definitely why I don’t sleep well, but I almost always listen to a meditation as I fall asleep. I’ve always really hated sleeping in silence.
For more, visit daisyclem.com or @daisyclementina and @relateandmeditate on Instagram.
