| HN Mirror

The honest answer is chance. I happen to be studying somewhere that gives me an extra-ordinary amount of freedom, and I'll be using it soon to visit Morocco (to do research and write). I also happen to be surrounded by a friend group that are deeply tied to the music industry, and because I'm an illustrator/designer/artist, I can help musicians in that field with album art, music video animations, printing and so on. It's mutually beneficial, but I didn't plan to meet the right people at the right time.

The more "self-made" answer is that I'm ruthless about cutting people out of my life who make me feel bad in ways that can't be solved through communication or a good heart-to-heart. I have a feeling that this puts me into better situations sometimes, because people recognise integrity/self-respect and want to be a part of that.

I also am a fanatic about spending at least 15 min every day in nature, which is where I drink my coffee. This is my morning routine, come rain or shine.

Other things I do to help this lifestyle:

- Wake up without alarm (unless I have a meeting)

- If I'm at parties, grab fresh air occasionally - sometimes you'll get good company out there too, and you can recalibrate

- Saying no to things that other people think are fun, but I don't

- I don't read for hours on end - 30 min at a time is enough, then reflect

- Wear clothes that don't feel modern and sophisticated, a vintage shirt can do a lot to your slow-life mentality

- I've never worked with anything that requires me to work overtime or be on-call

I think the point isn't to have hours and hours of unlimited time to think, but to take breaks in between activities, and carve out consistent 15-30 min slots for your brain to settle down again. Take as much stress out of your life as you can, without making that a stressful activity as well.