Show me you Soul

I'm quite excited to be introducing my new interveiw series! It's aim is getting to know the tiny ticking details of the lives of certain creative types...

Introducing, my ex-house-mate and favourite lady; Grace Allen. A recent graduate and free-lance blogger living in Kensington, London, her working time is shared between the Saatchi Gallery and Four and Twenty Blackbirds, (a vintage shop in North London.)This is how she spends her days...

1) how do you start your day?

I normally get up at 8.00am, throw on my dressing gown and drag myself downstairs to the kitchen, where I put on some tea. I have branflakes with fruit every single day - apart from on Sundays, when I would usually have some form of brunch - whether it's banana pancakes or poached egg, bacon and mushrooms on toast. Mmm. I drink my tea in my room and put the radio on while I get dressed for work, do my make up and so on.. I have to leave around 9.00, but usually make a sandwich for lunch before I go.

2) What/ who inspires you?

It sounds cheesy, but it's probably my mum who encourages me most to try and succeed. Likewise my dad, who is very talented and so hard working. I think that a bit of healthy competition is a good thing, and whenever my boyfriend gets a commission (he's an illustrator) it makes me want to be more productive myself. I want to have things to celebrate, and I hate laziness. I find that watching certain tv shows and movies can be inspiring - 'The City' for example. I can't get over the fact that Whitney is, like, 23?! I have a long way to go!

3) Your guilty pleasure?

I watch 'Sex and the City' OVER and over again, which has to be a guilty pleasure. And 'The Hills'. I used to have weirder ones, like dipping kit kat bars into peanut butter.. now I have a thing about candles: I enjoy nothing more than browsing through the candle section of Tk Maxx.

4) How do you unwind?

I unwind usually by lighting an aforementioned candle, tidying my room (I have become really OCD about my room being clean and tidy) and watching something brainless on my laptop with a cup of tea. It's the best feeling, when you've just come back from work. On Saturdays I go straight from work to Billy's house, and we cook dinner and watch a film or whatever. Usually it's something quite fattening - today we're going to have crispy duck pancakes and I CANT WAIT! Failing that, if I'm meeting friends, it has to be a few glasses of wine in the pub and a good catch up. All these things are very good for unwinding!

5) Plans for 2011?

My plans for 2011.. oh there are so many! I want to go to Italy for some sun, heat and good food.. I want to get a well-paid job that really interests me. My biggest goal is to move out by the end of the year, and to be able to do so comfortably. I want to see friends more, cook more, blog more, start exercising again.

6) Your best piece of advice?

My best piece of advice would be what my mum is always telling me - to put more effort into things, as you will get more back. It often pays off. To work hard, and if possible, play hard.. as we're only going to be young for so long! Very sombre last words, ha.

(all photos from: Live Alone and Like It.)