issue two, round three: deja vu?
welcome back to our Q&A sessions! round three is all about the plausibility of rom-com lovers on Tinder and the boundless love of Golden Retrievers.
featuring Erica Larsen, Audrey Dundee Hannah, Denisse Martine, Megan Kelly, and Becky May.
are you an early bird or a night owl? what is your favorite time of day?
EL: I treasure my mornings, though my definition of “morning” has shifted a bit over the years, depending on hungry cats, hangovers, classes, and boyfriends with real jobs. regardless of the hour, my routine is the same: make coffee, make cereal, and spend two hours surfing news, blogs and social media until the coffee pot is empty. and I love it.
ADH: I absolutely love and am most productive early in the morning, but tend to feel happiest later in the evening. 11 AM is pretty great: sweaty and stoned from my workout, I get to start plotting early lunch and second coffee.
DM: I tend to replace sleep with coffee and by the time caffeine takes effect it's later in the day, so I am most definitely NOT a morning person. although I have to say 5:01pm on Friday eve is not just my favorite time of the day, it's my favorite time of the week!
MK: I'm a person who values sleep over most things...so neither, really. however, if I do somehow wake up before the sun, dawn is my favorite. I don't get to experience that kind of serene every day.
BM: I’ve always been a morning person. I used to wake my parents up at the crack of dawn on Saturday mornings for them to begrudgingly get up and turn on morning cartoons for me to watch. and despite the fact that I hit snooze several times before I get out of bed, my productivity is usually at its peak in the morning.
where are you/what are you doing when your creative ideas usually strike?
EL: going for a walk almost always solves whatever writing problem I'm facing, whether it's a snarl of stubborn plot threads or plain old writer's block. after an hour-long stroll around the neighborhood—without my phone—I usually come home more inspired and sometimes overflowing with actual words, struggling to retain them until I get them on the page.
ADH: I’m usually wandering solo and observing people out in the world. sometimes in meditation the gift of a new idea will fall out of the ether, but mostly it’s enjoying overheard dialogue or the spectacle of self-presentation that fascinates and inspires me. yesterday I spent about fifteen minutes trying to figure out if the guy at the next table’s loved one, named Cashmere, was a child or a dog.
DM: typically it's right before falling asleep, I made it a goal to remember when I wake up the next morning but I hardly ever do, so the last couple of weeks I have been trying to take notes. my purse, bedroom floor, and even cubicle are full of post-it notes that don't make any sense!
MK: inspiration sneaks up on me like the relentless bitch that it is. happens whenever it feels like it. most often, nostalgia is the pinpoint to many inspirations. I'll remember something, someone, or some place (I experience deja vu pretty often) and then see how that memory has reflected upon my present self. from there, I immediately take notes on words I'm feeling, or things I'm seeing in my mind. then all the fun experimenting begins!
BM: without fail, creativity strikes me at the most inconvenient times. ideas tend to come to me while I’m driving, which makes sense considering when you live in Los Angeles that is how you spend the bulk of your time. but I forbid myself to try to type my ideas into my phone while in the car (after a few near collision experiences). the other instances when creativity strikes usually involve copious amounts of alcohol…so who knows if they are actually creative ideas or just too many gin and tonics. but what great writer doesn’t have a slight alcohol problem?
are you a creature of habit/routine or are you comfortable kept on your toes?
EL: isn’t it funny how the bad habits seem to stick like crazy glue and the good ones are so easy to shed? thankfully, I've managed to eliminate most of my worst ones. but somehow no matter how early I wake up, an 8 a.m. gym run has never managed to squeeze into my morning routine.
ADH: improvising and going bold and risky are as much a part of me as the way I diligently organize my schedule, priorities, and regular bedtime. without a foundation of order and preparation, the big messy choices don’t have a shot in hell.
DM: I think for everyday responsibilities I prefer a set routine, but when it comes to my personal life I get tired of monotony which is why I am always traveling with my bare necessities--so I can indulge in authentic experiences on my vagabonding weekends.
MK: if something doesn't go according to plan, I panic...immediately. I spend a lot of time creating calendars and a to-do lists and setting reminders for a reason--my sanity.
BM: having a routine makes me feel like an adult, but if I had an option I would rather throw my schedule out the window and just wing every day.
what is your most helpful flaw?
EL: I feel obnoxious saying this, but it's got to be perfectionism. to be honest, it’s one my most harmful character defects as well. but there’s no denying that having stupidly high standards for myself has its perks, even if it's quite literally driven me crazy at times.
ADH: my heart is like a bounding Golden Retriever, which means sometimes I’ve poured my love into those who didn’t deserve it. what’s helpful is that I am an eternal optimist, sometimes hurt but never at risk of turning into a clenched fist or the bitter people who’ve tried to convince me to shut it down.
DM: when I feel aggravated I tend to keep to myself. it comes in handy because it comes off as self-control and it avoids me hurting others in times times of high tension, but in all honesty I just often don't know how to verbalize my frustration.
MK: I'm that guy who is on top of your shit whether you want me to be or not. which is suuuuuper annoying to some people, but for others we create a symbiotic relationship. they would be like, "Hey Megan, can you remind me to do this thing?" and I'm like, "hell yeah I'm gonna set a reminder on two devices and write this note on my hand so I'll remember to remind you as many times as possible until you do it." then they're very grateful for my persistent annoyance, which makes me feel great! so it all works out, I guess?
BM: my most helpful flaw is my naivety. although there are some situations where being naïve isn’t so helpful, like believing that dudes on Tinder actually do like rom-coms and aren’t holding their niece or nephew just as a prop and do like children. but overall I think this where my optimism stems from, which is what I consider one of my best qualities. I’m a hopeful person and think that there’s a reason to always give someone the benefit of the doubt.