Dear sunshines,
Can you believe it’s already October?! Time is just flying by so fast lately. I hope your September month was fulfilling and that you could get some extra summer warm energy before the change of season!
On my side, it seems like in September I have collected the fruits of my summer introspection. I started the ‘Back To School’ season with drafting a clear vision and an action plan for Ariane Solal. I now know where I am going, where I want to lead this brand, and I can’t wait to make it happen, step by step. I will slowly reveal to you the upcoming projects for Ariane Solal; but last month, you’ve already discovered one of them: the Muses Portraits offer!
It is exhilarating to be at the dawn of a new chapter, it reminds me of the very early stages of French Dragon, back in 2018, when the future of the brand was in my mind only, when everything had yet to be built, and thus everything was possible. It turned out, with a lot of work and thanks to the most supportive Shanghai community, French Dragon shaped into a brand even more beautiful than in my wildest vision!
So today, I am back at this very beginning moment, and I have to admit, at times, it feels like a really high mountain to climb. That is why, in this HERE TO FEEL letter, I want to focus on practices & rituals I have integrated in my daily life recently, to fill my own cup with the required energy to build Ariane Solal and climb that big mountain of my dreams.
My conviction is that all of us can accomplish ambitious goals if we learn to care for ourselves and for that inner fire that will fuel our projects.
I will share with you today practices to fill my overachiever’s cup, from this personal winning recipe: Integration ❁ Relaxation ❁ Expansion ❁ Intuition
❁ Integration ❁
My biggest source of creative inspiration is living a life rich in adventures. This often equals an overwhelming amount of experiences to process and learn from. And as much as I love filling my life with new exciting explorations, I also like to stop, just breathe for a minute and take the time to integrate. This ‘live then process’ cycle is what keeps me going on the long term.
One of my best tools for integration is journaling, and specifically the morning pages, a ritual I try to maintain overtime as much as I can. Recently, I felt inspired to ornament the pages of my journal with beautiful paintings, and it made this collection of candid notes and thoughts even more precious to me. Like a true sacred space to write down little pieces of wisdom. And as I keep all of my journals over the years, who knows, maybe down –down– the line, they will tell the story of my life journey.
❁ Relaxation ❁
As a morning person, the early me time is my true relaxing moment of the day, it replenishes both my body and my soul. Everyday I walk to the kitchen excited to make myself a gorgeous nourishing breakfast. If you are interested, I’ll spend time to write down and photograph some of my recipes for you in the future (send me a message if that’s something you’d like!). Meanwhile, I often post photos on @ariane.solal Instagram stories ;)
I use simple ingredients (seasonal fruits, Greek yogurt, sesame paste, granola…) and create a ‘glow up’ moment in a beautiful handmade ceramic bowl, adding up special spices mix, high quality honey, dried flower petals, etc. Ah just thinking about how beautiful it looks makes me happy!
I also prepare a delicious cup of coffee with an Italian Moka Pot on the stove. I don’t know if it’s the manual ritual to make it or its comforting sound when it’s ready, but it just tastes better than any other coffee!
❁ Expansion ❁
A few months ago, when I saw that Sofia Coppola was going to publish an archive book of her work, and that it was available for pre-order, I didn’t walk, I RAN. I received the precious volume early September and have indulged since into my favorite filmmaker world for hours.
It got me to re-discover Marie Antoinette, a movie released in 2006 that had deeply influenced my Parisian teenage years, and to re-re-re-watch Lost in Translation, THE one film that has kept me dreaming since I first saw it. What Scarlett Johansson was experiencing in Tokyo on screen was very close to what I had first felt when arriving in Shanghai in my early twenties.
Sofia Coppola is by far the artist I feel the most connected with, she is my ‘expander’. I often tell myself I want to communicate through my paintings what she communicates through her movies. So I wasn’t surprised, reading her interview at the beginning of the book, to see that she uses the exact same words to describe her world as the ones I use to describe Ariane Solal’s one; words such as ‘dreamy intimacy’, ‘romantic’, emotions’, ‘daydreaming’…
‘There is always a world and there is always a girl trying to navigate it. That’s the story that will always intrigue me.’ Sofia Coppola
❁ Intuition ❁
Something I had totally forgotten since leaving my Shanghai life is how much I used to thrive creatively at night. The past year has been so exhausting with all the changes and challenges that I got used to go to bed pretty early, and I overlooked the possibility to create once the night had fallen.
But as I am regaining my energy and falling back on my feet, I get reminded of who I am and how to live to the best of my abilities. I do love to create at night. The dark sky, the lit windows and the sudden quiet of the city form an enchanting ambiance that just lights up my intuition and creativity.
In order to find back the atmosphere I was so fond of in my Shanghai home, I finally replaced the broken light bulbs of my three beloved Chinese lamps. These have accompanied me through thick and thin, in all my apartments and countries moves these past seven years! They were the ones that shed a warm soft light on my best creations and ideas for French Dragon, and I hope they will do the same for Ariane Solal...
I invite you to reflect and get inspired by these simple rituals & practices, to find the way to your own special recipe to fill your cup. My advice is to follow what naturally makes your heart beat <3
And if you missed it, you can listen to my ‘September Thoughts’ voice note right here.
Love from nyc,
Laure-Anne