The Europe In Synch Podcast
The Europe In Synch Podcast
EP15: Act In Synch 2024, Athens Special - The Time Talk with Anne Jensen, Elena Charbila, Misia Furtak, Vickie Amiralis, & Tianna Amore.
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Join us in Athens, Greece, where the Act in Synch Summit is fostering cross-industry collaborations and sparking discussions about climate change, sustainability, cultural impacts, and urban transformation. The summit's vibrant setting at the Impact Hub provides an ideal backdrop for exploring how music intersects and acts with advertising, urban development, tech, and global challenges. We highlight insights from influential speakers & delegates who emphasize the importance of community and collaboration in overcoming industry obstacles and forging a positive future in a post-pandemic, AI-driven world.
From her sailboat, currently moored in the Canary Islands, brand strategist Anne Jensen shares her radical lifestyle choice - prioritizing adventure over routine, travel over settling, and minimalism over consumerism. Her story sets the stage for a candid discussion among our panel of artists, musicians and activists about finding balance in an industry that demands so much.
Composer Elena Charbilla (Kid Moxie) reveals how she navigates a dual existence between the cutthroat LA music scene and the grounding reality of her Greek homeland. While, Gen Z filmmaker & activist, Tianna Amore brings a refreshing perspective that prioritizes authentic happiness above career advancement - a significant shift from previous generations. Misia Furtak of Keychange & Music Declares Emergency shares the revelation that simply being permitted to take breaks when feeling overwhelmed initially felt "shocking" and "controversial" - highlighting how deeply entrenched unhealthy work expectations have become. Meanwhile Vickie Amiralis shares the story of unknowingly manifesting her ideal life of living in the countryside and working from her studio with a dog named Rex - evidence that sometimes we're already living the dream but need a moment to recognize it.
The panel explores practical approaches to creative routines, self-care, and managing expectations in a field where the line between personal and professional life often blurs, questioning the relentless pursuit of career achievements as the only path to fulfillment.
Perhaps most powerfully, the conversation reveals that success might be found not in adding more to our lives, but in simplification and creating space.
The discussion is once again guided by Leader of Act In Synch, Nis Bøgvad.
Europe In Synch is created, managed, promoted, and driven by several European organizations and companies and is a truly cross-border collaboration.
The goals are to bring together professionals from the music sector with decision-makers from film & advertising to provide a real-life, hands-on, learning experience, and to promote European music in the complex field of synchronization, through communication, knowledge-building and networking via focused mentoring and peer training sessions.
Follow Europe In Synch:
- Home: https://europeinsynch.net
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EuropeinSynch
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/europeinsynch
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- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/europeinsynch
Intro/Outro music is an instrumental edit of "Gimme" by Daffodils.
They're on Soundcloud.
Europe In Synch is co-funded by the European Commission.
This podcast is a SuperSwell production.
Introduction and Anna's Nomadic Life
Speaker 2Welcome to the Europe in Sync podcast . We have another special episode coming from the 2024 Act in Sync Summit in Athens , greece . We're bringing you a selection of talks and panels featuring excellent discussions around the subjects of music , tech , brands and time . This episode is the Time Talk involving composer and musician Elena Charbilla . Mischa Fertag of Music , declares Emergency and the Key Change Project , vicky Amiralis from In Place of War and Earth , sonic filmmaker and activist Tiana Amor , and joining virtually from her boat anchored somewhere in the Mediterranean , is brand strategist Anna Jensen . The panel is once again led by founder of Act In Sync , nis Bugved . The session begins with a brief video presentation given by Anna , who describes the nomadic , sea-bound working life she has created for herself , which leads to an open-hearted panel discussion about working in the creative industries , how to self-motivate , how to lead projects remotely and how to balance the personal and professional hopes , expectations and challenges towards a more successful life . So let's dive right in and join Nis talking to Anna , tiana , elena Misha and Vicky . Elena , mischa and Vicky .
Speaker 3The last panel of the day , a very personal reflection on how it is to be an artist today and also how to reflect on your own success expectations . We are in the privileged position that Anna Jensen will be joining us online . We think if it works , but she has made a little video for us about her life as an inspiration for this . There is Anna . Let's hear what it is .
Speaker 4Hello everyone . I hope that you had an inspiring day so far . I am so thrilled that topics like sustainability , climate change , future of work , mental health in this industry are finally at the top of the bill at events like this , because these are areas that we need to tackle in order to have a future at all . Our planet is suffering . We are suffering and we need to not just adjust and make small changes . We need to radically change our habits and our ways of doing so . Quick introduction I have many years of experience as a leader in the cultural and events industry . I've worked with sustainability and branding across Europe , and now I have my own consultancy company where I work with small and medium-sized companies with sustainability . I also make music and I have a thorough belief in the power of music to connect and to inspire .
Speaker 4My home is a 42-foot sailboat that's about 13 meters of length and four meters wide , and right now we're anchored in a remote anchorage in the Canary Islands . So , to set the stage for this upcoming session , I want to give you a day in my life . I wake up when I've slept enough , I make my coffee , I grind my beans myself , and then I look at the surroundings , I jump in the water for a quick swim and then I shower on the back of the boat . Then it's time for work for a couple of hours that's typically scheduled in , and then we might go to shore in our dinghy that's our inflatable car to do a hike or to do some shopping . If there are other people in the anchorage or the boats that we know , we might go there for a sundowner in the late afternoon to swap stories and experiences and dreams , and then evenings are typically for winding down or to plan where to go next . It's not all picture perfect , though . Sometimes it's tiring and hard and difficult when things break and we don't know how to fix them and we don't have anyone to call , or if the weather gets bad , we can't just go inside under a blanket and say that we don't want to think about it . It's not always slow mornings and sunset watches , but it's not a typical every day .
Speaker 4I've chosen adventure over the comfort of routines . I've chosen to travel instead of settle , and I've chosen minimalism over consumerism . Together with my husband , I wanted to see new places , meet new people , experience new cultures , and we've sailed several thousand nautical miles across the Mediterranean , and in a month's time we're going to be crossing the Atlantic towards the Caribbean . What I've learned since leaving the dock in Denmark is that time is precious . It's mentally healing to be able to not hurry every day , to be more outside and to also have the chance to choose what my day is like to a greater extent . And what I've also found is that this time space gives me more headspace , so my work is better , I'm more focused , the quality of the deliveries to my clients is better and I really like doing it .
Speaker 4For two years where we've been sailing in the Mediterranean , we have experienced being anchored right next to a burning mountain of forest fires . In Kofu , we have struggled through months of intense heat wave , and we have seen anchorages and islands being hit by more unpredicted weather and storms than ever before . To me , it feels meaningful to do life in a different way than the typical . I absolutely love that our boat is powered by the sun and the wind and that our drinking water is made from desalinated seawater . So , while living on a boat might not be the obvious choice for everyone , I really want to encourage you to consider how your life balances with your dreams and how your everyday life impacts our planet , or if there are any radical changes that are just waiting to be made by you , because , as I said , time is precious .
Speaker 3That was Anna , and do we have Anna on board this ship ? She will be here in a minute . Let me just start by asking you to present yourself , so we know who we have in this lovely panel .
Speaker 6My name is Misha Furtak . I'm a musician . I work together with KeyChange on that initiative . I also run the Polish chapter of music Declares Emergency . So , in short , that's me .
Speaker 5I'm Elena . My artist name is Kid Moxie . I'm a composer , producer , artist Split my time between LA and Greece . I'm from Athens , born and raised .
Speaker 7Yep . Hi guys , my name is Tiana , I'm a filmmaker and an activist , and I'm also Gen Z , so I feel like I'm going to get grilled .
Speaker 8Hello everybody , I'm Vicky . I'm an artist , curator and also freelance project manager that specialises in climate and environmental art and music projects . Nice to be here .
Speaker 3Thank you , and you are from In Place of War .
Speaker 8In Place of War .
Speaker 3Representing them at least . Earthsonic is the project I'm representing here . Thank you , and you are from In .
Speaker 8Place of War In Place of War , representing them at least here .
Speaker 3It's the project I'm representing here and , tiana , you are also involved in a project called 100 Agents for Change from In Place of .
Speaker 7War . I'm from 100 Climate Agents of Change , which is from In Place of War , and I have my own project called Black for Nature .
Speaker 3Just a round of answers to a question what do you think when you see a video of Anna ? Do you think she lives a life that you dream of , that is out of reach , that is a fairy tale , that is just imagination , that this could actually work for you guys ? What do you think ?
Speaker 8I lived in London
Panel Introductions and Initial Reactions
Speaker 8all my life and then about three and a half years ago , I decided to make the leap and move out of London and now I'm surrounded by fields and at first it was super scary but now I really love it and it's amazing and London and the world is still super accessible . So Anne's life on a boat surrounded by water seems even the next step which would be incredible . And what a life to be able to jump into the sea every morning . So I I admire that and I've taken my small steps to get into my own little world where I can manage time .
Speaker 3Yeah , any reflections , feelings , when you see it .
Speaker 5I feel like the motivations are similar , for me at least , like the motivation to simplify in order to expand . That's kind of what I'm getting from her and I love that as a concept . I feel like how we each get there can be very different . I've never thought of living on a boat and I'm from Greece , you know that's never crossed my mind . It's way more accessible here in a way , but I definitely have the urge and the need to simplify in general in life , Cause I feel like once you cut out the noise , you hear yourself better .
Speaker 6So I feel like that's kind of like a common denominator between what I'm seeing in her and how I feel sometimes yeah , I see the need for simplicity in this lifestyle as well , but having lived most of my life in Eastern Europe , having seen this video , I also see that it's coming from a point of privilege , and I have to say that .
Speaker 3Yeah , yeah , it's fascinating that there is another option for living your life . There you are , anne , hi , can we hear you as well ?
Speaker 4Yeah , yeah , good to be here .
Speaker 3Good to have you , Anne . There is a different kind of reactions to your video . I think we all see it as a fairy tale . Could you just present yourself a little bit about your company ?
Speaker 4Yeah , so , as I mentioned , I have my consultancy company that I started when we left Denmark , and I work mainly with Danish clients in the cultural and events industry . So I worked with festivals for years and years going back . So it is a privilege to be able to take that experience and that work with me out into the world and travel . At the same time , I appreciate that the perspective would be brought up in this conversation changes that we need to make in our habits and our ways of living sometimes need new input to be able to see how can we actually get away from the routines and do something completely different than how we've done it before , because companies , sectors , industries need to think so much out of the box that we can't even maybe imagine what that looks like . And to me at least , to be able to be someplace completely else and have an everyday that is completely different from what I had before gives me that perspective . So that's why I also underlined the paradox in . It was at least what I was trying to do .
Speaker 3Thank you . The topic that we started out with was time and the pressure of time , so taking time off is actually what we are afraid of , you know . But can we say I'm a creative , I have a dream and expectations to make this life what I dream of . Can we then afford to sit on a boat for two years and try that out ?
Speaker 6Well , it's a huge question because it very much depends on whether the pressure is actually put on us by the people we work with or is it our own pressure and our own vision of what we should be , and with both of these there's different ways of working with that . Of course , it very much depends also on our circumstances , because I was based in different territories throughout my professional life and the setup I was based in different territories throughout my professional life and the setup that you get in different countries is also very different . You're talking about getting three weeks vacation , like Poland now is debating finally formalizing the status of an artist , where artists get recognized in the system . Artists don't get any social security . If they work , they make money . If they don't work , there's no such thing as taking time off . So sometimes you're working in a reality where it's really hard to know what is a day off or what is not a day off , and then , if something happens , you need to take care of your health . That becomes a much bigger problem .
Speaker 3So it very much depends on your circumstances yeah , but personally , do you feel that you need to succeed with your goals now , and is it too late tomorrow or a year from now ? Is it pressure of time for you guys ?
Speaker 6of course there is to a certain extent , and that's something that the music industry enforces on you especially I have say it because we're a female lineup especially if you're a woman . But then I think also , the more you work and the longer you are in the work , you learn to set your boundaries and basically do it on your own terms . But there's still things to tackle in regards to that definitely .
Speaker 5Yeah , I mean , and it's very personal , for me , success always needed to be yesterday , you know , oh , I'll do that tomorrow , I will send those . No , no , the urge was always present . It's still present . I don't feel like I have the luxury of time , but I never did and frankly , I always felt that's an illusion . Whenever I heard people say , no , no , we'll deal with that . Then I'm like , how do you have this luxury of time ?
Speaker 5At the same time , I recognize that's a trap because that does build as stress as women , like you said , we carry that in a double amount , I feel . And I think one of the reasons that I like associating myself with my composer identity more is because I don't have to show my face . I don't have to be a woman . I'm anybody , whereas with my pop stuff it's me , I'm anybody , whereas with my pop stuff it's me and a woman in pop ages , more than they age in the film world , despite the fact that I love it . It's a great protection that early on I was like , wow , this is kind of ageless and that's kind of more fair in a way .
Speaker 7I think it's a difficult question to answer . Really , I feel like this does also come into where my position is in my life at the moment . I have only just graduated university , which might seem , like you , like a very long time for a lot of people . But it's double-sided , because there's a point , especially in my generation , we feel like , okay , cool , we've graduated , now we need to go and actually make something of ourselves .
Speaker 7We've done all of this to go and be something , but we have prioritized so many other things above our actual careers and I think that's really shown in recent years that we actually prioritize our mental health and our happiness above where we go financially in our careers and stuff like that . So in terms of taking our time to figure it out , I think it's much more accepted and appreciated and there's a lot more relaxed view on being like you know what . It's fine , you can take your time , you've got plenty of time to figure it out . Don't put yourself in a position of stress and unhappiness just to better yourself in your career . Go and do something that makes you happy . Whether it's gonna work out for you or not , at the end of the day it's fueling your passion . So I think that's kind of the general mindset of where I am and my position .
Speaker 3So that's a general acceptance that you need your space , that we didn't have that many years ago , but you feel that that is acceptable now . To speak out saying this is enough for me . I remember last year in Berlin we had one artist asking if the room was available all day because she could not cope with a lot of people all day . She needed the space . I don't think anyone was not agreeing that she should have that space , but I tell you that in a man's world , 20 years ago it would have been the topic around the bar table in the evening , definitely .
Speaker 6But it is very new For me . The discovery that that is possible is like a matter of maybe three years ago , when I started working around
Creative Routines and Self-Care Practices
Speaker 6key change and when we had our first assembly , we were told that if we don't feel comfortable , if we feel overwhelmed , if something is not OK , we can leave the room at any point and nothing is compulsory and we don't have to do any of these things . And there is a roof upstairs . If we feel that we need some air and at really every point of the conference , we are free to leave . And I think this was maybe one of the most shocking information and we heard a lot of , you know , heavy gender-related reports with a lot of controversial information . But I think that was maybe the wildest and most controversial thing that they told us and I had a panic attack within the first 15 minutes of the thing and I went to the roof tires and I met another girl and we actually really bonded and I figured sometimes it's not in the room where this thing happens and that's also the beauty of it .
Speaker 3Vicky , you're taking your time off because you're expecting .
Speaker 8As a freelancer it's a bit more difficult because in the UK you don't really get maternity leave , so you have to think about that . But that's one thing that I'll do a bit later . I mean , I left London because I didn't want to have those distractions and I wanted to focus on the work that I wanted to do . I now work with In Place of War and Earthsonic , and it's such a small team , there is no hierarchy and everyone is so supportive and the work is flexible . That support enables you to take time when you need time , work when you're supposed to work , and that also thankfully , makes it a little bit easier for me if I want to continue the freelance job when I have the child . So it took a lot for me to take the risk of leaving my 10-year job in London and going freelance , but I took the leap and at the moment , touch wood it's okay and there are things that I've had to give up , like accessibility , but everything is still reachable and a lot of things happen online now , so it's possible .
Speaker 3But it also springs to mind you know the amount of work you put into your careers . I think that's general for all the music climate initiatives out there . You are such small teams with extremely high expectations of what you want to do with these organizations , and I'm just always admiring the energy you put into it . So it's not about being a female that you need your space or whatever . It is just about us working with big ambitions in small teams . And I think also when you say privilege I know you all have your limits , but you are also maybe stronger than others sitting here that you actually drive your own career in the way you do . I don't know if you are , but you appear to be on top of what you want to do . So do you change the perspective of your success goals ? Often because you feel that the industry doesn't respect the time you need off or the time that you need to write songs . How do you feel about that in general ?
Speaker 8I think you just have to just do it , like Nike . I mean , I think you have to be a bit of a doer with these big ambitions , like what , in Place of War and Earth Sonic are doing . The projects are huge and the team is so small , but because we drive each other and everyone's very communicative , the communication is very clear and it enables us to make these big things happen within our networks and it's a huge collaboration . I think being a part of something like that is super exciting and at the end of the day , it might not be tomorrow , it might not be next month , but it will eventually happen , the project , and I think it's important not to try and rush these things , because if you rush it , then it might not happen in the way that it's supposed to .
Speaker 3But you have your careers , you have your goals and your dreams . Do you have any tricks to share how you pursue your daily schedule ? Do you have a yearly plan that I want to achieve this ? I want to do this . I want to meet these people . I want to send out 200 mails . Do you meditate ? Do you run ? Do you have any kind of work-life plan that you can share ?
Speaker 6I'm still processing the previous questions . I'll come back to that .
Speaker 3Because what you ?
Speaker 6asked and I was like do I , am I doing this ? What am I doing this ? What am I doing ? Like , am I taking time ? And I went a couple years back and I figured that I did take my time because I had like the classic music industry story with a shitty manager where I had to fire my team and some legal trouble and whatnot . And after that I thought that maybe , if this is how it works , I don't actually want to work in this industry and I didn't release anything for a bunch of years , which of course cost me the position that I had at that time , because you can't do it and not do it at the same time . That's just the consequences of it .
Speaker 6But I played with other bands and kind of stayed in the loop but took my time to think about how I could be in the business , like what would it mean to be in the business on my own terms ? What would need to happen ? And when I came back with an album which was very alternative , not made for any like commercial purposes , just really what I was interested in at the moment , I think it appealed to people because it was super authentic and I was talking about just opening up . How , like opening up gives you the strength , and about being your true self and all of that .
Speaker 6And it sounds tacky , but I really came from that place like totally honestly , and from that point point I actually started doing more and more in that direction . So I think it's hard , because somehow I would like to think that , okay , it goes in different directions and at one point I will maybe be interested in what is super popular right now , but usually I'm interested in stuff that is off . But on my own terms it's a tough choice . But you have to ask yourself these questions and usually you also learn the hard way and then back to the question do you meditate in the morning Misha ?
Speaker 6I really wish I did , but because I travel a lot , I really tried having a routine and then every time I start traveling I'm like , okay , the routine is fucked again . So I try . But usually I'm like , oh , ok , that routine is fucked again . So I try , but usually I just reposition it . You know , I would want to do it in the morning but , like during the lunch break here , I went back to the hotel to do some breathing exercises because I felt that I really needed them . So no , I don't have a routine at the moment . To be completely honest , the time when I had the best routine , like working routine and health routine , was during the pandemic I mean paradoxically and not paradoxically where I really like the daily yoga , daily meditation , daily hours of work . But it was possible because I was very stationary and nobody wanted stuff off me . So it was possible for me to operate on my very own schedule , and usually I have to adapt . But maybe I need better boundaries , I don't know .
Speaker 5I mean , I , like I mentioned before , I'm pretty OCD . I have routines , I have specific things I need to do in the morning . Meditation has been one of them . On and off , I'm not like on it all the time . I started meditating , doing transcendental , because I wanted to meet David Lynch and I'm like , where does he go ? You know I want to go there , so I'm going to go meditate over there . Hopefully I'll meet them , you know . So that's kind of how it started , but then it stuck as a habit and it's been a great habit One of my , to go to routines actually .
Speaker 5So yeah , I have a routine every morning that I have to not talk to anybody for a while . I have to be alone , I have to do certain rituals with myself in order to be able to be social , to be able to give . You know , they say introverts have to fuel alone and extroverts fuel from other people . I have definitely , as time goes by , I have very much felt like I'm a true introvert in the way that I definitely need to fuel my own engine so I can be social with others . And also , I was thinking about what you asked before in terms of do you give yourself like that downtime ?
Speaker 5I have like a dual life , where I spent half of my year in LA and almost half of my year here in Greece . And there's a line from the English patient that describes a lot of things in my life and it says this is a different life and I'm a different wife . So I feel like that , wherever I am , I feel like a different wife . I'm married to each place and I'm married to the values of that place . And LA , weirdly enough , it looks very much like a vacation land there's sun and there's palm trees , but it's the most cutthroat , it's the fastest pace and it's gonna expel you immediately If you're not , you know , going with its rules that are unsaid , that if you leave LA for too long or if you don't try hard enough for all those things that have been sort of instilled . And then I come to Greece and I'm like , wow , real life , real life vibes . I'm going to water plants and that feels amazing .
Speaker 5After LA . It feels amazing to water plants and it feels amazing After LA . It feels amazing to water plants and it feels amazing to you know , see my mom . And it feels amazing to do things that are real life , small things really , and that's kind of how I give back to myself . I try to have that balance , because LA can really throw you off . It's a bubble and if you get absorbed by it and you live only in that , it's kind of crazy making .
Speaker 6I'm glad you mentioned it because you said it yesterday to me that it's real life in Greece and I was like , what does it mean ? I was actually thinking about it watering the plants .
Speaker 7Going back to the routine thing , I'm also quite introverted , as well , as you guys could probably tell from today . I also have the luxury of not having anyone that relies on me for anything , so my own responsibility is literally just myself . But in saying that , I used to have a routine of meditating and journaling and all these things that you hear about all over the place that are supposed to improve your lifestyle . And there comes a point where you can also become too complacent in that , and I feel like for me now I've realized that I've become too complacent in the sense that I am constantly on relax mode , where I'm constantly trying to calm myself down when there is actually not anything to calm myself from . So I think that what we were saying earlier about a young generation loving chaos and stuff , I think I've thrown myself into more of a chaotic work hard mode .
Speaker 7But it's not to the point of I'm going to fry my brain and hate my life . It's going to be to the point of okay , well , success is there . It might not be attainable right now , but at the end of the day I can see it . So there's no end goal . Essentially , there's nothing forcing me to do it , but it's more just like a willpower . That , I guess , is kind of how I have my lifestyle
Redefining Success on Personal Terms
Speaker 7at the moment . Cummins .
Speaker 8I walk the dog twice a day , I feed the dog twice a day , and then I spend most of the time in the studio doing projects and works , and then I walk the dog again .
Speaker 3Sleep , repeat .
Speaker 8So the dog is the key he's the format of the routine , I think a bit of structure .
Speaker 3Hope the dog will be happy with the newborn oh yeah , he'll love it .
Speaker 6That would be great one thing that I have a comment to the success idea , because I gave a workshop recently for the Polish CMO . I gave a workshop recently for the Polish CMO , I gave a workshop on mental health and we actually ended up talking for a very long time about the definition or the redefinition of success . And I think that's a huge topic because if you're thinking , yeah , I know that the success is there , I can see it , but what is it actually ? What does it mean for you ? And based on that , you decide on the drive and on the timings and on , like , what you put in it . And I think it's super important to keep that in mind , that there's not one definition of success it makes it easier on you basically but what is , for you , a successful life ?
Speaker 3Is that your careers . Is that more important than having other kind of success in your life ? Is a personal success with friends , having the time to do whatever you like . Is that an issue ? But we can start with Anna . What is a successful life for you ? We cannot hear you anymore . Let's go around while we see if it reshapes . A successful life ?
Speaker 6I think it's a balance of everything and to me it's a matter of staying true to yourself and at the end of the day , or of the life , in this matter , you can still look yourself in the face when you look in the mirror , and I think that's it , because that can be translated both into the professional and the family world and stuff . I mean , I don't have a family because I did a lot of working , but did I really choose for that ? I don't know , but I can live with that , you know . So it's also adjusting , seeing what makes you happy , sticking with the people that resonate with you , picking your teams , and also not only talking the talk but walking the walk , and I think that's it for me .
Speaker 5Yeah , I mean , I agree , Balance is definitely a key word . I feel like there's periods that your personal life is taking front stage and then your career is taking front stage . I used to be more like let me get that goal , whatever that was , but now it's more like let me get it and actually appreciate getting it . So not so much the chase , and I'm very conscious of reminding myself that , of appreciating whatever is coming and also knowing that a lot of the things that we don't get that don't end up happening . You forget about them pretty fast . I used to make such a big deal of all my failures and there's way more of them than successes . Usually we don't talk about those . We don't want to talk about our failures . We're not invited in a panel mostly to talk about our failures . But what I've realized and it's very liberating you forget about your failures so fast . So I shed the skin a little faster these days and that helps with keeping that balance .
Speaker 6It does happen with the failures , though . I participated in a festival called the Festival of Failures . It was dedicated solely to talking about the mistakes people made . Very liberating , super inspiring . I recommend it .
Speaker 7I think it's easy to generalize the question and say you know , success is based off what you think . Success is , obviously . But if I'm going to be honest , my success is valued on my genuine and authentic happiness . It's not based off of any one thing . It's not based off my career , it's not based off my friends or family . It is based off of if I'm in a space where I'm actually genuinely just happy with my life .
Speaker 7And I think , going back to the appreciation thing , when I got that mindset , it's a lot easier to appreciate smaller things in life that maybe are often overlooked and it's just easier to kind of brush things off . Like you know , when you're saying the failures and stuff or rejections , it's not easy being a creative , you get rejected a million and one times and then you know a million and one times , and then you know million and second , you actually get somewhere . Now that I've taken on this mindset of just being in spaces that allow me to be comfortable and be happy authentically , I am able to just brush off failures . I don't see them as failures , I don't see them as mistakes or regrets . I see them as things that I have to try differently . So , yeah , it is again just what you base your success off . Mine is just authentic happiness . I don't want anything besides that .
Speaker 3Beautiful .
Speaker 8I think that's perfect . Really , success is such a big word that everybody uses and it can be interpreted by everybody in such unique ways and it's so personal . And you know , for me , the one thing I could say is that I found a poem that I wrote . I found it a few months ago and I'd written it in 2011 . That was way , way back and it was a short poem about me wanting to leave the city , live in the middle of nowhere with a dog called Rex and be in the studio , and I completely forgot about it and I found it in this huge hard drive and I was like , oh my god , this is so weird because also , my dog's called Rex and we rescued him when he was four months with the name and it was just so bizarre and I told a few of my friends and they were like , well , they , you've made it you don't need to do anything else , you've done it all .
Speaker 8I thought to myself well , that's , that's quite nice , actually , and every day I think I'm living the life I wanted to live when I was 18 , 19 . And I've somehow made it happen . And I think , when you realize that you just have to be content as you are , otherwise you're going to drive yourself mad . Yeah , I think that's it , is it ?
Speaker 3But it sounds like you all appreciate the simplicity in life and it's not goals that you have that you cannot achieve and you are struggling to go to . You know it feels like really genuine . Do we have a sound on you , anna , now ? Yes , we do .
Speaker 4Well , in finding success or having simplistic choice , but also having ambition . There's room to have both of those together that you can have goals and ambition , but you can also choose to do it in a more healthy way , and for me that would be a slower way and that's something I feel that we should do in this society as such , we need to not just push more things into our everyday , but to be successful and meet our goals and have great careers . So thank you for the talk so far . It was really inspiring .
Speaker 3Thanks for joining us from the boat . So any questions from you guys out there Want to share your struggles ,
Remote Work, Simplicity and Final Thoughts
Speaker 3your , your routines , your routines .
Speaker 10Okay , this question is mainly aimed at anna like , when you've made the choice to step back and distance yourself , how has that positively and negatively affected you because you have a client business right has it been net negative or net positive for you in terms of relationships with clients ? Are there certain types of work where actually it's a benefit that you've done that ?
Speaker 4Well , for me it has been both . Obviously , there is something that you miss when you're not physically together , but at the same time I'm more flexible than ever . My clients can schedule a meeting with me more or less when it suits them weather depending of course and it's very , very efficient . So we do build relations , but we don't waste a lot of time . There's no going back and forth on this and that , so to me it makes so much sense that we use time together really efficiently and don't drag it too much . Of course , my line of work is doable in this way , and the companies have now adjusted to be able to work like this , or at least many companies have . So I'm very aware that it wouldn't be possible in every line of work , but to me it's been massively beneficial . So , yeah , I hope that answered the question .
Speaker 3Clients living outside of London with a dog . Are they happy with you ?
Speaker 8I think it's definitely opened up doors and closed some , and I think when you're in London you can just go for a coffee , a quick opening in the gallery or a quick gig and be back in a couple of hours , whereas it's a little bit more limited now . But I think in a way that has helped me pursue other projects that have bigger goals and given me more time to spend focusing on those . So you know it's a give and take situation . Would my life be different if I lived in London ? I'm sure it would be , but I'm also very confident to say that I probably wouldn't have achieved some of the big projects that we have done in the past year because I would have been too distracted there .
Speaker 9There's too much fun in London , but also it's great because we're also very accessible to the airport and London is only half an hour away on train , so I can do it still yeah , there's an element where I think Elena , you've said it a few times which is deducting things from your life , actually making space for yourself , and I think that is not just a thing about things , that's sort of a happiness thing that happens . And inside that space at least if I could interpret it is where you feel meaningfulness , that there's a sense of meaning . And I like joy , I like to be happy , I like to laugh and laugh all the time with my kids . But I also know when we have meaningful little things going on , and if you go to bed at night and say there was a little bit of meaning to this , even the suffering or whatever happens in your life , then you're good to go and take another day .
Speaker 3Thank you all for a lovely day . Thank you , Anna . Good luck with your travels across the Atlantic . Give us a shout when you reach Florida or wherever it is you're heading ?
Speaker 4We're heading for Barbados .
Speaker 3It sounds awful , sounds awful . Stay well , thank you . Thanks for joining us , thanks for joining us , all of you . And let's go have some drinks . Thank you .
