Where does creativity come from? Do you have to be born with the creative gene? Or can you thrive on ambition and creative drive alone? And once you have that spark, how do you keep it lit? How do you stay inspired? What are the true essentials?
These are the sorts of questions we’re obsessed with at HommeGirls. We reached out to a trio of LA-based creatives in different fields and in different stages of the game, to talk about the things that get them through the day — and the things that get them through life. It takes a lot to create your own way.
Like a cup of strong coffee first thing every morning. (Yes, please.) Or the perfect T-shirt? (Yeah, we know you have at least 12 of those.) Or a bright yellow vintage Range Rover? (Depends who you ask.) Or maybe, just taking the time to find inspiration in the world.
Whether it’s director Melina Matsoukas, actress Luna Blaise, and dancer Mette Towley, these women are deliberate and singular in their stories…
MELINA
Melina Matsoukas is a powerhouse director of music videos (Beyoncé, Rihanna, Lady Gaga…), film (Queen & Slim), and TV (Insecure), who brings a unique multicultural POV and a bold methodology to every story she tells. But when asked what is her greatest creative project to date, she doesn’t hesitate: “It would have to be this unborn child,” she says. “It took a lot of creativity just to get to this place.”
What is key to:
Your sense of self
Being able to find peace and time with friends and family, time to vacation and find inspiration in the world, time with my man.
Your happiness
Good food, good friends, challenging dialogues, and a good outfit.
Your style
Comfortable with some femininity and a sexy edge. Fear of God ESSENTIALS fits well with my style.
Your work
Finding time to be inspired because I’m constantly trying to challenge the status quo in a visual sense. And my team, which is constantly changing and evolving.
Your morning routine
A shower. A nice long walk on the beach. And a good cup of tea.
Your creativity
Inspiration is reading, looking at the work of different artists in different media, visiting museums when I have time…
Your mental well-being
Long walks on the beach, acupuncture, Panchakarma ayurvedic detox. It’s changed my life.
Your physical well-being
(Again!) long walks on the beach; intimate moments with my man; pilates.
Your beauty routine
I try to be as natural as possible in my routine. I can’t live without my eyebrow pencil.
Your comfort
Good furniture (even though it isn’t always comfortable); a nice sweatsuit; a good meal; plenty of rest. I’m a great sleeper. I can take a nap anywhere. Especially now.
Your existence in Los Angeles
Proximity to the water. I enjoy the peace just being by the water brings you. And my vintage cars. I have a bright yellow 2002 Range Rover and a 1989 BMW.
LUNA
The actress and singer Luna Blaise is not one to hide from her emotions. In fact, letting them roam free is essential, she says, for her creativity—something that no doubt fed her role as the brooding genius Olive Stone on the sci-fi drama Manifest. And while Hollywood is on pause, Luna is (literally) still driving forward: “I’m on strike so nothing work related at the moment but I am working on getting my license so that’s very exciting; everyone in my life is fed up driving me places so it’s about time! People come to Los Angeles to follow dreams and achieve aspirations; I truly think that’s something very special. A place that's centered around people driven with a certain momentum that keeps them moving forward.”
What is key to:
Your sense of self
A very carefree and childlike way of living life, never not in the moment. Always deeply taking in every detail of life. I love the little things.
Your happiness
My family, friends and waking up every day surrounded by so much love. Very grateful.
Your style
It’s ever-changing. One week, I am a grandma in my cashmere cardigans and the next I think I’m Carrie Bradshaw. Essential, I guess would be always looking put together and staying classy.
Your work
Being on time and being prepared.
Your morning routine
I get up and light incense throughout my house then I make a beverage either a matcha or Hojicha tea. VERY essential. If I have loads of time I'm definitely doing a crossword.
Your creativity
A very clear headspace is important to me. Just getting the opportunity to be completely stress-free and fully coherent with your thoughts. Music really helps.
Your mental well-being
Staying present and waking up forever grateful. Once you lose those qualities in life your brain moves in all different directions which works against well-being.
Your physical well-being
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and just continuing to implement anything that adds to your life in a positive way.
Your beauty and/or physical wellness routine
Listening to your body. Letting your intuition guide you instead of following societal standards.
Your comfort
Always being in a state of awareness without judgment just truly being myself is when I’m the most comfortable.
Your existence in Los Angeles
My friends because they have cars and I presently do not drive. I am learning though!!! But seriously wouldn’t be anything without my parents being 15 minutes away.
METTE
Even back in the day when Mette Towley was working the dayshift at Walgreens, she found it hard to keep her creativity in a bottle. “The mirrors at the back of the Walgreens are really there so you can watch yourself strut down the aisles,” she recalls the multi-hyphenate performer who goes by METTE. “I knew I always wanted to be an artist and one day in 2018, I decided to claim that dream and start living like one. Mette has danced with Pharrell’s group The Baes, Hustled alongside J. Lo, and recently appeared as Video Girl in the Barbie Movie. What is she most excited for in 2024? “Releasing an album, going on tour, meeting fans…”
What is key to:
Your sense of self
Dancing to music makes me feel so free… I find dancing is a moving meditation; it reminds me to stay grounded in the present moment.
Your happiness
Walking & Public Transit. I am not a car girlie.
Your style
I don’t have a particular style; I choose my outfits daily by my emotional state and the occasion… I would say, however, that I love to dress in a mix-matched hodgepodge of vintage, tech fabrics, and free will.
Your work
The mantra ‘nothing to prove, only to share.’
Your morning routine
Waking up before my phone blows & pilates.
Your creativity
Opening my voice note and releasing my stream of consciousness.
Your mental well-being
Taking time to wind down and collect my energy post-show or post-shoot.
Your physical well-being
Water & Stretching!
Your beauty and/or physical wellness routine
Arch Support.
Your comfort
Incense on deck at all times.
Your existence in Los Angeles
A wide-brimmed sun hat.
October 2023