INTERVIEW NO 19
Alex
COUNTING TOO MANY SHEEP
“When I am tired or sleep deprived I am not able to be creative or even think straight. I need sleep to create great work.“
Lovely Alex is a multi-talented designer. While she is working as a graphic designer her true passion is object and furniture design (which you can see in her well decorated space). Alex invited us to her plant-filled Brooklyn apartment and we chatted about her day and nighttime rituals.
JANUARY 2015
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK
HAVE A LOOK AT ALEX'S WORK HERE.
ALSO, CHECK OUT HER PROJECT 'A POSTER A DAY'
PHOTOGRAPHY: VM
INTERVIEW: VM
“... I really do miss a real German breakfast since I have moved to New York.“
WHAT ARE YOU DOING DURING THE DAY?
I am a graphic designer, illustrator and art director originally from Lüdenscheid, Germany. I was educated at the Akademie Mode and Design Hamburg Germany, where I studied Spatial and Graphic Design and at the Design Academy Eindhoven Netherlands, where I focused on Product and Furniture Design. In 2011 I moved to New York. I am currently a Design Director at Mother New York, a design and advertising agency.
ARE YOU AN EARLY BIRD?
I usually try to get up between 7am and 7.30am and I am DEFINITELY not an early bird. Once I am up I am okay but waking up can be hard for me sometimes.
HOW DOES YOUR ALARM SOUND?
Literally it is the standard iPhone ringtone.
DO YOU LIKE HAVING BREAKFAST?
Breakfast is my favorite meal — especially traditional German breakfast with a lot of amazing bread, a lot of butter, cheeses and cold cuts. I really do miss a real german breakfast since I’ve moved to New York. On weekdays I mostly have a simple and quick breakfast with Yogurt and fruits or a slice of bread with and egg. On weekends I try to be more experimental and will take my time to prepare a nice meal such as baked eggs or lox and bagels.
WHAT TIME OF THE DAY ARE YOU MOST PRODUCTIVE OR CREATIVE?
Around noon and then again in the early evening around 6pm.
DO YOU THINK SLEEP INFLUENCES YOUR WORK?
Definitely! When I am tired or sleep deprived I am not able to be creative or even think straight. I need sleep to create great work.
DO YOU THINK YOU GET ENOUGH SLEEP?
I think I do. Sometimes I even get too much — too much sleep is actually worse for me then too little sleep.
WHERE DO YOU SLEEP BEST?
In my own bed — it doesn’t matter where it is, but it should be mine. 🙂
DO YOU HAVE ANY RITUALS BEFORE GOING TO BED?
No rituals at all. I just fall into bed.
DO YOU REMEMBER YOUR DREAMS?
It depends. I remember some, mostly the ones I don’t want to remember. Since I am little I’ve been having reoccurring dreams of losing all my teeth. It’s horrible and when I researched the meaning of it it just got scarier. Let’s not talk about it.
WHAT LANGUAGE DO YOU DREAM IN?
I had the same experience and pretty quickly I’ve adapted to dreaming in English. But I still count my sheep in German.
EVER HAD AN IDEA IN A DREAM THAT YOU BROUGHT TO REAL LIFE?
I don’t have a specific example but I do often come up with solutions to problems in my dream. And when I wake up I am like: "Oh cool that’s how I can do it!" And then I actually do it.
DO YOU CARE ABOUT WHAT YOU WEAR FOR SLEEPING?
Mostly a oversized T-Shirt in black or white — but I am in the process of changing that. 😉
DESCRIBE YOUR BED IN 3 WORDS.
White. Firm. Perfect.
WHAT IS THE WEIRDEST SPOT YOU’VE EVER SLEPT IN?
A wood workshop.
HOW MANY SHEEP DO YOU COUNT?
Too many. I have the hardest time to ever fall asleep.
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DREAM ABOUT TONIGHT?
Being at home in Germany and eating polish dinner with my family.
– RELATED INTERVIEWS & STORIES –
ALEX DESIGNED THE RUG IN HER LIVING
ROOM TOGETHER WITH AELFIE.
BOOBS PLANTER FROM GROUP PARTNER
DUVET SET FROM AELFIE.
GET POSTERS FROM THE 'A POSTER A DAY'
SERIES HERE.
– RELATED INTERVIEWS & STORIES –
Sand & Such is a magazine dedicated to sleep and everything around. The moments before and after, rituals, snoozing, slumbering, drifting, breakfasts, brunches, the night, the morning, insomnia, dreams and snores ... read more.
Sand & Such is a magazine dedicated to sleep and everything around. The moments before and after, rituals, snoozing, slumbering, drifting, breakfasts, brunches, the night, the morning, insomnia, dreams and snores...
Sand & Such is a magazine dedicated to sleep and everything around. The moments before and after, rituals, snoozing, slumbering, drifting, breakfasts, brunches, the night, the morning, insomnia, dreams and snores...
Sand & Such is a magazine dedicated to sleep and everything around. The moments before and after, rituals, snoozing, slumbering, drifting, breakfasts, brunches, the night, the morning, insomnia, dreams and snores...
Sand & Such is a magazine dedicated to sleep and everything around. The moments before and after, rituals, snoozing, slumbering, drifting, breakfasts, brunches, the night, the morning, insomnia, dreams and snores...