INTERVIEW NO 9
Isa & Oliver
A LOT OF SLEEP
“... She is counting all the Simpsons characters by name that she remembers. I think that’s a brilliant idea, but as I just fall asleep in a second I would not even be able to finish the five main characters.“
Oliver & Isa are a couple living and working together in Vienna. Both are amazing illustrators, with roots in street art. Together they founded Wald und Schwert, a design studio. They are passionate about the outdoors, handmade things and funny mystical creatures.
“We once slept one night on a camping site in Sardinia in the middle of nowhere, with a thousand year old, blind host. And we were the only guests.“
WHAT ARE YOU DOING DURING THE DAY?
Isa: We are both illustrators / graphic designers and run a small design studio called Wald & Schwert, where everything is done with a light heart and an open mind. Beside studio-work, I'm drinking coffee and working as an artist. Oliver is on his bike the first minute after work. Or instead of work - which is very important sometimes. Most of all we are enjoying our work-life balance together!
WHAT TIME DO YOU USUALLY GET UP?
Oliver: We get up at around 8 every day. First alarm is between 07:00 and 07:15, but we NEVER manage to get up. #bigsnoozers
HOW DOES YOUR ALARM SOUND?
Isa: Currently it is „Jacob Thomas Jr. - Original Sin“. Actually a brilliant song but we are afraid of not being able to listen to it anymore during the day.
WHAT IS THE FIRST THINGS YOU DO IN THE MORNING?
Isa: After the big snooze, Oliver grabs his phone and picks a great morning song to get up. Everyday something COMPLETELY different, but he tends to Italian classics lately.
DO YOU LIKE HAVING BREAKFAST? AND WHAT DO YOU HAVE?
Oliver: We love breakfast. Some weeks ago we bought an AMAZING smoothie-maker, so right now we experiment on our favorite shakes in the morning. A lot of fresh and frozen fruits (no spinach, grrr) make a good start in the day. On weekends we prefer some nice eggs with tomato and sheep-cheese. Of course good coffee makes our day!
WHAT TIME OF THE DAY ARE YOU MOST PRODUCTIVE?
Isa: Mornings are super motivating. The day is still fresh and new, usually we are too positive about the amount of things we want to do. Days are too short most of the time. In summer, we love to be creative at night and never go to sleep.
DO YOU THINK YOU GET ENOUGH SLEEP?
Oliver: Sometimes we have to admit to get a little bit too much sleep. The best days usually start early.
WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF AS A GOOD SLEEPER?
Oliver: I am a brilliant sleeper! Well, kind of THE sleeper. Since I was a child I was able to sleep everywhere. No matter how loud, how busy, how bright. If I decide to go to sleep or make a nap it takes a lot to stop me 🙂
Isa: I’m sleeping ok, but I love to keep it SUPER DARK. There is a lantern in front of our bedroom, making it harder to have the „Into the Woods“-darkness.
WHERE DO YOU SLEEP BEST?
Isa: At home, with all pillows we can get hold of.
DO YOU HAVE ANY RITUALS BEFORE GOING TO BED?
Oliver: As soon as I introduced Isa to Alfred Hitchcoks „???“ she is kind of addicted to audiobooks. No matter what, we have to listen to a criminal story before we go to sleep. From Sherlock Holmes to Agatha Christie's Poirot or Mrs. Marple. It’s the detective stories that lead us to our dreams.
HAVE YOU EVER TRACKED YOUR SLEEP WITH AN APP?
We tried once but it was a weird feeling to actually have the phone in the bed.
DO YOU REMEMBER YOUR DREAMS?
Oliver: We do talk about our dreams in the morning. If there is anything left in mind that we dreamt about we tell each other in the morning. It’s sometimes a first laugh of the day and on the other side a big question mark on „WHY do we dream about things or persons in that way!?“ Some days ago, Isa dreamt about the Internet ruling our life and she was thinking about getting rid of it (internet access, social media, websites) all in the morning, - but ended up not doing it, haha.
DO YOU CARE FOR WHAT YOU'RE WEARING TO SLEEP?
Oliver: No. It varies all the time. From underwear to sweatshirt and joggers to nothing. It depends on the temperature and the mood. And sometimes on the energy that’s left after a hard day.
DESCRIBE YOUR BED IN 3 WORDS.
Both: Tiny, cozy, tiny.
WHAT IS THE MOST SPECIAL SPOT YOU’VE EVER FALLEN ASLEEP.
Oliver: We once slept one night on a camping site in Sardinia in the middle of nowhere, with a thousand year old, blind host. And we were the only guests. That was weird, but exciting. But the most special place was a miniature chalet in the woods of Slovenia. It was basically a cabin with a mattress in the roof. When we switched off the lights, the purest darkness said hello. (Isa loved it)
WHAT DO YOU THINK HAPPENS WHILE WE SLEEP?
Isa: There is finally time to grow body hair. Oliver: And tiny creatures are whispering weird things in our ears. Like: „You have to pee, noooooow….“
HOW MANY SHEEP DO YOU COUNT?
Oliver: Isa once told me counting sheep doesn’t work for her. She is counting all the Simpsons characters by name that she remembers. I think that’s a brilliant idea, but as I just fall asleep in a second I would not even finish the five main characters.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO DREAM ABOUT TONIGHT?
Isa: Dreaming stories is the best. Going on strange adventures with cute baby animals would make us happy.
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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...