Written by Rach Taylor.
All images courtesy of Clara Jonas. Photography by Whitesmith Films.
In the wilds of her native Cornwall, you will find Clara Jonas dreaming up art, shifting with the seasons and taking life at a gentler pace. Part human, part sea nymph, we are pretty sure she has salt water running through her veins. Clara is everything you could wish — sunny, mellow and utterly genuine. Back in August, amid the summer heat and the welcome respite of a warm Atlantic breeze, we sat down to chat about creative work, setting boundaries and navigating the pressures of perceived success.
SO TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR WORK AND WHAT A DAY TO DAY MIGHT LOOK LIKE?
I guess I've developed into a brand designer and illustrator, and I create stuff with a very illustrative tone. My work has a playful, iterative flavour, which I try to bring through everything.
Day to day, honestly until about 10am I like to get outside and exercise because I can't work before I've moved. I have to bring my body down before I can sit on the laptop. Then I'll either go to the studio or a cafe or stay at home and work - I need variety! Mondays are marketing, then I block out two to three days in the week to be more client based and then the other day I try to give myself some flexibility, I don't try to pack stuff in.
I always plan my weeks on a Sunday or Monday night. I check the weather and the swell and go from there — it’s structured fluidity, if you know what I mean?!
ARE YOU A MORNING LARK OR A NIGHT OWL?
I am a lark by nature in that I like to get up and out early but my creative zone is probably from about 11am - 2pm. I have a crash around 3pm, which is when I need sugar. Then I go home and have a break and then work again between 4pm and 6pm.
ARE YOU QUITE GOOD AT STOPPING WHEN YOU KNOW YOUR CREATIVE RESERVES HAVE RUN OUT?
Sometimes I am but when I'm tired and or haven't had enough rest I don't always keep that boundary. I really am forever telling myself I need to because when I keep working beyond my capacity I am not really getting a whole lot done but am still sitting at the laptop just faffing around. I'm actually trying to be so much more clear-cut with it these days.
SUN & SHINE STUDIO IS ALL ABOUT SLOW HABITS — THESE FIVE TO TEN MINUTE PAUSES THAT HAVE THE ABILITY TO RESET YOUR PACE. WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE PHRASE 'SLOW HABIT' MEANS TO YOU?
I guess for me it's prioritizing slow pockets of time. That morning moment is really important and making sure that I'm not just rolling out of bed and going to work or straight onto the laptop — I need to set my day up. The habit I cling to the most is that every morning I will make a mud water drink and then sit outside for about twenty minutes — that is probably my most consistent habit. I read recently that it is easier to make habits in the morning as opposed to the evening, it is all to do with the neural pathways and plasticity in the morning.
DO YOU HAVE ANY SMALL RITUALS THAT HELP YOU GET INTO A CREATIVE STATE?
I think physical exercise before getting into a creative state is really important for me, something which is quite invigorating! When I'm creative it's often not from a place of peace but actually from a state of slight frenzy so I kind of need to get into that energized zone beforehand! I struggle with an overworking mind so I try to exchange that into the body as opposed to in the head.
WHAT KIND OF EXERCISE ARE YOU IN TO?
I started calisthenics back in the summer which is really fun - I have a bit of a short attention span so I have to be doing lots of different stuff. I've actually done some personal training…I'm not that girl normally but I needed a bit of accountability!
THERE IS DEFINITELY A LINK BETWEEN CREATIVITY AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE...
Definitely, I haven’t read that much about it but I just know what feels good. I wake up with a buzzy mind and have to be quite intentional with how I bring that down. Sometimes I need to be really physically tired for my mind to chill out. I can enter more of a flow state when my mind has calmed down!
WHAT KIND OF EFFECT DO THESE RITUALS HAVE ON YOUR MINDSET?
I think it is a signal to your body and mind that you're safe and that nothing is a rush. We're so internalized with that aren't we? Everything is urgent; you need to get on your laptop immediately and solve everything and finish your to-do list. I really feel that in my body quite often so I have to spend a lot of time getting that out of my body so that my brain can feel calm and safe.
HOW DO YOU RESIST THE PRESSURE TO BE CONSTANTLY PRODUCTIVE IN A JOB WHERE YOU SET YOUR OWN BOUNDARIES - ASKING FOR A FRIEND?!
Honestly, just that real gentleness of saying “Okay, today's a bit hard but the next day will be easier” and not beating yourself up so much about getting it right. Be gentle with yourself.
HAVE YOU HAD TO SHAKE OFF ANY KIND OF CORPORATE HANGOVER OR UNNECESSARY HABITS LIKE WORKING MONDAY TO FRIDAY OR WORKING AN EIGHT HOUR DAY?
I never actually worked in an office space, I was freelance straight out of uni but I think the internalized productivity was still there. There is a real temptation to constantly prove yourself when you're freelance and show people that you're not just dossing around! Lots of us have that internalized narrative of “I'm worthy if I work hard enough” which is ridiculous. Working hard is important, obviously, but it's not everything.
HOW DO YOU PRIORITIZE YOUR WORK WHEN IT IS ALL GETTING TOO MUCH?
I used to take on ridiculous amounts of projects when I was younger and was juggling a lot — I was in that space of overwhelm quite consistently. I guess now it's more of a boundary than prioritisation — I take on far fewer projects.
AT WHAT POINT DID YOU FIGURE OUT HOW MANY PROJECTS YOU COULD TAKE ON WITHOUT OVERWHELMING YOURSELF?
Honestly, only two or three years ago and I have been working in design for ten years! It took me a long time to feel okay with taking less on but also comfortably charging more.
WE INTERVIEWED SIRI CHAMPORN AND SHE TOLD US THAT SHE USES PLAYLISTS AS A TIMER — WHEN THE MUSIC ENDS, SHE GETS UP AND MOVED AROUND FOR TEN MINUTES. DO YOU HAVE ANY TOOLS OR TECHNIQUES TO SLOW YOUR PACE?
I use timers. I time two hours and then I will have a reset at the end of that session and decide if I need a change of scenery or if I want to start a new project - like a check-in with myself.
CAN YOU SHARE A MOMENT WHERE A SLOW PRACTICE HAS LED TO AN UNEXPECTED BREAKTHROUGH OR IDEA?
I can’t think of a specific moment but generally if I go for a walk that will prompt a bit of a breakthrough or if I allow myself to get bored, my mind wanders and that's when the good stuff starts coming through - it is easier to find the flow state!
WE ALL KNOW THAT RUNNING YOUR OWN BUSINESS IS LIKE HAVING TWO JOBS — DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE ON HOW TO AVOID THE OVERWHELM OF MARKETING, SALES, ACCOUNTS AND ADMIN ON TOP OF YOUR ACTUAL WORK?
With marketing, I keep coming back to this mantra of 'Show, don't tell'. I actually just want to show beauty because beauty resonates, it always resonates, doesn't it? It feels more true to myself than trying to construct a whole marketing tale.
CORNWALL HAS AN EBB AND FLOW, THE HOT HYPE OF SUMMER AND THE SWEET CHILL OF WINTER - DO YOU THINK YOUR CREATIVE WORK MOVES WITH THE SEASONS?
Yeah, I think my personal creative practice feels more abundant in winter and spring — summer has a real outdoor energy and I'm less in that "sit-down" zone…in the summer I do my client work and I get on with life. There is more space for other kinds of things as the season begins to wind down into autumn. It always comes at exactly the right moment, doesn't it? When you're tired from the summer chaos and you kind of want to ground a little.
DO YOU EVER FEEL GUILTY ABOUT SLOWING DOWN AND HOW DO YOU NAVIGATE THAT?
Always...it's always there but I just tell it to shut up. it's such an indoctrination of productivity and capitalism; always being on and being in that slight state of reaction or insecurity. The mental load of being freelance is mega, it's so much easier to be in that space of overwhelm because someone else isn't there setting your boundaries. You're the one who creates that space and that is really, really hard work. It takes a lot of telling your head to be quiet! Another problem of the modern world is that we think in extremes you know? Take two weeks off and it's all over. If you've been doing something for a very long time, things don't fall away just like that. It doesn't actually take as long as we think, for something to gain momentum again, and actually when you're more replenished, you’re more efficient.
DO YOU HAVE AFFIRMATIONS OR MANTRAS FOR WHEN YOU ARE MOVING TOO FAST?
I do…I've got a quote by Tara Brock, who's a lovely kind of spiritual teacher and it goes “When we move half as fast, we perceive twice as much” and actually, it cultivates a lot more observation of yourself in the world, doesn't it?
OK, LAST BUT NOT LEAST. WE LIKE TO PLAY A LITTLE GAME WITH OUR INTERVIEWEES CALLED AWARENESS INVENTORY. WE ASK YOU FIVE QUICK-FIRE QUESTIONS TO FIND OUT WHAT IS CURRENTLY OCCUPYING YOUR SENSES.
Fragrance
That smell when it has been hot for ages and then it rains!
Sound
Birdsong. I downloaded the Merlin app and I’m obsessed.
Word
Let go.
Sight
Water glitter.
