27 q+a

Why New York City?

I woke up in Japan one day and realized I’d had enough and wanted to move somewhere I’d never been before. I met people in Melbourne, Berlin, and New York, and I thought I’d check out the latter first. I loved it and decided to move there. It was so open… I was used to people being very private in Japan. There was so much communication between people and that’s what I really wanted at the time.

Where’s the dreamiest place you’ve visited?

Might be Canada, when I went there on a ski trip abroad in school. It was my first time on a plane. Everything fell into place there—it felt like time stood still, and it was blissful.

You seem to have a love of travel.

The thing with traveling is that I don’t actually love transportation. I don’t like any form of it! But I do like to visit new places. I enjoy being in a different place, soaking it up a bit.

What's your favorite word in Japanese?

I really like the sound of KOMAKAI (it means detailed, fine).

What valuable information did you learn in school?

School life taught me that I could eat the same thing for lunch every day for years and never get bored of it.

What’s on the outlawed list of questions?

“What inspires you?” “What artists do you like?” “What bands do you like?” Generally things that require me listing a load of names.

Where is your home town?

London!

What are five items you cannot live without, not including what you need for sustenance?

My comb, passport, computer, Pilot 0.05 graphic drawing pen, and I’m going through transition with paper, so for now I’m going to just say a sketchbook.

Why is your hair 'big'?

The process takes about 40 minutes:

1. Wash and condition hair
2. Brush hair through with a brush
3. Ring out excess water
4. Put a good amount of body moisturizer evenly through the hair (I discovered that body moisturizer works a treat and is much cheaper than hair moisturizer)
5. Close your eyes, and Hair dry for about twenty seven minutes
6. Open your eyes

Your hair should look big - it works for me!

If you had a parallel life but could also keep this one, what would you like to do with it?

My other self would be in a position to just produce work. If there were two of me, one of them would infinitely be in production.

What are the top three things that occupy your mind?

I’m quite serious. I’m always thinking about things I should do or want to do, but don’t. I also wonder why the world is like it is now, the truth of the world. I don’t worry about it, but I think about why we consume so much and why everything seems to revolve around money and where that’s going to go. How do I fit in there?

What smells do you enjoy?

Apple pie, after rain smell, new computer.

What’s your favorite season?

Spring. You don’t need to take a jacket, you can take a jumper. There’s lots of cherry blossom if you’re in Japan, and if you’re not, perhaps you can find some. People are a lot lighter, things are blooming, there’s a lot of cleaning.

Do you prefer circles or squares?

Squares, because you can fit things in the corners.

What turns you on?

Really tidy, well-organized, well-maintained, well-designed people, objects, spaces.

What turns you off?

Queues, rude or loud or messy people, messy places.

Sunny days or rainy days?

Sunny. No matter if it’s hot or cold, it’s nice and bright. I’m a morning person as well, and I think it’s because I enjoy the sun.

How do you see yourself expanding?

Using technology to aid what I do in a basic sense and producing more of a complete thing. I’d like to find a way to tie in everything I do and use that to move forward.

Green tea or English Breakfast?

English Breakfast.

If you could be any animal, which one would you be?

In a lot of my dreams I’m either jumping really far or flying, so a creature that does one of those.

Do you tend to remember your dreams?

I do now, more than I used to.

What does your name mean and where does it come from?

SHANTELL: Song Last time I checked it was “Song,” but that might change in different places. I looked it up on Google.

What items do you always keep on your person?

A wallet, and that’s about it, really. Plus my passport, Metro card, iTouch, and a chain around my neck that usually has a USB stick-on, a mini-Sharpie, a pen, and a locker key. And my phone, usually a notebook, keys... I think that’s it, isn’t it? Oh, how can I forget my comb? I always have a comb in my hair.

How do you reinvigorate yourself?

Sometimes get up and jump around, or I’ll go for a steam and get super clean.

Where do you think you’re going next?

Where my needs and wants are a lot clearer and I’m putting those things into practice more.

What are you looking forward to?

Finding a really good routine. By that I don’t mean waking up at 8 every morning, but a routine that’s healthy in mind, body, and spirit, where all the things I want to do, I do. I’m looking forward to a continuous progression in the right direction.