THE FORMATION: A new home for women who love F1

Woman in a racing helmet with The Formation logo, close-up black and white portrait

A community built by the women inside the paddock, for the women watching from everywhere else

Here at HEY GIRL we love, love, loveeeee motorsport. We’ve already featured female racing drivers and motorbike riders in these pages, so when we found out about this cool new platform for women who love F1 called The Formation, we were properly buzzed.

The Formation launched this week ahead of the British Grand Prix as the world’s home for women who love Formula 1. Women now make up 42% of F1’s global fanbase, and three in four new fans coming into the sport are women too — that’s 350 million people worldwide who love this sport and have never really had a home built around that. The Formation is stepping in to change that.

"Women aren't a niche audience in Formula 1. We are hundreds of millions of fans around the world."

It’s the brainchild of sports marketing executive Amy Mansell, who spent two decades in elite sport and sponsorship before pioneering F1’s first major beauty partnership. She’s brought together an inaugural advisory board of women working right across the sport, including Sky Sports F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham, Miami Grand Prix President Katharina Nowak, NKrush founder Natalie Neal and marketing strategist Silvia Schweiger, with more names still to be confirmed.

Membership is free to join from day one, and gets you into a group chat community that comes alive every race weekend, a members’ newsletter and early word on events before tickets drop. A paid tier, Formation Club, is coming soon for anyone who wants to go further in — priority booking, ticket discounts and a more curated inner circle. Beyond the community side, curated race-weekend experiences are being planned at venues across London, Miami and beyond — think intimate lunches and panels with women from inside F1, not just another watch party.

The whole thing is built around the experience of women as fans, but the door is open to anyone who carries that same spirit and love for the sport.

We love that kind of thinking. Real community isn’t about building walls — it’s about building a room big enough for everyone who shows up with the right energy. And beyond the fandom side, The Formation’s got its eye on the bigger picture too, funding and championing the female motorsport pipeline for the next generation coming up through the sport.

Meet a fan: Darcey Bloye a female F1 super fan.

While we were getting buzzed about all this, we thought — who better to chat to than an actual fan. So we caught up with young media student, super F1 fan and friend of HEY GIRL, Darcey Bloye, about her love of the sport.

“What I love about F1 is I really enjoy seeing how it evolves year by year, with different teams improving and cars developing. I also love the community within F1 and seeing how the drivers express themselves through their individual brands. I find that when I see a female racing driver I am more drawn to her, as it feels more personal and as if she is proving that gender is not a barrier in motorsport. I also love seeing femininity brought into the sport as I feel it naturally compliments its values.”

"I definitely think that having a wider female fanbase makes for a more passionate atmosphere."

Darcey Bloye.

Couldn’t have said it better ourselves, Darcey. This is exactly the energy The Formation is tapping into.

Here’s to the next generation of women who love F1, and to everyone building the room for them to walk into.

And speaking of motorsport… little secret, keep it between us… ha… we’re thinking Issue 8 might just be revving up around engines and the world of motorsport. What do you think? Watch this space.

Sign up for free and take your place at wearetheformation.com, and follow along @wearetheformation on Instagram.

HG x

P.S. Know a cool womxn doing brilliant things in motorsport or other areas, that we should be shouting about? Get in touch — info@heygirlmagazine.com

GET TO KNOW: Sarah Lipman, author & dog lover

Sophia Starr and a Dog to Love — the book that knows the journey IS the magic

Part of life’s big wonder is the journey. The journey of creating Hey Girl is always changing, evolving, growing, discovering. How do we pass that superpower — the ability to truly love the journey — down to the younger generation?

Here’s a beautiful bestselling book that has kindness and wonder at its heart, teaches young readers that the messy middle is where all the good stuff lives, and reminds us that dogs might just know us better than we think.

Children's book cover for Sophia Starr and a Dog to Love by Sarah Lipman, illustrated by Lily Liu. A young girl with blonde hair sits happily in the centre surrounded by nine dogs including a Dalmatian, Husky, Chow Chow, Bulldog, Dachshund and Schnauzer, set against a soft pink dreamy background.

"It's been the most incredible journey and I have learned more about myself than I ever thought possible."

Sophia Starr and a Dog to Love by London-based author Sarah Lipman follows a girl with one enormous wish — her very own dog. When her parents let her prove she’s ready by caring for other people’s pups, Sophia is buzzing. But the journey doesn’t go in a straight line. Friendships wobble. School presses down. Ballet rehearsals are brutal. And there’s a mysterious figure lurking that nobody can explain yet. With every dog she walks and every challenge she faces, Sophia discovers that the journey itself is changing her.

"I love that this book has opened a new world for me; seeing children's faces as they discover the characters and storyline is priceless."

Illustrated character Sophia Starr sitting cross-legged, hugging a copy of her book, wearing a blue shirt and pink ballet flats. Art by Lily Liu.
Illustrated character Lady, a scruffy wide-eyed dog wearing a collar tag, from Sophia Starr and a Dog to Love. Art by Lily Liu.

Sarah wrote this from real life — years of hosting other people’s dogs, making up bedtime stories for her daughters, and learning that unconditional love has no agenda. Written in months, self-published within a year, and now sitting at number one on Amazon UK for Children’s Chapter Books. The journey works. 🐾

Beautifully illustrated by Lily Liu. Perfect for readers aged 7–11.

Paperback £6.99 | Hardcover £12.99 | Ebook £1.99 — on Amazon now.

HG x

Illustration of Sophia Starr lifting a small black fluffy dog into the air, surrounded by falling pink flower petals. Art by Lily Liu.
Author Sarah Lipman, wearing a bold black and white patterned jacket, photographed against a wooden background.

GET TO KNOW: Amy Truesdale

My name is Amy Truesdale and I was born with my left hand missing.

Even though I have had to overcome adversity and lots of obstacles this has not prevented me excelling in life

My parents thought it was a good idea to get me involved in sports when I was younger as they wanted me to keep fit and be included just like everybody else.

At the time I was doing ballet dancing top dancing swimming and tae kwon do. All of the sports with becoming very demanding as I was doing something every single day so it got to the stage where my parents asked me to pick one sport I would like to put all my focus and energy into and that was tae kwon do

I was with a Taekwondo association called the TAGB for over 20 years and competed against able-bodied athletes are in the international level.

I became ladies world champion in the black belt division multiple times along with international fighter of the year and best in black belt gradings.

“I became ladies world champion in the black belt division multiple times along with international fighter of the year and best in black belt gradings.”

After being with this association for over 20 years I had one every title possible so I went to seek another adventure and joint Olympic style tae kwon do

Again I was fighting against able-bodied athletes and was producing some medals.

It wasn’t until 2009 where tae kwon do announced they were having a special games

I had never really been labelled as disabled by many people so this labelling didn’t sit well with me to start with

However I attended the competition as I saw it as an opportunity to compete against athletes with the same disabilities myself and I have continued to do so.

I was with a Taekwondo association called the TAGB for over 20 years and competed against able-bodied athletes are in the international level.

I became ladies world champion in the black belt division multiple times along with international fighter of the year and best in black belt gradings.

Due to my consistent medal success within Para tae kwon do I no longer have to work in the jobs I was doing and I no longer have to fund competitions myself.I have secured funding and we have gone from nothing to a world-class training program with other athletes on board aswell. I achieved a bronze medal at the Tokyo Paralympic Games and I have qualified for my 2nd paralympic games in Paris.

Good luck to Amy in Paris. The Paralympic Games start on the 28th of August.

Follow Amy on insta @truesdaleamy

HG x

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GET TO KNOW: Kaye Sutcliffe my van life

Yoga teacher, transformational life coach and inspiring digital nomad Kaye Sutcliffe has turned her back on the corporate lifestyle. Firstly, she sold her possessions and moved into a van called Eileen, and, in November, she left the wintry skies of the UK behind her and went on a road trip, chasing the sunshine down to south-west Portugal.

First of all, tell us a little bit about yourself (age, where you’re from, what you did before taking off on your road trip, etc)

Hey I’m Kaye, northern lass from Manchester — 46 who spent 20+ years in the corporate world, originally hopping from admin to admin job until I taught myself HTML and then hit a career in Digital Marketing. Working my way up the ladder, but also knowing that there was something more to life for me than the 9–5 and sitting at a desk all day.

When I was 28 I set off on my first solo adventure, backpacking around the world – South East Asia, Australia and South America for 12 months. I then came back to the UK with confidence and a sense of self that I was then able to climb the ladder at big companies across numerous sectors, Finance, FMCG, Travel, Exhibitions and Tech.

In 2016 I moved away from being employed to take the risk and became a contractor for about 5 years whilst I lived in London. When I turned 40 — I moved back to Manchester, my contract role came to an end, I ended up waitressing to get by – going from £500 a day to minimum wage but feeling freer and happier with no pressure. After finding Kundalini Yoga in London, something called me to go on the Kundalini Yoga Teacher training, but it was more for personal development not to become a teacher but the yoga wisdom was so profound that I felt a need to share this and started teaching.

You’re a Kundalini yoga, mantra and meditation teacher, Sekhem healer and qualified transformational life coach. How did you find yourself taking this path and have you always worked in this field?

The first time I took a Kundalini Yoga class was at Triyoga in London, I hadn’t experienced a yoga class like it before. I had my hands up in the air, chanting (not knowing the words) but really losing myself in the moment. When I came out I had to bike through Battersea Park back home and I felt like I was flying! It was like my soul was remembering – I had never experienced a yoga high like it before! After experiencing more workshops and going to regular Kundalini Yoga classes in London, I knew this was the style of Yoga that I got the most out of — it removes stagnant energy in the body and FAST!

In 2018 I moved up to Manchester and was unable to find another Marketing role. I kept looking for Yoga Teacher Training to go on a self discovery journey, my body was shot, I was feeling down emotionally, mentally and spiritually — I broke out in acne all over my face. This was due to  working hard in London and partying even harder – London was eating me up, and so I was internally — self-sabotaging.  So I moved back home to ground myself. After 10 months of intense training, I wanted to share all this knowledge and started to teach a regular class in Manchester. I’d had a dream a year before about me having a double decker bus, named Yoga on the Move which was a mobile yoga studio (which I’m still pursuing),  so I named myself @yogaonthemove.

In lockdown, I taught online, and it was an amazing time for me to really develop my own regular daily practice without the 9-5 getting in the way, as I had found a 4 day a week contract role and was lucky enough to have that during lockdown too.

Lots of chanting and meditation made me realise my initial dream about my van and after 9 months of sitting on the idea. I found Eileen (my 1994 VW Motorhome) and set off in June 2021!

Life coaching and Sekhem healing came within the last couple of years as I found that trying to teach yoga whilst on the move was pretty difficult so I had to keep dipping back into the corporate world to get money together — I realised I didn’t want to carry on doing that so I became a Transformational Life Coach, trained by Marisa Peer helping people to be free from self sabotage, procrastination, feeling stuck and overwhelmed and able to achieve what they truly desire in life with ease – after all that’s exactly. Within my self discovery journey, I have gone down a more spiritual route and finding all things esoteric and energy based is very interesting to me — after all, we are all energy!

“Van life led me to personal growth and I empower others on their self discovery journey.”

Have you worked overseas before?

No, I haven’t worked overseas, just travelled. Now I’m a digital nomad. I really give you the freedom to work from anywhere.

Have you always practised yoga/what got you into it?

It was in my mid 20s when I tried yoga and my practice was very much more off than on — sometimes weekly, then slipping to fortnightly or very ad hoc, especially when I lived in London. After heavy alcohol fueled weekends, something would always pull me back to the mat to retreat. It was my safe space, my time to go inwards, I craved solace and peace as London’s noise was too loud for me at times.

What inspired you to go on a life-changing adventure like this?

I had to change — my body was screaming at me. My face had broken out in acne at the age of 40. Having flawless skin all my life, I never had to wear foundation and going from that beautiful gift to having to cover up the sore redness was just heartbreaking. It was a sign for me that I was overdoing it and not speaking to myself kindly at all – our bodies are far more intelligent than we are!

Did you have a contingency plan, in case this didn’t work out?

Not at all, the motto I’ve had since I went travelling was — “If it doesn’t work out, I can always go back home.”

Did you have a practice run before making the move or did you just go for it?

I just went for it — I’m a massive risk taker, that is something I pride myself on. Although I do it and then worry about it once I’ve done it!! Everything is figure-outable — I’m very adaptable and a firm believer that if you take a risk, the Universe will catch you. There was a quote in my yoga teacher’s kitchen which said “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”

Also, I don’t know if any of you have heard about Human Design, it’s another modality similar to Astrology that defines your makeup. I’m a Manifesting Generator 6/2 – we live many lives in one — I get bored quite easily and always want to better myself and try new things. I’m a total “yes” person.

When did you start your adventure and did you time it to avoid a British winter?

This year I started my winter adventure on 7 November and totally did it to avoid the British winter. Last year, I housesat in Trowbridge and studied, the house was cold and I didn’t know anyone in the area, so it was perfect to hermit away and get my head down.

After travelling Spain and Mexico the year before I swore to myself that I wouldn’t spend another Winter whilst living in the van in the UK. So off I went, Portsmouth to Bilabo and travelled down through NW Spain to Portugal and because of the stupid Brexit rule, I’m off to Morocco at the end of Jan to chase the sun and extend my stay out of the UK until it gets warmer.

Is the better weather a major benefit of living in Portugal now?

Abso-bloody-lutely! It gets cold in the evening, around 10 degrees, sometimes a little rainy but mainly sunny. I’m on the beach most mornings doing my practice, sea swimming, hiking and living outdoors.

Was it easy to make the move, now that the UK is out of the European Union and was there any red tape you had to negotiate your way through?

I’m working within the Schengen rules. As soon as you enter any country within the Schengen area, your 90-day clock starts. I will have 2 weeks left of my 90 days, so moving to Morocco and if I want to travel back before the 180 days, then I have 2 weeks left to travel through Europe back home without any penalties! Such a palava!

Have you had any experience of the van life before this?

When I was in Australia me and 4 other girls hired a van up the east coast — now that was an experience! And me and my ex hired a wicked campervan whilst travelling Oz for around the same length of time too — so a little experience of vanlife.

Tell us a little bit about the van which is now your home and your mode of transport? Does she have a name?

So she’s called Eileen and was actually named by the guy who I bought it off, as he bought it from a cockney dude. So she’s named after Dexys Midnight Runners’ song, Come on Eileen and I often sing this when we’re going up a hill! She’s a 1994 VW T4 Transporter — Motorhome style. At first I envisaged one of these new converted transit vans, but she’s perfect, it feels like an actual home — I don’t have to put away the bed every night and there’s quite a bit of storage for everything that I had to downsize to. Everyone who stays in Eileen absolutely loves her – she has such a magical vibe, so cosy, welcoming and homely.

Is it easy living in a small space?

Yeah, you get used to it — it gets really messy really quickly but then it’s all tidied away within minutes. Everything has to have its own place and put away!

What did you do to prepare for your trip?

Everything I own is with me in the van, apart from a couple of boxes and a suitcase at my mum’s. I made sure Eileen was all good to travel, got a service done beforehand, new tyres and all good to go!

How do you slim down a house/apartment full of belongings to what you can travel with in your van?

That was a tough job, I’d collected so much stuff over the years, I did actually find it very therapeutic getting rid of ‘stuff’. I did the whole Marie Kondo thing and it’s amazing the emotional attachment that we have to possessions, letting things go really frees up emotional space. I originally put all my furniture from my apartment into storage for 12 months — just in case!

Then I decided to sell all of it and luckily I sold it as a job lot rather than bit by bit. Clothes, I sold on Vinted and have the bare minimum but still a nice selection of the beautiful clothes I’ve collected over the years plus I have to think about all seasons too. Shoes were an issue — I think I had collected nearly 100 pairs at one point, so they all went to charity or sold.

Were you frightened at all about taking this journey you are on?

No — maybe a little uncertain and finding my feet initially. But I don’t bring that energy into the van, I know I’m protected. Every time I’ve broken down, people appear out of nowhere to help, plus everyone loves Eileen.

What do family and friends think about it?

I get ‘inspiring’ a lot and that I’m a nutter, lol. I had to ask my family and this is what they’ve said: “She’s brave, courageous, an inspiration and encouraging others to live out of their comfort zone. Fearless to travel on her own and she owns it. She’s a lot more at peace and has changed her complete outlook on life and really helps others through living a life of compassion and non-judgement. She now has more time and energy to live the life how she wants – being fluid.”

What was the journey down to Portugal like? How long did it take and where did you stop en route?

After arriving in Bilbao, Northern Spain, I took the coastal route via Austurias, Galicia which was stunning! I love the ocean and hug the coastline as much as possible to practise on the beach and sea swim most days.

I then dropped into the national park in Portugal, down to Porto, Lisbon — loads of little towns all the way down south — Nazare to try and see the big surf but it’s not quite the season before residing in Lagos to rest for a little while before I make my journey through spain and onto Morocco.

Why Portugal? Is it a country that you knew before and do you speak Portuguese?

I’ve travelled on holiday as a kid and have visited Lagos 3 times previously where I currently am and have stayed here for about a month over Christmas and NY after the 1000 mile drive down the coast, it’s a beautiful place to hang out and coast around SW Portugal. I speak a tiny bit of Portuguese, hello, thank you – to be respectful.

Tell us about your average day

I wake up, meditate, journal — head to the beach practice yoga, sea swim. Go to the local cafe, work on my business — social media, email marketing etc… Take client calls in the afternoon, hike — watch sunset. I love helping people, I was once stuck in a rut with self-sabotaging thoughts and behaviour and it’s so rewarding to help others go through this process — I’ve been there, I totally get it and can relate. Plus the transformation process has been phenomenal for my clients. Most evenings, I catch up with friends and family on the phone or meet up with new friends. Every day is slightly different and 90% of the time I say yes to everything that comes my way to really adventure into the unknown.

Are you happier for going on such a life-changing adventure?

For sure! I was never one for routine and I always bent the rules, so this life suits me perfectly. I didn’t realise how much of a connection I would establish with nature. After living full time in nature for nearly 3 years, I sleep much better, I live an outdoor lifestyle, I feel a lot more in sync with the cycles of life, hibernating in winter, living fully in summer etc

Do you miss your life in the UK at all?

There is something really special about the UK, the sense of humour we have, the music scene, fashion — these qualities are slightly different when you’re travelling but I get to meet so many different people from across many countries that I wouldn’t have met if I didn’t travel. Plus I live in the UK throughout the summer, so I get the best of both worlds.

How easy was it to move your work life from the UK to Portugal?

The majority of my work is online, so you can pretty much work from anywhere, when I stay in places long enough to integrate more with the community — I will host an event. This is what I’m doing here in Lagos next week.

Did you know anyone there, before you set off?

No, I didn’t know anyone before I set off. I knew that a few other friends who have vans were also setting off escaping the UK winter so I have met up with them and travelled a couple of destinations together. Plus a friend of mine wanted to visit Porto, she came over for the weekend which was so much fun! And another celebrated Christmas with me in Lagos, it’s been great to have my mates come and stay with me and Eileen.

How easy has it been to meet new people?

It’s pretty easy on the road to hermit yourself away, so I often park near other vanlifers and we get chatting or here in Lagos there is a big digital nomad scene. I’ve been to a couple of the meetups which is a great opportunity to meet like minded people. There is a huge digital nomad community all over the world now, so I tap into this throughout my journey.

Are the people friendly and welcoming where you are?

The Portuguese are really friendly that I’ve met. I park where other vans park and everyone I’ve met travelling in vans are so open and lovely. It’s a real community on the road of like-minded free spirits.

Do you stay static in one place or do you move around?

I knew that I wanted to get to Lagos and celebrate Christmas and New Year – the journey from Bilbao to Lagos was around 1000 miles so it’s been really lovely to stay kinda stationary for a month. On the route down, I’d stay in a place a night, maybe 2 – I genuinely feel into how I’m feeling on the day – where I want to go and follow what my heart is telling me.

How long will you stay in Portugal or is it a permanent move?

I have to leave mid-Jan because of the Brexit rule! I’m leaving 2 weeks at the end of my current 90 days, travelling to Morocco to follow the sunshine!

If not, where next?

I’ve never been to Morocco and a lot of people try and put the fear in, saying “Is it safe there for a woman travelling on her own.” I feel safety is all about your own perception of how safe you feel within yourself. My and Eileen feel totally safe. Yes, I will probably have to be a little more vigilant but I’m pretty streetwise now, my intuition is fierce and I don’t bring that energy of fear – as you really do attract what you put out there.

Is it the van life for you now, or do you think you’ll move back into bricks and mortar one day?

I’m feeling the call to be a little more stable during the summer when I’m in the UK to stay in one place rather than travel so much – I’d like to find a community van campsite or maybe a some kind of house-sit situation, where you look after someone’s house whilst they’re away this year. Let’s see what arises, I’m pretty much open to whatever comes my way.

Do you have any tips for anyone thinking of doing something similar?

Just do it! “I’d rather regret the things I have done, rather than regret the things I haven’t done.” We can take life far too seriously sometimes, it’s just a massive game. Learn to play the game of freedom, be more childlike and have lots of fun and adventures, life shoots by not to.

Anything else you’d like to tell us?

I turned my whole life around in my 40’s, it’s never too late to make that change, take the risk, try something new. Life is short and you’re the star of your own movie – make it a movie that you would love to sit down and watch with a big bowl of popcorn in your later years. I’m the lead actress walking down the red carpet!

Kaye’s mission is to help people be free from self sabotage, procrastination, feeling stuck and overwhelmed and able to achieve what they truly desire in life with ease. Through coaching processes, kundalini yoga and mindfulness techniques, she helps people rewire patterns in their mind that hold them back from being their true selves and supports them in opening the door to a life they have always dreamed about and help them really shine a light on what they truly want.

Contact Kaye:

Get to know: Aliomalley

hey girl woman with hood up in the sunshine

Get to know digital illustrator ‘Aliomalley’

We chat about her tongue-in-cheek treatment of politics and dating, forsaking the tyranny of the algorithm for real life networking, and how her most poular Fuckboi illustration has only ever been bought by men…

Words: Rowena Price for HEY GIRL
Photos: Simon Clemenger www.simonclemengerphotography.com

Rewind to early 2022 and Boo Bruce-Smith is living the Parisian dream — almost. Living with great flatmates, in a secure job looking after kids for a lovely family / barista-ing, soaking up post-lockdown city life, filling her boots with cheese and red wine. What’s not to love?

Good question.

She says she did love it — she was “fully in love with it”, in fact. But a global winter of discontent and a bad period of depression had left her sold on the scenario yet searching for something different. Namely, the career she didn’t know she wanted.

Bruce-Smith had been in France for most of the pandemic by this stage, developing her wry illustration work under the radar, with the ‘I’m not sure this is really a thing’ attitude of someone who didn’t study art, didn’t have any connections in the art world either side of the English Channel, and doesn’t come from a family of artists. But what started as a uni-years hobby and creative outlet (she studied Politics at Newcastle University) had quietly become a lightning rod for her energy, ideas and sense of purpose. And something shifted.

Fast forward to early 2023 and she’s about to celebrate the first full year of her artist alter ego Aliomalley being a proper ‘thing’, with a bunch of exhibitions and brand collabs with the likes of Soho House under her belt, and the fire and focus of someone who’s on a roll and finding fulfilment in their work. The alter ego is now a fully fledged business

The art itself started off with a sparse, line drawn, sad-girl aesthetic — pared-down black and white New Yorker style illustrations accompanied by pithy one liners. It’s since developed into something more zany and fulsome – think the droll sophistication of New Yorker cartoons meets the colourful wit and economy of David Shrigley meets the unmistakable ethics and aesthetics of somebody born after 1995. The tagline on the Aliomalley website describes it as “just some illustrations based on nothing and no one” — an ironically self-deprecating take on what she does and where she finds inspiration and, as such, very on brand.

In reality, it’s a response to what she notices in the lives and loves of her friends and family, as well as her own experiences and wider observations of pop culture and society at large. She describes it as “50% political, 50% basic bitch” and we briefly head off on a tangential epiphany, citing the popular podcast The High Low (by millennial pop culture icons Dolly Alderton and Pandora Sykes) as a possible unconscious reference point, checking the middle class white woman privilege caveats along the way.

Like all good satirical art, it’s rooted in reality but amplified, and delivered with a laconic light touch. The tallest of orders if you don’t possess the knack (although she clearly does), but even harder to strike comedic illustrative gold if you’re creating in a second language (French, in this case) with a zeitgeisty slang lexicon of its own and other cultural nuances to navigate. On the decision to leave Paris to make a go of her art, she says: “By that point I realised that Aliomalley was what I wanted to do. I knew I was in a headspace where I could do it, and I realised I needed (and wanted) to move back to London. Anything was going to be easier than trying to do Aliomalley not in my first language.”

She acknowledges that she was fortunate to have a ready-made emotional and practical support system back in London in the shape of her three sisters, who were already house sharing in South London when she moved back. She credits them with being essential to the development of Aliomalley when she went full time with it in March 2022, helping her navigate the shark infested waters of social media (one sister works in content creation) and doubling up as models for the apparel lines she’s now producing. “We’ve been navigating it all together”, she says, “free-falling through it and figuring it out as we go along”.

Cue: neat Q&A bit segue…

hey girl

The Interview

RP: In an online world dominated by influencer culture, people are figuring it out as they go along all the time – what do you think learning on the job (or “free-falling” through it) lends to your work?

AM: Well, Aliomalley started on Instagram. I didn’t do marketing, I didn’t do art, I didn’t do any of the stuff in this world – and I think you can probably see that in the evolution of my work, for better or worse, which is maybe part of the authenticity? I don’t know. In an ideal world I would create what I want to create when I create it and people would already know about it, but that’s not the reality. So I do look at interactions with posts to partly inform things now, which my sister has helped me with. It is interesting to see what content does well and to try and figure out why.

RP: I saw a meme the other day that said being an artist in the eighties was 20% making art and 80% sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll – whereas being an artist in the 2020s is 20% art and 80% social media… 

AM: It sounds way more fun back then! I follow quite a few art meme pages and that is exactly what you’re doing – stupid stuff, which I hate, like researching the algorithm and how people go viral. It makes it seem like you’re in it for fame and glory. It would be disingenuous to say that recognition isn’t a part of it, and I want to be able to make a living from my work, but it’s still a really weird concept to wrap your head around, playing the social media game. I have a love/hate relationship with it, like so many people.

RP: Do you think you have to be an influencer to be a successful artist these days?

AM: When I went full time after moving back to London, within about a month I was like ohhhhhh, okay, I’m throwing everything at it but it isn’t going as well as I’d hoped. I’m not getting the likes and the algorithm has changed.* So I was like, you know what? I need to not rely on Instagram as much. I don’t want to lean so heavily on digital interaction, and I’m an introvert by nature, so it saps my energy. Although it sounds counterintuitive, I realised that doing in person stuff like art markets and meeting people in person is a great way to cut through all the online stuff. I’ve done more and more of that as I’ve gone along – it’s been exhausting but amazing.

*The #MakeInstagramInstagramAgain campaign in summer 2022 was an online artist and creator led movement against Instagram’s prioritisation of video and reels content (an apparent attempt to emulate TikTok), which garnered powerhouse celeb support from the likes of Kylie Jenner, went viral, and allegedly resulted in algorithm change roll backs.

AM: Also, the reality for me is that I don’t solely do Aliomalley work — I use my skills to do commissions like brand work and other illustration stuff that doesn’t have my Alio identity, which is necessary to pay the bills but also an interesting creative outlet in its own right. It challenges me in other ways. And I still do bits of Barista work — that’s also good for being part of a community, which I find fun and is another way of connecting with people. 

RP: How do you feel about navigating that online world now?

AM: I’m name-checking the help! My sisters take photos or help with content or model for me, but there’s also something cringe about taking selfies and uploading them, especially for the first time, or even getting people to model for you. It’s a whole other world and I never saw myself as that person. And now I’m the shameless selfie taker – or shameful, not shameless! The intention is to show off the product, but you also want the image to look good. I also realise that I get so much of my news and inspiration from Instagram these days, so it’s useful and also provides some much needed variety and light relief, because the news alone is really depressing. The memes and lighter content are necessary to consume to balance out the intensity of everything else.

hey girl

“We’ve been navigating it all together, free-falling through it and figuring it out as we go along.”

Aliomalley
hey girl

RP: And the in person stuff like markets and events in comparison? How do they feel?

AM: I had a stall at Camberwell Art Market just before Christmas and it was great and I met lots of cool people. It’s so nice watching people looking at the artwork and laughing – seeing the reactions in real time, real life. (Although I do think, like, if you find it that funny, please do a girl a favour and buy it!) You don’t get that online — a ‘like’ feels different and a bit detached in comparison, but I’m grateful for them. If 56 people, for example, told you that they loved one piece of artwork that you did in person, you would be overwhelmed! But you see 56 little hearts on an Instagram post and you feel differently and want more — the psychology is weird. The markets have been exhausting and amazing and I want to do more of them.

RP: Have any responses to your illustrations been a surprise, or challenged your perceptions about your own work?

AM: One of my older illustrations references a fuckboi themed J Hus song – and funnily enough it’s only ever been bought by men! So far, anyway. A guy bought it recently and said he really liked my stuff but was worried about being all ‘fuckboi feminist’ if he had it up in his house, and to be fair he’s probably right! I remember a group of three guys at a pop up event being really sceptical about it, but instead of walking on they stopped and chatted with me about it and we ended up laughing about it together. In the same conversation they shared their lived experiences of racism. It’s not to make things comparable, but in that conversation we were able to listen and share and seek to understand each other in different ways. Content-wise, I sometimes touch on race or other marginalised genders, but I don’t want to be a voice where it’s not my narrative.

RP: You’ve talked about in person interactions often being more fruitful, or perhaps pivotal, for you — in terms of both new and deeper connections. Are there any standouts from this past year?

AM: I did a Soho House pop up last year, which was amazing for me. On NYE 2021 my sister and I went to Brixton Studio (which was like a sister thing to Soho House, but sadly no longer open) – they did incredible music nights, filled the place with art by local artists etc — it was great. That night we got chatting to this girl who I think clocked us as not really knowing anyone there, whereas everyone else seemed to know each other. She was super friendly and turned out to be a musician – an incredible one, Cyan, check her out @cyanofficially! — and we started talking about our creative work and exchanged Insta handles and then weirdly bumped into her somewhere else a while later and she was like, oh I was gonna say you should speak to the organisers of the event about pop ups for local artists and sort of just connected me in, and it went from there. Actual networking / word of mouth! Unless you’re a ‘nepo baby’ and already have those connections, you have to just get out there, be proactive and get chatting with people.

RP: Online chat about ‘nepo babies’ and related themes is definitely having a moment, which speaks to the observational eye for trends in your work…

AM: Yeah, your feed can quickly get flooded with trends like that that can take off. I heard that the word of the year last year was ‘gaslighting’ and the resurgence of that word and it trending so much could be traced back to a New York Times article about gaslighting and Donald Trump. It might be a couple of years late on the actual word but I  remember my feed being full of it! The word is everywhere and then it gets used more and more casually as time goes on.

RP: Do you notice the idea of concept creep coming into play here?

AM: Yes – politics and dating are two areas most prone to this, I think – words like gaslighting, toxic, love-bombing… I do wonder at what point they stop being relatable and start to lose their meaning.

RP: Your illustrations inherently amplify trending words and zeitgeisty phrases around politics and dating. How do you tread that delicate line of balancing humour, relatability, sensitivity and ethics – and avoid that concept creep?

AM: You want to jump on the bandwagon at the peak of the wave so you’re coming in with the right content at the right time, but I’m always really wary of jumping on something without knowing the facts or considering different perspectives. Shining a light on mockable behaviour in a humorous way requires empathy and balance, I think? I also know that my opinions and observations expressed through Aliomalley are subject to change! I don’t want it to be too confrontational or attack-y, I’d rather it invite curiosity and conversations than make people baulk. My initial ideas might be more cartoonish or extreme, but I do sense check them. By nature I’m quite politically correct, I guess. With a lot of the tropes and clichés, my sisters are my first port of call as the voices of reason or litmus test for how something might land. Also the Instagram landscape itself, to a degree. I actively seek different peoples’ opinions about stuff I create because it’s important to me to still be respectful while I’m working with those tropes, and keep good natured humour at the heart of it. There’s definitely been an evolution in my work in that respect. It’s become more balanced and considered.

RP: What artist or creative doesn’t have a trash can of all the ‘process’ stuff that didn’t make the cut?! 

AM: Exactly. And everyone has the right to evolve and change through experience and education. Which is what I want to keep doing. There are lots that I haven’t published, or ditched along the way! And a few that I’ve archived (the odd dating one!).

RP: The general environment online can be pretty stark and unforgiving. What’s your take on that in respect of your work?

AM: In the world of online anything that I say can come back to haunt me at any point. I reserve the right to change through being educated myself, and I hope that’s met with compassion as I would always try to do in reverse. But obviously there are lines and extreme cases are exactly that, and can’t be excused. Accountability is critical, and it involves a dialogue and an openness to change – I hope my work invites that and I want to embody it. “Calling in”* rather than calling out. Art can be a really useful catalyst for that.

*We go down another tangential road talking about the work of Thought Leader, TED Speaker, Author and Producer Nova Reid who coined this phrase — check out her excellent work at www.novareid.com.

RP: Have you ever got into hot water or experienced any kind of backlash because of your illustrations?

AM: Creating dating content can be tricky territory — I’ve definitely had a few unfavourable responses to that stuff, especially when it might be close to home. I think about that with writers who do dating columns, too. I’m always worried that if I’m dating someone and it’s been going for a while then they’re going to think it’s about them. When in reality, even if there might be a trigger in there, it will always be a representation of something more widely relatable that I’ve consistently observed. I’ve been trolled, too! I remember that happening and being, like, oh my God, I’ve made it, I’ve got my first troll! There was nothing constructive about it of course, it was a straight up unsophisticated attack — mean, playground level stuff — so I just blocked them.

RP: Although your work is first hand observational, you also talk about spending a lot of time immersing yourself in broader reading and research to inform it…

AM: To be honest, I’ve done more of that this past year — and I’m also experiencing that thing of struggling to find time to make the actual art. The reading and research combined with the admin of running a small business has made that challenging but I’m learning as I go. I also have a Pinterest obsession, where I explore aesthetics that inspire me — I’m loving the sad-girl vibe and Wes Anderson aesthetic. It’s part of the work now. I use all that to fuel the ideas and want to churn out more, although I have more ideas than I have time to create them!

RP: What about when things don’t go well, or an idea falls flat in reality?

AM: I remember my first ever product, which was a run of postcards during lockdown in Paris, and that went brilliantly. They were popular and I was shifting them. So then I made posters and it was a disaster! I didn’t really know what I was doing production-wise and essentially ordered flyers. It was bad. So flimsy! But I had to try and flog them because I didn’t have much money. I sold a few but realised that I would have been fuming if I’d paid £10 for a flyer! So I had to just take the hit — I felt bad asking for money for them more than worrying about brand reputation at that stage, because the brand was so green. But either way, it wasn’t a vibe!

RP: Tell us about your hopes for 2023 — HEYGIRL is all about creative collaboration — who inspires you and who’s on your dream collab list?

AM: I love The Awkward Frogs Instagram account, I remember seeing that quite early on and then watching it explode in popularity after a post went viral. It’s funny and explores similar stuff to my work on the dating front. I look at that and find it inspiring and, on the one hand, think – okay! Maybe that’ll happen to me one day! But then it comes back to that classic combination of sort of low self esteem combined with a blind belief that a lot of creatives have – I wonder if I’m delusional and desire validation, but I do believe in myself. It’s a relentless cycle. I want to be working with magazines and brands more. But in terms of brand collabs? Gucci is the dream, naturally!

Returning to the notion of the ‘knack’ of making well judged, entertaining and resonant satirical illustrations — having spent time with the artist and explored her work in more depth – it seems that the knack is far less about the mechanics of deft line drawing and much more about listening (or the art of it). And, saccharine as it may seem, the Japanese symbol for listening springs to mind — made up of symbols for the eyes and heart as well as the ears — reflected in Bruce-Smith’s openness, warmth and sincerity, mixed with a low-key screwball heroine vibe. Perhaps it’s that wholesome and considered approach, combined with creative flair and a wry sense of humour, that turns the Aliomalley ‘knack’ into artistic magic.

Connect with Aliomalley on Instagram @Aliomalley and explore more of her work at www.Aliomalleyart.com (especially if you work for Gucci).

See her feature in our issue 6, available to download or buy in beautiful print.

GET TO KNOW: ZOE FROM JOYN

Meet Zoe Tuckey, Lead Designer at JOYN, creators of ethically produced handmade bags from India.

Zoe holds the creative vision behind their handcrafted products and oversees how they put into practice their values of caring for people and the planet in all that they do. Zoe grew up in India and lives with her family in Rajpur, a little town nestled at the foothills of the Himalayas, where JOYN’s manufacturing studio is based.

Interview by Rowena Price for HEY GIRL.

RP: Thanks for taking the time to chat with us, Zoe! Tell us more about JOYN — what’s the brand all about?

ZT: JOYN is a brand that strives to do business differently, creating a circular ecosystem where all considerations of the supply chain are taken into account and where the people and craftsmanship behind each product are honoured. It was started in 2011 by Melodie Murray, who was living in the Rajpur area with her family and wanted to help the arts of India to keep going in the local area.

Rajpur is a tiny community in the mountains in the middle of nowhere and hardly anybody knows about it. She had been in textiles and, enamoured by the artistic expression of block printing, thought it would be a good way to create more opportunities for local women to learn the artform and new skills, and to gain employment. So she started small, teaching a few people and working with local artisan groups. That team grew — we currently have around 40 employees — and here we are, over ten years later!

RP: Your website talks about many of the local women you worked with in the early days coming out of trafficking and abusive situations…

ZT: Yes, that’s what the brand was established on — helping people get jobs with fair wages in ethical conditions as part of a community, as well as fuelling the local arts industry. We’ve worked with a lot of local women who wouldn’t otherwise have had the opportunity to be employed in this way — a lot of their husbands were drinking and they were just trying to provide for their families.

RP: JOYN is part of the global fashion industry, an industry facing constant scrutiny, particular in terms of ethics, social justice and sustainability. What role do brands like yours have to play here?

ZT: We try to lead by doing, not just saying, take action on a consistent basis, and avoid grand gestures whilst keeping a handle on our contribution to the mess. On a basic level, people will always consume — we know that. For us it’s about how and what is consumed, and a consideration of balancing our values of people and planet together. If people are our priority the planet must be too. Yes, we make new products, but we do so slowly and mindfully and make products built to last as sustainably as possible.

We actively work to purchase remnant leathers and sustainable materials so that we can make our bags without going through the high impact processes of tanning and dying so that, wherever possible, we create beauty with what the earth has already given us. We choose not to mass produce, but work with small, sustainable production runs, each time creating a small batch of handcrafted products, making each one beautifully unique. I’m personally driven to keep holding us to high standards in terms of our employees’ experience — we really look after the people that work for us — as well as the nature of what we produce.

RP: How would you describe the work you do?

ZT: Since coming back from maternity leave it’s been more of a part time situation. Usually the beginning of a season is the busiest time — developing ideas, gathering inspiration and sketching new collections. And I like to see it through to the end — so I work with Amy on how it’s going to be photographed, the accompanying wardrobe and the creative expression of what those products mean. I love the whole process. An average week is based on what is needed at that time of the season — I’ll go into the manufacturing unit, for example, to work with the team there to mix the right colours, order the block designs, choose the fabrics and oversee the development of the prints. No two days are the same — it’s really exciting, varied work and I feel like I’m the luckiest person.

RP: Your role at JOYN isn’t something you’d done before joining the company. What was it like learning those new skills?

ZT: At the time I started I had total imposter syndrome, like, ‘What am I doing?!’. Also being very aware of being white and female and outside of the culture in some senses, in spite of having lived in India for over 30 years. But in some ways it worked to my advantage because I knew nothing and had everything to learn. So I learnt a lot! I went into the production unit and said ‘I have this idea… is it possible?’ and it pushed people and became this collaborative effort because of my limitations and our different skill sets. As I look back I can see that that sense of collaboration was, and is, what it’s all about.

RP: What role does creativity play in your daily life?

ZT: I think I always find a way to be creative, even in the lulls. I took up weaving recently — there was this big loom at work and I took it home and started weaving — it’s all therapy, really. I’m not very good at being in the moment so it’s good for me. I’ve always really appreciated textile and design and art, and always had this bent towards creativity and tried to do stuff with my hands since I was young. I have another background in music so it was always going to be design or music — I initially went with music and toured with a band for a while and organised creative events where we did music and poetry and workshops and that sort of thing. It’s creativity or nothing for me — it’s an outlet for expression, I have to or I’ll go mad!

RP: How do you overcome creative blocks?

ZT: It’s a real tough one and show’s itself in different ways with different artforms. Like with songwriting, when I hit a wall, I just want to smash my guitar and say ‘That’s it, I’m done!’. But with other stuff — like weaving — I find it really intuitive, so if I hit a wall I think ‘no I need to finish this, even if it sucks and even if I don’t like it in the end, it’s the process that’s important and not the outcome’.

RP: It’s such a different slant on a creative process when you’re attaching to an outcome, thinking ‘I’ve got to sell this, what will people think of it?’…

ZT: Absolutely. Previously I was all about ‘how can it be the best, how will it be seen by others’ — it’s so hard to get out of that mindset of how the final product will be seen, how it can be sold and thinking about how it’s going to be validated by other people. All these thoughts go through your head. But I know that if I can get out of that zone and focus on the fact that this is good for me and I need to do it because I can find myself in it, I can overcome the blocks much better, one step at a time.

RP: What’s your personal definition of empowerment? What does that word mean to you?

ZT: I’ve gone round in circles about this because it’s been misused a lot. When the word ‘empowerment’ is used it can sometimes indicate a power imbalance. I don’t think anyone can really ‘empower’ somebody else, I think it has to come from within. I think it’s more like being a friend, and when you’re being a friend to somebody and you’re seeing and hearing each other mutually then you’re both going to rise. If you’re in it together then you’re empowering each other — it’s more mutual and leaves no room for inequality, I would say.

RP: When do you feel most empowered?

ZT: When I’ve pushed through something that I didn’t allow myself to do before. Where I feel like I just can’t do it or I’m not good enough. My husband is really good at asking the right questions in those moments, helping me realise I can do it and it’s not impossible. When I overcome things like that then I feel empowered.

RP: You’ve talked about togetherness being conducive to mutual empowerment. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given about working together and collaborating with others?

ZG: I’m not sure about advice specifically, but I’ve learned over time about when to take the lead, when to step back, and choose your collaborators consciously. If you can go in with the mindset of knowing that you have something to learn here, with an open attitude, it’s probably going to go much better for you.

RP: HEY GIRL believes that creativity is an incredibly powerful force in the world. How do you see that power being harnessed currently and what impact do you want it to have?

ZT: I’m always blown away by how impactful creativity is in terms of changing the world. I remember watching a documentary (I can’t remember what it’s called now!) about how a place in America was transformed through the arts, putting art everywhere and the act of creative expression changing things for people. We often talk about ‘what is it about art that’s so transformational for people?’ — and it’s often intangible. But we’ve all experienced it in our own lives — listening to music or seeing a picture or photo and something changes.

I think it just needs to keep happening. Art is this explosion of everything that you can’t say, and often it’s most powerful when it’s expressed by people who have been suppressed or haven’t had the opportunity to be heard — it’s powerful and completely beautiful.

“We envision a world where community is connected to the art of hand making - the practice of choosing slow and spending our time to create products that deserve to exist in our world.”

RP: Tell us about your creative influences – who or what inspires you?

ZT: It’s more people and artists that I know rather than famous people. There have been people in my own life that have come at the right time and done something spectacular that I’ve seen and it’s magic when that happens.

RP: ‘Positivity’ in the media is often portrayed as either toxically present or demonstrably absent. What’s your relationship with the concept of positivity today?

ZT: I really don’t like toxic positivity. I wouldn’t say I’m an extremely positive person – I’m down the middle, a realist, I guess. But I guess positivity is a nice way of getting yourself out of fight or flight more and seeing potential in challenging situations and shifting perspective.

RP: What one piece of advice would you give to your 16 year old self?

ZT: Trust your inner voice – hold on to that inner wisdom and stay the course.

RP: What’s your hope for 2023?

ZT: I hope for more adventure for all of us! It’s been a tough few years, so action and adventure and new experiences would be wonderful.

RP: That does sound wonderful! Thanks again for taking the time to chat with us and allowing us to shine a spotlight on your inspiring work.

Discover more about JOYN, their products and brand story at www.joynbags.com

FREEDOM. LOVE

GET TO KNOW: KEEP IT CONSCIOUS

Hello HG readers! I’m Emma, founder of Keep it Conscious. I’m a Somatic practitioner and Yoga teacher, and I help people move through the world empowered, in control of their feelings and with full access to the pleasure spectrum of emotion! In short, I help people rediscover what makes them feel good.

"A good way to organise your experience is to start with your thoughts..."

My approach to wellbeing is through the felt sense of your nervous system, using the bi-direction processes in your body to keep your mental health in check. A big part of that work is reorientating to pleasure, this might sound simple, but the brain has this super annoying negativity-bias that is ready to send unhelpful thoughts your way. Give it an inch, and it will take a mile!

A regular mindfulness practice that makes you feel connected to whatever inspires you is like preparation for when life throws some lemons your way. Being able to connect more easily to what makes you feel good is a useful tool for diverting the energy of any negative thoughts.

Your body responds to what you see

One way to track how your nervous system and emotions are interacting, is to pay attention to the impact of what you consume, visually. How does an image or video ‘land’ in your nervous system? Consider how it makes you feel, and if its influence serves you. Your nervous system is listening to sensory information inside and around your body, and also to the story (thoughts) you have about it in your mind.

A good way to organise your experience is to start with your thoughts. What are you thinking about when you watch models on a runway or scroll through social media? Do you feel inspired? Relaxed? Maybe it makes you laugh? For example, I experience the bold, playful energy of Hey Girl magazine as uplifting, and the human element behind the gorgeous images feels relatable, and it’s great to have a copy on my coffee table.

Track your experience with your thoughts, if they don’t serve you, try switching up what you’re looking at.

“I experience the bold, playful energy of Hey Girl magazine as uplifting…”

Body Diversity – London Fashion Week

I recently read an article that talked about body diversity at London Fashion Week. It described how London is behind the curve (no pun intended!) when it comes to the type of models walking the main stage. As beautiful as they are, the models that are showcased are representing a tiny (quite literally) percentage of the population, and body shapes outside of this group are walking at “alternative” events.

These events are featuring models who accurately represent the general population of bodies. But because they’re considered “plus size” (which is anything above a size 8 in model world), they’re typically excluded from the main stage. Take a look at this list of retailers offering plus sizes, adjusting their offering to be more inclusive.

London Fashion week is a celebration of fabulous attire, seeing it on a single body type feels one dimensional. But whilst the world of fashion is evolving and slowly catching up with an inclusive representation of society, we have people like Rianne Ward who are out here relentless spreading the love for body diversity. And designers like Christian Siriano and Ester Manas who are paving the way for the future of fashion and demolishing outdated model standards along the way!

Visual Wellness

London Fashion Week is with us! If you find your mind getting into a comparison-spin, or maybe that self-talk goes a bit sideways, filter what you watch. Think of the content of your thoughts as a barometer for how you’re feeling, notice what serves you and leave behind anything that doesn’t.

Emma x

GET TO KNOW: UPSAHL LIVE

Yeah you know her .. ‘UPSAHL’ and if you don’t .. well here’s the perfect way to get a bit of the UPSAHL energy!
We chatted to the American singer songwriter back stage at her 1st ever London gig.
Watch out for the few naughty words .. ha .. enjoy x
LOVE. LIFE
“How would I describe my sound in 3 words .. BIG D**K ENERGY”
UPSAHL’s amazing album ‘Lady Jesus’ is out now!!
Go listen here HEY GIRL gang x
FREEDOM. LOVE

GET TO KNOW: HI CACTI

Hi Cacti is a cool Brighton based independent shop thats all about cacti, We popped in to say hi to Sabina the owner and founder, checked out all her amazing stock and her new book.
Let’s see what’s so great about these cool plants.
” I’m very passionate about sharing how beneficial plants are for us…”

For the readers .. you got a cool accent .. where’s that from?
Surprisingly with my Yankee twang I’m actually from rural Suffolk originally! Just to throw ya off! But we moved to Austin Texas when I was 7 and that’s where I spent most of my youth till 22 hence losing my English accent for my American accent. I have dual nationality with my mum being English from london and my dad being an Italian American New Yorker- which massively shaped who I am as I feel very ‘transatlantic’ with my vocab & upbringing, etc.

So … what’s so great about Cacti’s?
They are just awesome all around! Structural so therefore sort of architectural! They’re Survivors! They have preferences to thrive but they are still able to ‘bloom where they are planted’ so to speak which I really admire and appreciate. Also cacti are long living and can outlive us – such as the immense & impressively tall saguaro cacti in the Sonoran desert in areas like Arizona, Southern California, and northern Mexico which can live a couple hundred years and grow 40ft+. Because of there slow growth and ages this means they can usually be passed down and exchange households and generations which I think is really beautiful. I inherited my 1st cacti collection from my grandmother ‘Nanny Joy’ which really inspired the start of my whole business after she passed away. There are so many varieties too so they are I think one of the more interesting, varied, and easy plants to keep! Just a sunny spot, minimal watering and Bob’s your uncle! 

LOVE. LIFE

Tell us about your fab new book?
Thanks and yes I’m super excited that the book is out now as it was a long time in the making! A publisher approached me about writing it about 2.5 years ago, so it’s so unreal and amazing to finally be a fabricated product in the shop and being sold in other peoples shops around the world!
It’s mind blowing and I feel over the moon! The basis of the book is to talk about the benefits of plant care as a form of self care and to hopefully talk about simple and accessible ways to add nature and botanicals into your daily life. There’s lots of info about the benefits mentally & physically, plant projects and crafts, plant based recipes and botanical drinks, and lots of plant hacks, tips, and styling ideas! I truly believe in the power of plants over just them looking pretty in a pot on your desk and I’m very passionate about sharing how beneficial it is for us to connect to nature and add some greenery to our daily and usually digital lives! 

How would you describe the colours of your shop .. in a sound?
A tropical beat for sure! Picture that random cool colourful chick around that beach bomb fire tapping a simple bongo beat… that prob out Cabana colour pallet vibe. 

How would you describe the experience of walking into your shop?
Between the colours, beachy texmex products and tropical greenery I strive to make the shop feel like a holiday or a little oasis from the city. Our mantra is very ‘mi Casa Es su casa’ and I really love creating a space that transports people and stops them in their tracks for a moment’s escape.

“Ironically people always see the big guys in my window like cowboy cacti with big spikes and are fearful of them …”

What’s been the coolest place you have been on your travels?
Super tough call. But I would say New Orleans is one of my favorite cities I’ve ever been to, as it has it’s own completely unique vibe and mix of influences and cultures. It feels so Unique to the city itself, very Cajun, voodoo, French, southern, jazzy, arty, etc and I adore the pride that people from Nola have. But also Arizona state as a whole is epically beautiful, so varied from snow capped mountains & pine tree forests to red rocked canyons with waterfalls and cacti filled desserts. Tucson in particular makes my soul sing and changed my life going there and now we try to visit their deserts every winter if we can! 

How did you end up in Brighton?
I came for a summer when I was at university in Austin and never left! And that was 15 years ago. Haha 😂 my mum being English I had the passport and wanted to make sure I took advantage of it at some point in my life, and came halfway thru uni for a summer break to work at a pub and fell in love with Brighton and didn’t want to leave. 

Which is your spikiest cactus?
Ironically people always see the big guys in my window like cowboy cacti with big spikes and are fearful of them but it’s actually more like the little guys with small thin hairlike spikes like prickly pear cacti that really get cha as they are super fine and hard to get out and hard to see. 

Where do you want to be in 10 years?
I would love to be splitting my time between running my business here in England and also out of the southwest of America, perhaps with another ‘Hi Cacti’ location or 2. Out of either Southern California like Joshua tree and/or Austin or Tucson, driving around in my 80’s Orange Ford bronco delivering cacti between desert hikes. ;-) 

How can the HEY GIRL readers find you?
The HEY GIRL gang can find me online on my ‘gram @hi_cacti or my website www.hicacti.com

Otherwise pop by the shop and say ‘Hi’ on the Brighton seven dials.

Big thanks to Sabina for chatting to us .. if you fancy a lovely book or Cacti for a little present check out the shop and website.

HG xx

FREEDOM. LOVE

GET TO KNOW: LAUREN PATEL – ACTOR

Lauren will make her screen debut in EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE, the feature film adaptation of the hugely successful West End Musical of the same name.

Inspired by the 2011 television documentary Jamie: Drag Queen at 16, the story follows a 16-year-old teenager as he overcomes prejudice and steps out of the darkness to attend prom in drag. Lauren will play the female lead ‘Pritti Pasha’, a muslim girl who is Jamie’s best friend and ally.

Originally from Bolton, Lauren was cast as ‘Pritti’ after responding to an open call for the film, whilst still studying at college.

We popped round for a cup tea and a chat … in a digital sense .. ha..

“Stop waiting for permission to be you”

Heyyyyy Lauren … virtual high five … how’s your day been?
Great thank you! I’m trying to enjoy the sunshine as much as I can before it disappears again, hope you’re having a good day!

How did you get into acting?
I’ve always loved acting and performing (and attention) since I was a kid. Me and my brother would force our parents to watch us put on entire musicals in our front room (like all 2 and a half hours – poor guys), I’ve always loved the sense of community you get from working really hard on a show and I was an extra on some tv shows growing up. I hadn’t started considering it as a full-time job until I was in sixth form college, the original plan was to do acting a university and see where it took me and them Jamie came along!

What was it like filming your first feature film?

It was … wonderful, insane, terrifying, and honestly just an experience I’ll never forget. It all happened within such a short amount of time that it really didn’t sink in for a while. I just kept taking it one day at a time and was surrounded by such great people who just made it so fun to be at work.

What do you think the message of “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie” is?

My character has a line in the movie that I think sums it up quite well, she tells Jamie to “stop waiting for permission to be you”, I feel like throughout the film we see Jamie discovering who he really is and in the end being much happier for it.
DREAM BIG

What’s been your biggest challenge in your career so far?

I think one of the biggest things was convincing myself that I could do this in the first place, stepping onto the set on the very first day can be really daunting for someone who’s never said a line on screen before. But once I started to think of it as doing one scene at a time rather than a big overwhelming movie that people are going to see it made it a lot easier. 

Do you prefer to be called an actor or actress?

I usually refer to myself as an actor, but I don’t mind either!  What would be your dream film to act in? I’m always going to have a special place in my heart for movie musicals, but honestly, I just want to do anything and everything – small indie films, voice acting, giant actions films, etc etc – it all just seems so fun!  What’s your definition of normal? I have absolutely no idea. I feel like my normal changes every 3 weeks, so I’ve stopped trying to guess.  How can we all create positive vibes together? Log off twitter. What inspires you? Seeing people stand up for themselves and the people that they care about and seeing really great impactful stories being told in film and tv.  What’s your dream for the future? I just want to be able to keep making stuff, as long as I’ve got some scripts to read or something to write or a scene to do I’ll be quite happy. (and also, I want to get a cat)  How can social media be more supportive? I have a real love hate relationship with social media, I think myself and a lot of others find a real sense of community within it. But I think it is really easy to be sucked in and start comparing yourself or worrying about things that aren’t worth worrying about, I’m still trying to find that balance.

“I have a real love hate relationship with social media”

Do you feel pressure as a woman in today’s world?

100%. I’m having to make conscious decision to unlearn all of the ‘rules’ that have been drilled into me about how I should behave or how I should present myself.

What’s the question you wished HEY GIRL asked you?

I wish you’d asked me when the film was coming out and I wish I had an answer for you! We currently don’t a release date because of corona, but everyone involved is waiting to make sure it gets the best release possible! 

Do you have any questions for us?

Is this your favourite interview that you’ve ever done ever? (the correct answer is yes)

Ha ha .. yes yes yes Gurl, loved chatting to you x

A big thanks to Lauren for her time and interview… keep an eye on this rising hot talent.

At the moment there is no release date for ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’ , but the trailer looks amazing and we can’t wait to see it …

To follow Lauren on insta go to: https://www.instagram.com/_laurenpatel

HG xx

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