Celebrating Anke.

We like to celebrate the little and the big things here at Lief. Today we want to celebrate an important piece of Lief: Anke. She is one part of the Lief duo and this week is her birthday!

Anke is a visual art student turned interior designer turned graphic designer, with awards such as mum-of-the-year (for 27 years in a row now), wife of the year (for 32 years already!) and just general best-all-rounder-of-the-year. One of the best listeners and wise advice-givers I know, I cannot imagine life without her.

To find out a bit more about this unicorn, I've asked Anke a few questions:

Describe yourself in 3 words.

Calm

creative

caring

If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Cheese

If you joined the circus, what would your circus act be?

A lion tamer.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A veterinarian

What did you do before you joined the Lief team?

I was a museum artist

If you could spend one day in someone else's shoes, who would it be and why?

Lewis Hamilton I would love to be a really good driver and be able to speed without the worry of a fine.

What does Slow Living mean to you?

Now that I am a bit older, enjoying the moment, focus on the task at hand and not try to do 3 different things at once, living with intent, don't sweat the small stuff.

Where in the Slow Living scheme of things are you now? Are you focussing on any particular aspect of the Slow movement at the moment?

I try to live with more intent and be a lot more considerate. I can easily get lost in my own thoughts and forget about that phone call I wanted to make or that task I was meant to complete before the end of the day. Being more mindful when buying items: "Do I really need this or is it just a nice-to-have?"

What is your favourite season?

Spring

When did you start to focus more on living sustainably? Was it an 'aha' moment or did it come gradually?

It came more gradually as I became aware of the amount of waste the average household creates and how easy it is to minimize that.

If everything in your house had to be one colour, what colour would you choose?

Blue

Your best interior design tip?

Don't be too serious, surround yourself with items that you truly love.

Describe your perfect birthday.

Starting with breakfast in bed, the day can only get better in the company of loved ones to share my special day.