@elenaardila

20 years old

Guayaquil, Ecuador

How has your everyday-life changed? What do you do to fulfill your day?

My everyday life changed completely. As soon as my university announced that they were cancelling classes for only a week, my parents put me on the first flight back home. I went from living in an apartment in Milan with three of my friends, to staying with my family in Ecuador. It has definitely been hard to adapt to a new routine, especially to one that is mostly based on spending a lot of time on my laptop, but after one month of procrastinating, I’ve (sort of) made it work. Throughout the day, I try to give myself enough breaks from studying to avoid getting tired too quickly. I am lucky enough to live in a city where it is summer all year round, so I’ve been spending a lot of time in the backyard with my dogs. Also, I’ve been trying to listen to one podcast a day as soon as I wake up. I’ve been sticking to the TMG Podcast by Cody Ko and Noel Miller for funny commentary, and to The Business of Fashion Podcast for news in the Fashion Industry. Both of them make me feel motivated enough to start my day.

Your work is built on creativity. While we’re all in quarantine, what is your solution to keep on being creative? Where do you find your inspiration in this moment?

During times like this, it is very easy to feel uninspired. So, in order to avoid that, I’ve been listening to playlists that put me in a good mood. Lately, I’ve been obsessed with the Grand Theft Auto Vice City playlist, mainly because it includes songs that are impossible to feel sad to. Also, funnily enough, I’ve been finding a lot of inspiration in my old room. Maybe it’s the fact that I haven’t gone through my stuff in a while but, I’ve found old pictures, books and gadgets from years ago, that I completely forgot about and that I love.

What is your biggest fear right now?

As person whose bachelor is focused on creative industries, my biggest fear right now is how this pandemic is going to affect my professional future. Even before this chaos happened, people have always looked down at students like me, that want to dedicate their lives to artistic industries. Usually the question “But how are you going to make money with that degree?” pops up quite a lot, but I had no problem blocking it away. Sadly, this is not the case anymore, and I start doubting my choices. This leads me to wonder, what am I going to do once I graduate?

What will you do once all of this is over?

As soon as this is over, I’m going to pack my bags, get on the first flight back to Milan, and finish the biggest bottle of tequila I can find.