Sienna Murdoch

Way back in 2009 I was studying art at college, Sienna was in my class and I wasn’t sure what it was about her but I felt a little friendship spark when we met. We bonded over a band that not many people knew about at that time and found out they happened to be playing in Brighton. That was the first of many kismet days and nights spent together! I’ve been writing letters to her for some time now and she is one of the few who also writes back!

She never fails to impress me with what she is working on or what her new plans are. We often talk about our practices and about the new classes we have tried or retreats we want to go on. However, Sienna always has a little air of mystery around her. The way she approaches life and the details she notices are so different to any else I’ve come across, so I was intrigued to interview her and find out what she would share with us. Read on to find out!

Please introduce yourself, and what it is you so wonderfully do…

I’m a Food Stylist in the film business for feature films, commercials and fashion shoots. I’m also a voice over artist and secretly in my spare time developing an artistic practise.

What is your ideal way to start the day?

My perfect start to the day would be waking at 6:30am and doing a short check-in meditation before I head to a group yoga class, then make coffee while I think about my “big 3” goals for the day. I try and keep my mornings jam packed, doing all the difficult things first, so I can slowly start to unwind into the evening: more yoga, drawing, making, long walks with a friend or a film.

Do you have any daily rituals/ routines? Morning and/or night?

Since I’ve discovered Vedic Meditation, I try to meditate for at least 20 minutes everyday, If I’m stretched for time or I’m shooting then I try and find a quiet place and set my stopwatch for 3 minutes and count my breaths, observing just as they are, this is my baseline and the quality of my breath gives me an indication as to how grounded I am. Worrying can stop me living the life I want to lead, so this is something I have in place to pick up on the first signs of anxiety.

Do you have any practices or remedies to stay healthy in the cold months?

I aim to get myself on the yoga mat each morning. I live above a yoga studio so this has never been easier (and yet still I find excuses). When I’m working from home, I keep a large enamel pot full of herbal tea on the lowest setting on my induction hob and drink this throughout the day to stay hydrated, it also helps me get through my overstocked tea collection.

When you need to get out of town, where in nature do you like to escape to?

I am lucky to live in a part of London where there is lots of green space nearby, Walthamstow marshes feels wild and visiting the goats at Hackney City Farm is my favourite. For longer trips, I love taking the train around the country, or to Holland or France.

How do you like to spend your nights and or/weekends?

I go to as many films and screenings as I can and try and make it to the exhibitions during the week when they are less busy. I used to play bingo every weekend at the Elephant and Castle Palace Bingo hall before it sadly closed last year. I would say it was like a guided meditation, but as well as the prospect of enlightenment, there was also the possibility of winning the jackpot.

How do you unwind, recentre and find balance?

I wouldn’t be able to live without my meditation. It’s keeps me suspended from chaos. Also, a big night out at least every 2 months. There are so many types of meditation, it took me years of silent retreats, apps and bogus gurus until I found one that will allow me to have the time of my life. Vedic Meditation is effortless and feels right.

What is your favourite way to exercise?

Cycling to Anish Kapoor’s AccelorMittal Orbit in the olympic park, running up the 455 steps and then sliding down the 178m tunnel.

Your favourite meal to cook?

I love to prepare an extravagant curry with an elaborate assortment of homemade pickles, ornate salads, bejewelled rice and fresh naan all completely from scratch. It’s a crowd pleaser, It’s fully absorbing, and they seem to forgivingly benefit when you forget about them for an hour to take a work call.

Your favourite place to get dinner?

On the beach in France, sat at a bistro table forked into the sand overlooking an oyster farm drinking rose a la piscine.

In what ways do you work to find balance in your life? Eg. work, social, family, self

By exercising compassion at any opportunity that challenges your patience; believing that people are doing the very best they can.

What/where/who do you turn to when you need inspiration?

My 4 year old nephew’s drawings and things like homemade signs on the road advertising tyre replacements, it’s a very specific happen-stace, unconscious aesthetic that I am drawn to that inspires me to make things myself.

How would you describe your style? What and who influences you?

Dark, oversized smocks over dark soft trousers. I would love to have it streamlined so that I have a set that I wear for each day of the week, it would take the decision friction out of my mornings. I read that David Lynch does this. I’m drawn to play-friendly shapes of children’s clothes or the practicality of specialist sportswear you find in Decathlon: shirred tops and padded knees!

What is your definition of beauty?

When things piece together again after falling part, meaningful coincidences and plants.

In what ways do you care for your mind, body and spirit?

A notebook handy nearby. Believing in something bigger than you. Recognising triggers and preparing for them for when they ultimately arrive at the worst moment. Refraining from thinking about the big picture. Harnessing a beginners mind. Keeping a tidy flat.

What are you most grateful for in your life?

That I have finally found a way of coping, that will one day enable me to thrive.

Current favourite…

Book- anything by David Sedaris

Movie- Uncut Gems

Song- Games - Dorothy Ashby

Podcast- Same bed different dreams - This American Life

Clothing item- I couldn’t live without one of my soft cotton navy trousers that I wear everyday

Coffee shop- Towpath Cafe on the canal in London

Can you share with us any big plans/visions for 2020?

I’ve turned my storage room into a mini ad-hoc voice over studio and sketchbook space for me to work freely. I am applying to a fine art masters in Amsterdam, I don’t think I’d actually want to go but I think the application will be a good exercise as it gives me a deadline to get my portfolio together. Getting back on social media after a three year hiatus and sharing my work. Getting serious about seeing the extensive list of films I want to watch.

Taking more action! As Maya Angelou says - “Life rewards the liver of it”