Shared Wisdom is a series of conversations to inspire and guide our AMLY community; we invite you to listen to conversations with some of our friends and ambassadors, their personal beauty experience alongside wellness and lifestyle advice.

These discussions aim to encourage and help us to discover ways to help improve our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.

As a creative team, artists and partners Sarianne Plaisant and Danny Sangra are a force to be reckoned with.

Sarianne is a set designer and prop stylist. From still-life photography and fashion photography to music videos, short films, feature films and event design, her work exudes an utterly effortless style.

She’s created concepts and designs for a vast array of fashion industry icons from Vogue to L’Oreal and Liberty to name just a few. She has a particular way of placing every-day objects in space that completely transform them into becoming works of art in their own right.

Danny is a multi-talented artist whose signature style stretches across a myriad of forms. As a fashion industry film-maker he’s collaborated with everyone from MIU MIU to Vogue, and recently Adidas Originals.

He’s created a wealth of short films, often a unique fusion of his animation, filmmaking, writing and directing. He’s recently launched his signature hand-drawn style to a collection of customised cases.

AMLY: Share your morning rituals with us.

Danny: I tend to wake up around 8am. I feel like I can’t start the day without a really basic cup of tea.

Sarianne: Danny tends to wake me up (if I’m not up early on a shoot) and we will get up very slowly. I tend to check my emails first thing so then I know how my day is looking and I can go downstairs and enjoy a cup of tea in a state of peace.

AMLY: How do your lives imitate your art?

Danny: I don’t think I imitate art. I just try to get the ideas out of my head and into the real world.

Sarianne: I can’t help but look at space in a very specific way whether it’s the way a building is made, how an ornament sits on a shelf or how my lunch looks on a plate. I think all these details influence my work.

AMLY: How important is creativity for mental wellbeing?

Danny: I doubt I would have survived without it.

I feel lucky that I have a release in that way. Whenever I’m writing or drawing (mainly personal work) it’s almost meditative. I just zone out of almost everything. Often with drawing I barely even think about what it is I’m doing. I think with so much information coming at you, you need to find something that allows you to just float.

Sarianne: It’s really important. I believe creativity is something everyone has, so it’s just an ability to use it in anyway possible. For some people it’s having a career in fashion while others it’s just drawing with your children but we all need these way of feeling creative as it frees our minds if only for a moment.

AMLY: As an artist how to you balance the need for productivity with enough time for the creative mind to wander and dream?

Danny: It’s all the same thing. I don’t really separate anything. Even when I say ‘personal’ work. It’s blends in with commissioned work and visa versa. I’ve tried to carve out a life where I’m doing what I want creatively but it’s part of everything I do.

Sarianne: Its a hard balance because in my career everything is moving so fast you have to get things done very quickly, which sometimes means you have less time to be really creative. At the same time though, having deadlines can also make you finish a project and move on rather than getting stuck on an idea.

AMLY: Which books have changed your world the most?

Danny: To be honest it was probably reading Bukowski in my mid 20s. I don’t know if it was for better or for worse.

Sarianne: The Poetic of space by Gaston Bachelard. It’s a thought-provoking book about architecture from the 60’s which really makes you think about the space we inhabit.

AMLY: Do you dream about the images and objects you’re working with?

Danny: More often-than not they keep me awake. I can’t sleep if I’m excited to start on something or excited about finishing something.

As for dreams, I’ve had food poisoning a few times and both times I’ve had vivid dreams that sparked entire projects.

Sarianne: If I am working on an intense project, then it definitely becomes part of my dreams as I find it hard to let those thoughts go when I fall asleep. Sometimes it can be interesting as it makes you think about it in a slightly different way as your mind comes up with crazy ideas.

AMLY: What inner and outer rituals keep you and your creativity flourishing?

Danny: If I’m being overwhelmed, I not only step back, I step out. I pull myself so far back that I envisage space. I feel much better when I’m observing my issues from another solar system.

Keeping a true perspective has helped immensely.

Once I’m there, I can think clearly again.

Sarianne: I always make sure I surround myself with my friends. They are all creative in different ways and I find their excitement and achievements just push me to do better. Danny is a creative powerhouse so that definitely keeps me on my toes too. Also, yoga everyday keeps me feeling like myself which always reminds me what I love to do and what makes me happy.

AMLY: Which are your favourite AMLY products and how do you incorporate them into your day?

Danny: I use the Radiance Boost Silver Rich Face Mist pretty much every morning. I wakes me up in many ways to start my day.

Sarianne: I love them all. I use the [Deep Reveal] Cleansing Balm every morning (and leave it on over night every couple of days). Then I will spray the [Radiance Boost] Face Mist throughout the day as it feels super clean and refreshing. The Eye Creme and the City Serum are magic too and have really changed the appearance of my skin for the better. They have cleared up pigmentation on my skin which have been there for years. In the evenings I also use the Day Light Oil to really moisture my skin. I just love the smell of everything. It feels like such a treat every time I use them.