MUSE - Fleur Mitchell

Photography by Anna Westcott at home with Fleur Mitchell

What was your greatest lesson in 2020?

Like everyone else on the planet – I think it was resigning myself to not being in control of every little thing. You just have let go and roll with it – learning to operate on shifting sands and not having fixed plans. The ultimate year of radical acceptance.

We put so much pressure on ourselves in every aspect of life – it was kind of nice to sit and have space to interrogate those feelings and probe a bit deeper about pretty much everything. It’s a work in progress!

What do you want more of in 2021?

More slowness. More consideration. More reflection. More time being creative and peeling myself from work mode and focusing on other things/feeding my brain outside of that. More yoga and regular meditation (I really dropped off at the end of last year and need to get back to it!) And ALWAYS more, more, more time with amazing friends, good food, music, films and books.

What are you most excited about this year with upcoming events at SOH? 

All About Women festival is coming up in March – it’s a privilege to produce a festival during this time and while challenging, it’s so rewarding. We have an incredible line up of international and local minds covering everything from inequality, identity, sex work, history and technology. I’m excited about Koa Beck’s session!

Who is inspiring you at the moment?

My mum is a constant inspiration to me, she’s a real life angel/wonderwoman - if I can be just a little bit more like her then I’m doing something right.

Also, Fran Lebowitz!

What are you reading?

I always have a few books on the go and have to dip into a lot of different books for work. So I really relish carving out time to read for pleasure. I am obsessed with Goodreads! I set a challenge of books to read each year, sad I know.

In terms of non-work reading I just started Under the Net by Iris Murdoch.

And can’t wait to get my hands on the new book by Max Porter which is called The Death of Francis Bacon - he’s one of the best writers kicking around at the moment. 

What is your next adventure out of the city?

I’m staying with friends in the Blue Mountains in a few weeks which is always a nice quick escape. I’ve also enjoyed going to the National Park and exploring different beaches on the weekend, we found a secret beach to ourselves last time and it was heaven. I also want to go back to Bruny Island after having an incredible trip there late last year in between border lockdowns! A few friends and I have vowed to be more organised and arrange some regular trips out of the city this year together and I want to make sure we follow through.