Naomi Annand

What brings the feeling of freedom into your life, and how does that feel for you?

Recently, we’ve moved from London to Barcelona and I think I’m feeling more free than I have in a long time. Freedom as a state of mind for me is about adventure and new kinds of stimulation. I took my first few surfing lessons recently and the challenge and newness of this experience was very freeing and very far from my London day-to-day life. 

When do you feel most full of love and expansion?  

My kids get into bed with us every morning. There is nothing more uplifting than their warm little bodies snuggled into ours. I close my eyes and breathe them in and that inner landscape of mine widens every time. 

Do you have a favourite piece of jewellery? What does it mean to you?

When my husband proposed he did it with a placeholder £8 Topshop ring (a plastic blingy bejewelled bear).  When it came to choosing the ring I wanted to wear every day all I could think of was a ring an aunt gave to my Mum. Mum very sweetly passed it onto me and the little tiny flower sits on my finger as if it was always there. It symbolises commitment and love and for me feels like a celebration of the web of time and family passing down objects to each other. 

Photo: Scott MacSween

When do you feel most alive in terms of your creative process?

Many years ago I was a ballerina. I toured the world and danced at the Royal Opera House. Since retiring, I don’t dance like I used to but if I hear a piece of music that moves me, I can’t help but feel it and want to move to it. 

Although my yoga practice is quiet and contemplative it also feels like a dance, a dance of breath and movement and when I get lost in it can light up parts of me that I then love sharing with others. I now have a subscription: www.naomiannand.com and it’s full to the brim of these ideas. I love having a place to share my thoughts and ideas. It’s not just movement that inspires me, though. I’ve been to the Picasso Museum in Barcelona four times now and each time I learn something new. Sometimes because of the company I’m with, but mainly from just looking again.