“The romantic idea of being an artist, drinking wine and waiting for inspiration to strike… it doesn’t really work that way,” she says with a smile. “There are many days when I feel uninspired, but I still have to show up. So I come here, wash my brushes and just start. Something always happens when you keep your hands busy.”

For Lisa, creating is mostly a solitary process. “What I do is so personal. But when I need a break, meeting people always gives me new energy. Inspiration has a way of showing up when you just spend time with others.”

Spending so much time in the studio, she becomes “a bit of a house elf” – quiet, focused, almost anti-social. “Outside, I’m completely different. Being around people, going to events, meeting others. Mostly because it’s important for work, but honestly, I find it quite difficult too.” Even when she blossoms in social settings, there’s an equal pull towards solitude – a balance she’s learned to honour.

Lisa grew up in Gothenburg, spent years in New York studying and working, and now calls Stockholm home. “I’ve never had a nine-to-five job. I don’t think I’d survive one. I need to be in charge of my own time. It’s the freedom I value most.” When asked about Holebrook’s MIND IN OPEN AIR*, she laughs. “I don’t really have a choice. My mind is always out there, doing its own thing. For me, it’s about giving in to that and letting whatever’s happening in there just happen.”

* Read more about MIND IN OPEN AIR

Much of her creativity flows outside the studio too. “I love cooking. After a full day of painting, I go home and make something, or bake. I always have a few projects going on – sewing a skirt that never gets finished, trying something new. I’m very driven by curiosity.” In 2021, Lisa’s passion for cooking even took her to the finals of the TV show Sveriges mästerkock (MasterChef Sweden).

There’s a freedom in the way Lisa moves through life – curious, independent, and open to wherever inspiration might appear. A life that, without trying, embodies Holebrook’s MIND IN OPEN AIR.

Thanks for letting us in, Lisa.