A conversation with Leigh Patterson
Creative Director and Founder of Lucca Studios and the ever-popular Moon Lists, the inimitable Leigh Patterson has a unique view that challenges creativity at its core - not only allowing for ambiguity and the unexpected, but embracing and exploring them. Refusing to be defined by any one element, her viewpoint and approach to exploration of oneself and the world surrounding inspired us to step into her world and find out how she ignites vision – both internally and externally.
Leigh wears the Cassini Shirt.
What event in your life inspired you to start journaling and why?
Writing has always been my way of working through an idea — I can’t recall a time when I didn’t rely on some form of journaling to distil my feelings or as a tool to get through the weeds of a project. That said, there have been different ways that I’ve used journaling over the years, and I am always curious about exploring and refining what helps me get further into (or sometimes completely outside) my head.
A signature element within your expression is guided by the phases of the moon…known for its lunar pull as well as the inherent tidal turnings, how would you describe the significance of this?
I’ve always said (and people are sometimes surprised) I actually know nothing about the lunar cycles, astrological events, cosmic wisdoms, et al. With Moon Lists, I tend to think of the moon in a more metaphorical sense; a reminder of the bigger cycles that we are all subconsciously part of, a marker of the passing of time, or a device that can offer perspective of the universe beyond our own myopic ones.
It’s been said to begin every morning with doing something for oneself first. How do you start your day?
Coffee as soon as possible, followed by some type of writing. My head is clearest first thing, so I try to preserve the morning for doing work that requires focus and attention.
Leigh wears the Cassini Shirt and Cassini Pant.
What are your top tips for setting intentions – daily and yearly?
My days are typically very full — phone calls, meetings, jumping between clients, working on a range of very different projects… My relationship with “intention” tends to be about how I can show up fully to each situation and not be totally destroyed by those that require a lot of emotional energy. I think my biggest learning has been to take the time to debrief and process half-formed thoughts or feelings that I’d rather just ignore (in whatever method works best for you), and to trust that when I’m feeling unsettled or confused, it’s worth examining.
Leigh wears the LM Archive Monogram Shirt.
Sometimes even the best intentions fall short, how do you deal with missed goals and what motivates you to keep going when met with resistance?
I rarely set specific goals, or perhaps I think of them as always in flux. I try to just make it a practice to regularly be corroborating what I want versus what I’m doing, and to change something if I feel like the two aren’t lining up.
How do you incite creativity within yourself?
Through creating structure for the unexpected — time for reading, walks, conversation, looking at art, going places I haven’t before.
Your space is an oasis, curated to maximise the energy flow within. How did you approach setting it up and what was most important to you for this?
I spend a lot of time at home so it’s important to me that it feels good. I have a lot of hyper-specific requirements I’ll spare you the details of, but one thing I really love having is a space (mine is a low table) that can display a little tableau of current interests — a constantly shifting spot that feels living, and can be a literal reflection of the ideas that are front of mind - i.e.: books, photos, things I picked up while walking, notes, etc.
Finally, what’s next for you?
I’m in the middle of some professional shifts and am looking forward to having a little space for some new things to come into focus. I’m always working on new Moon Lists projects and have been enjoying using a newsletter as means of sharing low-stakes ideas. Other than that…planning a lot of travel, including a road trip to West Texas with friends, a big solo trip this summer, and hopefully going to Japan in the fall.
a conversation with leigh patterson
Creative Director and Founder of Lucca Studios and the ever-popular Moon Lists, the inimitable Leigh Patterson has a unique view that challenges creativity at its core - not only allowing for ambiguity and the unexpected, but embracing and exploring them. Refusing to be defined by any one element, her viewpoint and approach to exploration of oneself and the world surrounding inspired us to step into her world and find out how she ignites vision – both internally and externally.
Leigh wears the Cassini Shirt.
What event in your life inspired you to start journaling and why?
Writing has always been my way of working through an idea — I can’t recall a time when I didn’t rely on some form of journaling to distil my feelings or as a tool to get through the weeds of a project. That said, there have been different ways that I’ve used journaling over the years, and I am always curious about exploring and refining what helps me get further into (or sometimes completely outside) my head.
A signature element within your expression is guided by the phases of the moon…known for its lunar pull as well as the inherent tidal turnings, how would you describe the significance of this?
I’ve always said (and people are sometimes surprised) I actually know nothing about the lunar cycles, astrological events, cosmic wisdoms, et al. With Moon Lists, I tend to think of the moon in a more metaphorical sense; a reminder of the bigger cycles that we are all subconsciously part of, a marker of the passing of time, or a device that can offer perspective of the universe beyond our own myopic ones.
It’s been said to begin every morning with doing something for oneself first. How do you start your day?
Coffee as soon as possible, followed by some type of writing. My head is clearest first thing, so I try to preserve the morning for doing work that requires focus and attention.
Leigh wears the Cassini Shirt and Cassini Pant.
What are your top tips for setting intentions – daily and yearly?
My days are typically very full — phone calls, meetings, jumping between clients, working on a range of very different projects… My relationship with “intention” tends to be about how I can show up fully to each situation and not be totally destroyed by those that require a lot of emotional energy. I think my biggest learning has been to take the time to debrief and process half-formed thoughts or feelings that I’d rather just ignore (in whatever method works best for you), and to trust that when I’m feeling unsettled or confused, it’s worth examining.
Leigh wears the LM Archive Monogram Shirt.
Sometimes even the best intentions fall short, how do you deal with missed goals and what motivates you to keep going when met with resistance?
I rarely set specific goals, or perhaps I think of them as always in flux. I try to just make it a practice to regularly be corroborating what I want versus what I’m doing, and to change something if I feel like the two aren’t lining up.
How do you incite creativity within yourself?
Through creating structure for the unexpected — time for reading, walks, conversation, looking at art, going places I haven’t before.
Your space is an oasis, curated to maximise the energy flow within. How did you approach setting it up and what was most important to you for this?
I spend a lot of time at home so it’s important to me that it feels good. I have a lot of hyper-specific requirements I’ll spare you the details of, but one thing I really love having is a space (mine is a low table) that can display a little tableau of current interests — a constantly shifting spot that feels living, and can be a literal reflection of the ideas that are front of mind - i.e.: books, photos, things I picked up while walking, notes, etc.
Finally, what’s next for you?
I’m in the middle of some professional shifts and am looking forward to having a little space for some new things to come into focus. I’m always working on new Moon Lists projects and have been enjoying using a newsletter as means of sharing low-stakes ideas. Other than that…planning a lot of travel, including a road trip to West Texas with friends, a big solo trip this summer, and hopefully going to Japan in the fall.