Céline Semaan
Céline Semaan Vernon is an Art Director and (UX) Designer for brands like Condé Nast and General Assembly. Her recent venture Slow Factory is a cult brand and fashion tech lab that responsibly manufactures fashion apparel, merging high-resolution digital prints of scientific images from NASA with the highest quality natural fabrics. They sell exclusively online, with the exception of a collaboration with the MoMA Store, Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and the Space Museum.Since Céline is often dealing with the other-worldly we wanted to ask her what the seven things are that keep her grounded down here. This is what she said:1 | Grown Alchemist-- My day starts with both my kids waking me up, and then a quick shower before dropping the kids off at school. My morning routine has to be under two minutes. I am a big fan of organic products and used to never use anything on my skin, until I found Grown Alchemist. I love all their products and their facial cream is the best. It keeps my skin hydrated and glowing.2 | Coffee-- I'm the kind of person who needs a T-shirt that says "I'm sorry for everything I said before coffee." I’m a big coffee nerd/addict! I love the smell of coffee beans grinding in the morning (specifically Blue Bottle Coffee) and the sweet smell of coffee dripping in my cup. I experience a total shift in my mood from FML to YOLO in an instant sip.3 | Meditation-- I meditate everyday. Sometimes many times a day. I have been intuitively meditating since I was a child. What I mean by meditation is a sense of awareness and connection to the source of your being-- being a witness of life, being infinite, observing thoughts without judgement, observing emotions without judgement and accepting life as it is without asking for anything. 4 | News-- Reading real news from the New York Times is important to me. I am very engaged in activism and knowing what is happening as it is happening. 5 | Candles-- One thing I do everyday, is light up candles. It has both a spiritual and functional meaning to me and I believe cleansing the air is so important. You can't burn just any candle as some have chemical products in them that can end up harming you. My favorite smell is from Maison Louis Marie. It smells like a campfire and it’s so soothing.6 | Water-- It's very banal but super important. For example, my husband can go the entire day without a sip of water and then will come home dehydrated and drink 1.5 liters in one shot. I like to keep my water bottle next to me as I work. I end up refilling it many times a day. My favorite pitcher is by Soma Water because their filters are biodegradable and they ship them to you every month with cute quotes inside the box that remind you to drink water.7 | Traveling-- Taking time away from the daily grind is important to me. My family and I travel once a year to Lebanon, where my family lives and we take short trips to Canada, where my husband's family is. Sometimes on the weekends, we pack the car and the kids and drive upstate to an Airbnb cottage for the night. We feel like the whole world is ours and it’s so easy to escape for a night to recharge our batteries.
