Stacie Krajchir of SLO Studio Shares the Rituals Keep Her Inspired

What’s something you’re committed to doing every single day, no matter what? 

Sleep. A full, good night sleep sets the tone for my day and anything I want to accomplish. I wear ear plugs and a silk sleep mask for extra added measure—that’s how serious I am about it. I do this when I travel, too. 

I aim to make at least two phone calls each day – not texts, but old school calls to friends or family. With everything being so digital now, I committed to more phone calls in 2023. I have lifelong friendships and part of that is making an effort to be and stay connected in conversation on a regular basis. 

I cherish doing the NYT Mini crossword with my 11 year-old son Milo , it’s our little bedtime ritual — I really love how he really gets into it ! He’s quite good. 

How does the design of your space reflect your priorities? 

I’m a Cancerian through and through, which means I surround myself with things I cherish — most everything in my home holds meaning for me or a cherished memory. ….from stacks of home design books in every room /studio to large stones  collected  from beach walks that sit on the sunroom window sill. I cherish my collection of vintage Hawaii books …I keep trinkets from here and there, near and far…there are about 16 years worth of stacked, dried leis from personal or family celebrations/ occasions…these things are a constant in an everchanging life . They bring me comfort.  I really just  have a deep love for  small things that feel big in my heart. 

It was one of those magical trips where it touched every corner of my soul and every single fiber of my being was aligned. Tavarua is as SLOW as it gets. 

Between the slow, creativity spilling over , crystal clear ocean, huge sunshine , surf, shell gathering and pulling off insane amazing race wedding décor  in 2 hours — So so much laughter I couldn’t remember the last time I felt this connected to my most authentic myself .

What’s the first thing you do each morning? 

There are a handful of birds in the backyard that sing/chirp in symphony outside the bedroom window– it’s  a nice, slow and gentle way to wake… I get to experience a slice of nature as I start my day…

I lie in bed for about 5-7 minutes (or more depending on the day if I’m on school drop duty or not !) and think about three things that  I’m grateful for—I say these  out loud.  I also take a moment to visualize the rundown of my day….  and try to think of anything ahead that might feel challenging —  and I ask for help or guidance around whatever that is —even before my feet touch the ground.

I don’t open my phone for the first hour of the day.  I will look at what time it is and turn off my alarm , but I stay off my phone for one hour.  This is my sacred time–no incoming information, no visuals, no social media  , no texts ,or emails  This silence is when my mind is the clearest and most raw— having this clarity is when big things get worked out…. I started this practice about nine months ago—it’s been such a blessing.

 If I open even one text or email –SWOOSH , my entire morning is suddenly catapulted into def con 10, multi-tasking running 7 bingo cards at once !!

The most difficult part is probably not checking the NYT app– that’s my guity pleasure. I put that off to the evening now.

I make a cup of Peets (Garuda blend) coffee. I’ve been drinking Peets since college –Im a loyalist that way with most everything actually. 

I have been drinking coffee from the same cup for four  years – it’s a ceramic mug I hand carried from COLECTIVO 1050  in Oaxaca.  Another incredible trip that sparked so many things inside me. 

I sit in the sunroom , write for a bit and then  I pull a card for the day from my kim krans tarot deck ., Usually I do the question and it helps me set the intention for my day My Casa Zuma mug is part of this ritual — every week I place a fresh flower in water and it sits along the edge of the window next to my favorite rocks and all of this makes me feel all the good things.

Are there any daily or weekly “chores” you always enjoy?

The pitter patter of cleaning tidying the studio  – it doesn’t really  feel like an obligation,  its more of a gift for myself , because I love walking into a fresh clean space to work. When the doors open in the morning and the sunshine pours in, I feel invigorated and excited to create.

About a year ago, I started a list in the notes in my phone  “Accomplishments “ list (thank you abbie schiller!) I write the month in CAPS and  every few days, I add an accomplishment— can be as simple as I had that really hard conversation or I played tennis twice this week, I spent time decluttering that drawer….bullet point each accomplishment under the month  — I cannot tell you how doing this has shifted my mindset around “what I’ve accomplished “ I think we forget about the little things that are actually the journey to accomplishing bigger things. I looked back at 2022 recently and it was a HUGE gift to SEE in writing all the small , big and in between things that I accomplished. 

Is there a scent you use to relax / energize / meditate? 

I love Paper d’armenie. They are scented burning papers I discovered when I lived in Paris 30 years ago—  come in a booklet , you fold each piece of paper like a small accordion , light  it and place it on a glass or ceramic surface. It  burns like incense for about 5 minutes.  The scent is rich, and feels luxurious. Again a memory …

Milo  loves the ritual of burning the paper—we  light one at night. I also keep a sheet of them  in my closet, and drawers and linen closet  . Milo gifts me a new booklet every Mother’s Day –it’s become this sweet tradition.

Does music play a part in your daily life?

Some days yes, others no, I am a huge fan of pure silence. I think that’s part of my ADHD – I need quiet. Pre pod cast I would drove from sf to la in silence, no radio for most of the way. 

Because my mind is constantly going, moving , thinking,  creating I find that in the silence is when I can hear the most truth and I weave into clarity. 

If I am cleaning the house, hanging with friends ,entertaining — yes the music is on its usually all over the place depending on my mood – from de la soul ,  to Stevie wonder, Eagles, Post Malone Missy Elliot , Chaka Kahn , norah jones, bill withers. 

My son is musical, so he pumps the tunes UP Alexa Play (insert music I don’t love lol 

How do you keep yourself energized throughout the day? 

That’s a hurdle for me – when I go hard,  I go hard and suddenly it’s 3p and time for school pick up–   I often  set alarm to remind me to pause 3 x day — 

My energizers are a walk a, call a friend , stop down  A few New York Times articles it just shakes the snow globe up!

Where do you turn for inspiration when you’re feeling creatively blocked? 

The fastest way for me to shift my creative energy is to shift my environment —

I am surrounded by a lot of books –I might grab one and sit for  5-10 min – lately young pueblo and Joan Didion have been getting a lot of love , or grab a magazine for quick inspo or any of the design books stacked around here. I will pop over to Pinterest and  IG, but those usually pull me into a bunny hole and I do my best to avoid that these days.

I find that  a good field trip is the best remedy for inspiration and spark.  Recently I drove solo in the middle of the day to Nicky Kehoe and COOP+ which are mid city/ beverly blvd  ( WAY out of my zip code—in LA anything East of the 405 is basically a hard no. ), and it was JUST what a needed. Creativity flowing in every direction in bith shops –the ultimate home general stores .  Not only was it inspiring but  happen to meet the owner of Coop unexpectedly when I asked what artist created the installation on the wall—it was her husband –who happened to be sitting in the couch in the store. So I had an impromptu engaging discussion with him about art and learned Jennifer , the owner  is also obsessively into spoons ! Magic is everywhere. I just have to be willing to stretch outside my comfort zone.

What do you do to prioritize health and wellness?

I allow myself to say no to things that I really don’t want to do, events that I don’t feel up for attending,  so I can say YES to things that I want more of….

Setting boundries is a huge part of my wellness.  Im an extroverted introvert, so I really NEED  quite and alone time—it recharges me and refills my bucket so I can show up for the people I love and show up for myself. 

I am  a self care ninja – I am incredibly in tune to what I might need and I no longer feel guilt about giving that to myself—whether it’s alone time, a netflix marathon, a drive along the coast , quick surf even if I just sit in the ocean on my board – being in the water in nature fuels me…  lunch with a friend,  a  massage, work out or shutting my laptop and opening a book for a little bit… I just do it and know I’ll figure out how to return to regular “scheduled programming” as needed

What’s the best career advice anyone ever gave you? 

You can do  it all, just not all at once. 

How would you describe your work/life balance? Do you keep things structured and separate? Or are you a master of multitasking?  As a entrepreneur who has 11 jobs, I don’t even know how to begin to answer this!

As a former morning show producer (the job description is literally to be a master multi-tasker) —So having started my career embracing that  philosophy — I wore that as a badge of honor for over 20 years — about 2 years ago I realized multitasking is the  just about the most unproductive and unintentional thing I do.  Instead, I’ve learned that being intentional about how I spend my time and focusing on less in a given timeframe is a lot more productive for me and far less stressful. So now I have what I call “structured flow” I use the pomodoro effect (set timer 25 min tackle a task and repeat) it has changed my life.

Lately a lot of my work entails collaborating  with friends which auto sets that work life balance in the best way!!!  Work life balance much better now,  and feels more purposeful . 

When I pick up my son I commit to digital detox – no tech, I shut my phone off, hide my laptop . I want to be present,  see what’s happening , listen better and also role model that we don’t need technology to have fun,

What’s the best spot in your house? Why? 

The sunroom! It’s my morning afternoon and evening spot— It’s magical , sunshine pouring in and flowing into every ounce of your body and it feels healing and energizing. This space is a huge draw for everyone who spends time here. 

Name one fashion or self-care product you can’t live without: 

You need to unwind after a long day. What’s your go-to method? 

BATH , If I’m being honest, sometimes 2x a day . 

The bath is where I accomplish creative brainstorming – I bathe the way people lay down for a nap—sometimes it’s at 3p or a standard evening before bed.

What’s your favorite time of day and why?

I love the super quite solitude of early morning before the world wakes.

And Sundays during summer between 4-7p , that is a very magical time of day when everything feels just right .