This post is part of Flywheel’s “Designer Spotlight” series, which features an interview with a designer/coder/mover/shaker we think is really awesome.

Introducing Amélie Lamont

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m a product designer who works for a small startup in NYC. I’m a wellness and beauty enthusiast who loves a good green smoothie and manga/anime. When I’m not yoga-ing or UX-ing, you can usually find me crafting or drawing.

What’s an average day look like?

Morning: Wake up, meditate, work out (if I’m not in hermit mode), drink a green smoothie/tea.

Afternoon: Design, sketch, think about lunch, do some more design work, think about lunch, meetings, think about lunch, emails, think about lunch, forget to eat lunch, design, eat lunch.

Evening: Design, read, drink tea, go to a meeting, design some more, head to school, finish class, do homework, read a book/play a video game, go to bed.

What’s your ideal workspace?

My ideal workspace would be showered in glitter. But that is clearly impractical because while I love the way glitter looks I don’t appreciate glitter’s staying power. My workspace currently looks like this:

But I still think it could use more glitter.

What’s something awesome that you’re working on right now?

I’m trying to put on a monthly storytelling salon for stuck, self-doubting creatives. The idea is that you use storytelling to overcome your creative blocks.

Is there something specific that sparked your interest in your field?

The fact that I could be creative and solve problems…as an adult. I think that as adults, we believe that we need “practical” careers (whatever that means) to be successful. That doesn’t have to be the case. You hear it over and over again, but I firmly believe that if you’re willing to build a foundation, you can truly “do what you love.”

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Where do you find your best inspiration?

Usually in magazines, museums, the work of other artists/creatives…or by looking at the work of my friends. I also love writing, so putting pen to paper really pulls the most magnificent ideas out of me.

What are three things you do to get the creative juices flowing when you hit a roadblock?

• Go for a walk
• Dance
• Sing

What’s the best part of your day?

Getting to work with some of my really close friends.

What’s the hardest part of your day?

Trying to focus in the later half of the day. I find that a lot of my creative energy comes to me in the early morning. By the time I’ve been sitting at a desk for a few hours, my mind turns to mush. If the weather permits, I try to go for a walk to clear my head when I get to that point.

What’s one resource you can’t live without?

Pencil and paper. Seriously. I know we live in a digital world, but I find my best ideas come when I can physically feel the ideas coming out of my hand and onto the paper.

Have any favorites? (Websites, people you follow, random projects on the Internet, etc.)

Two of my favorite websites are Cereal magazine’s journal and OK Real.
I also love Bread Face’s Instagram.
One project I really love is Briefbox, a website that helps designers build their portfolios via small project briefs.

Any up and coming designers/developers/creatives you think are awesome?

So many! Asia Hoe, Jasmine Greenaway, Jessica Paoli, Nicole Dominguez, Brittney Forks, Catt Small, Mina Markham, Chelsea Lasalle are a few I can think of!

What’s one piece of advice you’d give others in your field?

Keep fighting. There will always be someone in your way to tear you down.
There might be a bad day. A rainy day. A feeling that you “can’t do this”.

But there is always a light; every bad moment is temporary. “Every fear you have is just excitement on pause. Don’t forget to press play. ”

To keep up with Amélie, follow her on Twitter @amelielamont.