Debbie Millman’s ongoing project “What Matters,” an effort to understand the interior life of artists, designers, and creative thinkers, is now in its third year. Each respondent is invited to answer ten identical questions and submit a nonprofessional photograph.
Kate Hamilton is the co-founder of Sonder & Tell, a brand consultancy that helps businesses define their positioning, articulate their story in language, and train their team to live and breathe the brand every day.
What is the thing you like doing most in the world?
I’m not sure if it’s a doing thing or a being thing, but I’m happiest when I’m in some sort of flow state. That could be writing, when the words spill out. Playing a silly game with my daughter and following her lead (probably to an imaginary ice cream parlour). Swimming slow freestyle in the sea. I spend most of my work life overthinking, but it turns out, I like it best when my brain is turned right down low.
What is the first memory you have of being creative?
I had a very cool daisy-chain cassette player, and I used to record my own radio shows where I interviewed my Beanie Babies. Early stakeholder engagement, really. That, or the highly dramatic diaries I kept.
What is your biggest regret?
I’m not sure I’d call it a regret, but for a long time, I didn’t fully understand the real value of care work. Before becoming a parent, I expected much of it to be humdrum, housebound drudgery. In reality, it has been the most intellectually stimulating and creatively fulfilling work of my life. And it is work. I think we need to make that shift at a societal level – to recognise and value work that isn’t rooted in capital gain, but in nurture and care.
How have you gotten over heartbreak?
By realizing how much of life, and especially the people within it, is out of your control.
What makes you cry?
Sad things, beautiful things. Everyone in the office used to laugh because a random reactive concept would set me off. The other day I went into this chocolate shop and it was so perfect I welled up.
How long does the pride and joy of accomplishing something last for you?
Not as long as I’d like. Especially in agency life, you work on a pitch for so long that by the time it’s signed off, you’re already halfway into the next thing. I find it much easier to pause and celebrate what other people have done.
Do you believe in an afterlife, and if so, what does that look like to you?
Yes. Hotel breakfast buffets / Spanish guitar / salty skin / walls of jasmine / sunny naps / arm tickles / the cold side of the pillow / tomatoes and olive oil / my daughter’s blonde curls / flat peaches / 100% cotton / a full moon. But no clue, really!
What do you hate most about yourself?
I’m not a fan of my tendency to ruminate or obsess. I’ll do the job interview thing now and spin it as a positive: obsession can also breed total focus.
What do you love most about yourself?
It’s useful that I like change. I’m quite adaptable to new situations and new people.
What is your absolute favorite meal?
Right now, I’m living in Catalonia and I’m on a mission to perfect the Spanish tortilla. I’ve bought all the gear: a non-stick tortilla pan, a mandolin, even a tortilla-flipping plate. I think I’m on tortilla number eight or nine, and I still haven’t nailed it. Either the potatoes have too much bite, or the top isn’t quite the right shade of gold. But when I get it right, that’s going to be my favourite meal. I’ll keep you posted.
