If you haven’t heard of Maddy Walker get on over to The Twenties Club to check her out. Cue deep exhales of relief that someone else is too battling a mouldy flat and sighs of admiration as she still manages to look incredibly chic while doing it. Inspired by her wonderful and relatable writing I wanted to do my own spin on her 20 Questions series. I’ve spoken before about the agony and ecstasy of this twenty something time of our lives and I wanted to give people a chance to share what they’ve learned or wish they knew. I’ve certainly loved reading the inspiring and down to earth answers that have been given by the gals on her blog so I wanted to cast the net wider. There’s nothing better than being reminded that everyone is just taking it one day at a time and hopefully it will help to show that while we’re all chasing different pursuits we have so much in common and that is inspiration in itself.
Name
Olivia Mortimer
Age
9 plus 10 (twenny wun)
Are you at uni?
Heck yea, studying acting at NIDA atm. 17 years at this tax code going strong.
What inspires you?
OTHER PEOPLE! How dope is it when you just see your pals doing cool things and getting their acts together and saying really positive stuff and making great/ important things and being brave and being broken and picking themselves up and just doing what works for them and working it out as they go. Look, friends doing cool shit and doing life things is the absolute best and will inspire me till my dying day.
ALSO, SHAMLESSLY, MY MUM
She is the most resilient, generous, charismatic human I could ever hope to be. Like, hey, remember that time she raised an actual tiny human as a single mother while doing a law degree and also working to support herself and an actual child and also giving me the best damn childhood ever (shout out to all solo parents out there making it work, y’all are DOPE). Mum is one of the best people on earth and no one will ever be able to persuade me otherwise. I wish I more eloquently articulate just how damn good she is.
What are you most proud of?
I’m pretty stoked with this whole *moving to another country to pursue something relatively intangible* thing. It’s really not very impressive / uncommon, people literally do this stuff all the time, but it just took me a real long time to suss it out and now I’m 10 months in and meal prepping on a Sunday eve.
First thing you do when you wake up?
Usually accidently fall asleep again for another 45 mins
What is one thing you wish you knew coming into your twenties?
I genuinely keep forgetting that I’m not 28 and that I’ve really only just hit my 20s and have a lot more figuring out to do. But I guess that the only definition of success is how happy you are *gags at how cliché that is* but I always figured you had to be achieving lots of things and earning lots of money to make other people say “wow you’re so successful”. But you don’t, you just have to be happy.
What is your perfect Sunday?
French toast and hash browns in bed that have been cooked for me by Charlize Theron. A wine tasting tour around the Marlborough sounds with all of my favourite people. A Lady Gaga concert in Queenstown. I’m watching from side stage because we’re best friends. Trump is not president.
What was the last thing that made you laugh?
I literally woke myself up from sleep laughing so hard because I had a dream that I got caught on a speed camera and the picture of my face was like that famous pic of Lindsey Lohan when she was passed out in a car.
What are you passionate about
People being kinder to each other and to themselves. Also chocolate.
What does your ideal night look like?
There’s a lot of fairy lights, Netflix, wine, Whittakers. It was all free because Cole Sprouse, who is currently cleaning my already very tidy $38m pent house apartment in New York, bought it for me. I’m on a Californian super king bed with Egyptian cotton sheets. I have a facemask on. It’s not necessary bc my skin is already perfect. I have 6 dogs and cats on my lap. They love each other almost as much as they love me.
Best comfort movie?
Notting Hill. I love it so much that I have 2 DVD’s and a digital copy so I can watch it whenever, wherever *shakes hips at Shakira reference*
Favourite 3 songs that get you on the dance floor?
Anything by Lady Gaga
Anything on ‘Liv’s 21st’ Spotify playlist
Anything on the Shrek CD (Specifically All Star and Livin la Vida Loca)
(I’ve really rigged this question #unapologetic)
Something that you luurve about yourself?
My unshakeable belief that I can do my own hair. Like cutting, trimming, dying, toning. I do it all the time and it has yet to yield positive results, but I still always completely back my inability. Someone psychoanalyse this.
If you could invite four people (living or dead) to dinner who would that be and why?
I’d just like to have dinner with Meryl Streep 4 times please.
What is your favourite season?
I want to say winter because it’s mid winter right now, and living in Sydney that means at least 20 degree days. So I guess that means I probably like summer.
Favourite thing to eat when hungover?
Watermelon. Also my favourite thing to eat when I’m not hungover. I actually just really really love watermelon
Favourite item of clothing you own and why?
I have this white shirt that I drew some flowers on that I’m sentimental AF about because I made it at this weird crazy transitional time in life and it’s also just a sick top.
If you could have a word with yourself at 13 what would you want to say?
Put. The. Damn. Stripy. Knit. Vest. Away. U know u can do better than this.
Anything you’d like to ~improve~ about yourself?
Being a little more fearless and not relying on others so much for self-validation. My nana always says ‘you’re a long time dead’ (then she’ll laugh exactly like Mrs Brown) but the woman has a point. I just don’t want to miss out on doing all the great and dumb and stupid things because I’m too afraid.
How does the future make you feel?
Terrified. Thrilled. Terrified. Death is the ultimate escape
liv-actually.com 