The pub, the tube, danger and each other: Loriley Sessions & Charlotte Prince on their inspirations

Being in a creative partnership means you’re often on the same wavelength. But agreeing on three things for a blog post? Never.

NCA's creative pair Loriley Sessions and Charlotte Prince share the three things that keep them inspired - unsurprisingly they're different, but it's no wonder they work in tandem with shaping their creative outlooks.

Charlotte Prince: The Unknown

I thrive outside my comfort zone. The more uncomfortable it makes me feel, the more inspired I am. Hiking live volcanos, immersive theatre, underground jazz bars, tennis tournaments, AI art galleries. Anything and everything. But it means I’m always searching for the next thing to try. I’ve found the more I experience, the more I can relate to people. And nothing’s more inspiring than that. So if you ask me to do something unusual, it’s highly likely I’ll say yes. Sky-diving anyone?

Loriley Sessions: Words

Start with the obvious, but I really do love seeing good copy in the wild. It makes me want to write better copy. I especially get a kick when someone gets the right positioning of an apostrophe. How sad. LinkedIn is full of long essays I couldn’t give two shits about, but it’s also full of brilliant inspiration. I laugh out loud on a daily basis at copywriter Andrew Boulton’s clever posts, and the likes of Copy Chief Vikki Ross, who’s always the first to get behind great copy, crediting the people behind words she loves. Just love to see it.

LS: Good Food

For two reasons. The first, as a creative motivator. Like a dog that performs for treats. But switch the narrative to a copywriter that writes for snacks. It works pretty well in my brain. But secondly, and more importantly, I find the whole food world extremely inspiring. Cafes that adapted in lockdown to become grocery shops. Wine bars with interiors I want to shop. Menus to ponder weeks in advance. Cookbooks to read like novels in bed. There’s so many layers, and so many places and people to draw inspiration from. A tip: check out wine bar Oranj. Started as a delivery business in lockdown, now Shoreditch’s best kept secret. Full of great natural wine, small plates, good people and stripped back interiors.

CP: The Pub

Typical creative…but the pub is so much more than a pint. It’s where people open up and be vulnerable. It’s a safe space because it belongs to no one, yet brings everyone together. So whether it’s with my friends, where bankers, chefs, artists and yoga instructors sit down and laugh together. Or at work when all hierarchy goes out the window and you just chat about real life, it’s a place you remember we are all just humans at the end of the day.

CP: The Tube

I do my most creative thinking on one. To the point sometimes I just ride up and down whilst writing. Maybe it’s the people watching that allows me to build characters and imagine fantasy lives, maybe it’s because people can’t contact me, maybe it’s a combination of the both. So if you see me creepily staring at you on the underground, don’t be too alarmed, you might just be inspiring the new lead in our next ad.

LS: Charlotte

A final cliche to leave you with. The work wife. Because being in a work partnership longer than you’ve been with your actual partner, and may ever be - you’ve gotta bloody love them. And I do. It’s a pretty unique thing really. No one outside being in a creative duo understands the dynamic, and I’ve lost count how many times I’ve been asked - “But how do you do it?” Instead you’ve got to ask yourself - how could you do it without them?