Sage Bennett: A Few Of My Favourite Things

I’ve always loved having physical things to ground my creativity. 

When so much of life is online, I find it important to surround myself with items that feel tangible and intentional. 

Each one tells a story, carries a memory or keeps me connected to what I love about making things in the first place.

The Notebooks

I love taking physical notes, doodling, and writing to-do lists that I later watercolour, like tiny works of art. 

I like being able to hold my creativity in my hands.

Sometimes I write about my feelings or my day, sketch a scene that’s too hard to explain, or jot down an idea I don’t want to lose. 

I press flowers between the pages, spill wax, and paint with coffee. 

With so much of life being online, there’s something so special about these little physical books. 

I also love doing blind contour drawings of my friends when we’re out. It’s a simple, fun way to connect with people, and keep record of the night. 

Every drawing is dated and signed.

I have a variety of notebooks and each one has its own purpose. 

One for the things I’ll never share - free range to write anything - a medium-sized one for ideas, to-do lists and working thoughts, and small pocket notebooks for when I want to travel light. 

I like to think that in 100 years, someone will delight in reading through these books.

The Nikon

I have two cameras I come back to consistently. 

One is my dad’s Minolta, which his brother brought back for him in the 80s from Japan. 

The other is this Nikon I bought when the Minolta was in the shop, so I could rotate between the two. 

The Nikon is unnecessarily heavy, but I love that weight. 

It feels grounding. I love being able to use something over and over until it becomes second nature, and that’s definitely how I feel with this camera.

Filmmaking is such a collaborative process and, as much as I love that, I also love being able to create on my own - like I can do with these film cameras.

The Vintage Watch

I’m most productive when I feel elegant and cute, so this watch is perfect. 

It doesn’t tell time, but the man who sold it to me at the Chelsea Flea Market said it used to belong to a famous director, which he’d acquired at an estate sale in upstate New York. 

My friends Tyler and Josh convinced me to buy it after I hesitated, thinking it was too expensive and something I didn’t really need.

Now it’s my favourite accessory. 

I’ve never put batteries in it. 

It’s more about the feeling of being a put-together woman who wears a watch regularly.

The Candle Holder

This candle holder was my mum’s, and I’m lucky to have inherited it. 

When I light incense and place it on the bronze stand, it marks “focus time”. I don’t want to waste my precious incense, so it motivates me to be fully present in my work. 

It’s my cue to romanticise sending emails, writing, and editing - chipping away at my projects.

I’m sensitive to smells, and I found incense I’m obsessed with from a brand called Xinu. 

It’s fresh, a little earthy, and calms me down when I have a lot of work ahead of me.

The Lilies

I love buying myself flowers - the colour, the smell, the process of cutting them. 

It feels like they’re cleaning my space. 

I live alone, so for a while it seemed silly to buy flowers just for myself, until I realised I definitely deserve flowers. 

Now it’s a bi-weekly ritual. 

I’m currently loyal to lilies, but that may change if someone wants to introduce me to another flower.