According to Off The Hook‘s Montreal and Paris staff, there’s no reason not to make the most of downtime. Whether working on personal projects or work commitments, this isolation period is a perfect time for self-improvement. Not that there isn’t a time and place to indulge social media, of course.

The crafty OTH employees and colleagues are maintaining artsy hobbies, maximizing their fresh air intake and listening to musical favorites, all while breaking in new kicks indoors.

Arthur Ramonda, sales associate

What’s your daily routine?

I wake up naturally, if I am lucky before noon. Then the first thing I do, quarantine or not, is drink yerba mate, a traditional Argentinian tea. Honestly, after that, it varies day by day. I could be spending my afternoon either Facetiming my friends, playing Zelda on my Game Boy, or walking around my neighborhood, which is actually when I get most of my creative ideas.

Usually, I only start getting productive at around 8 p.m. I go to my room, play some Daft Punk and start working. I draw, scan, paint, embroider, Photoshop. This can go on for hours, basically until I fall asleep.

Where in your home do you like to work?

In my room, like Frank Ocean would say. But if it’s nice out I’ll paint on my roof.

What do you wear while working from home?

I honestly haven’t been dressing much differently since being in quarantine. I’ve been wearing some classic 504 Levi’s jeans, knit pullovers and on warmer days, some Stüssy shorts and a rotation between Ringleaders, Carhartt WIP and OTH classic tees.

Do you wear footwear at home?

Indoors, I only wear a pair of traditional moccasins that I’ve had for years. Otherwise, I wear my New Balance 990s, my NOAH x Solovair or my Art by J. Arthur Converse.

What are you eating now?

Apples.

What are you listening to, watching and doing for fun?

I’m listening to Daft Punk, Playboi Carti, João Gilberto, Kanye West, Tame Impala and Chicago lately. In terms of Montreal artists that I appreciate, I would say Kaytranada, Josad and Freakey. And for fun, I have started playing Link’s Awakening on the Game Boy, a game I never really had the time to complete.

How do you stay in a positive headspace while in isolation? How are you staying creative?

Though I definitely miss hanging out with the OTH staff or playing soccer on Tuesdays with the Ringleaders Football Club, I have tried to make quarantining an overall positive experience. In a way, through this chaos the world feels more united. We are all in this together – experiencing the same isolation.

Since we cannot physically interact with our local streetwear boutiques like Off the Hook, brands have been brainstorming new ways of staying connected. I was lucky enough to be approached by Converse to participate in their Create at Home campaign through my work. I Initially started making artwork for myself which brought happiness into my life. Now I am happy to share this joy with others.

Do you have any advice for creatives who aren’t used to working from home?

Do whatever seems right for you, set up someplace where you can concentrate alone and take advantage that you can work on your own schedule. Whenever you feel inspired to do something go for it but enjoy the freedom of not being bound to your usual office hours.

Danièle Proulx, designer and production manager

What’s your daily routine?

I need a morning smoothie to start my day, plus a yoga session, and a quick walk outside. Then I get creative and do as much sewing and design as I can! Being by myself allows me to get into a super focused creative mindset. I’m also making masks for my people — it has become my main hobby!

Where in your home do you like to work?

The small room I set up as an atelier. It’s perfect to work on upcoming OTH collections and my personal projects. I’m in there all day and at night I work on handmade pieces from my couch. I started a sashiko quilt, it’ll become my isolation trophy.

What do you wear while working from home?

I’m a fan of ample and comfortable clothes. Oversized… like 6XL.

Do you wear footwear at home?

Oddly enough, May still feels like winter here, it’s so cold! I wear my The North Face slip-on or some Suicoke with heavy wool socks to keep me warm.

What are you eating now?

I wish the baking gods would’ve whispered to me at this point, but nah, simple is more my thing. Simple, fresh, light, always with a ginger twist.

What are you listening to, watching and doing for fun?

I’m watching Grey’s Anatomy (again) — I should have surgical skills at this point — and I just finished The Last Dance on Netflix. I listen to various podcasts to educate myself on new things. As for music, I listen to Donald Glover‘s latest album on repeat when I sew. I always say Donald because I feel that as a French speaker, it’s so hard to pronounce “Childish“… or maybe it’s just me?

How do you stay in a positive headspace while in isolation? How are you staying creative?

I’m very grateful to be able to work from home. And also for the internet to exist, allowing us to stay connected to people and to everything that is happening in society while being home and safe. It enables an incredible opening in terms of creativity. For me, it’s the perfect storm to push limits to higher levels and realize projects I’ve always wanted to take on.

Do you have any advice for creatives who aren’t used to working from home?

Turn everything off. Give yourself as much space as you can, do what’s inside of you and listen. Let things come to you. Breathe.

Laurent Poignot, creative consultant

What’s your daily routine?

I usually wake up around 7 a.m. Monday to Saturday, have a coffee, listen to the news on radio and take my dog Billy for a walk when he finally decides to open his eyes. Then I run four miles or I begin to tackle my to-do list.

Where in your home do you like to work?

I don’t have a desk at home so I work from my sofa with my laptop on my knees or on the coffee table. I’ve worked sitting on the floor in airports terminals, cab backseats and in the middle of bar coaches in trains so I can deal with this, no prob.

What do you wear while working from home?

Many people of my close circle work from home wearing pajamas — I can’t. As I have a lot of video calls with my team, I get dressed everyday like it’s a regular office day. But obviously I have my comfy Paris Saint-Germain x Jordan sweatpants on most of the time. No shame!

Do you wear footwear at home?

Randomly my Nike Benassi or my Raised by Wolves men’s slide sandals. I also sometimes wear rare and brand new sneakers as slippers…

What are you eating now?

I feel too stressed to go to the supermarket. People don’t really respect social distancing and I’m afraid of germs, so I buy healthy products in some little organic stores in my neighborhood. I try to stay in shape, so I care about what I eat daily. But it doesn’t prevent me from enjoying cool natural wines curated by Le Cave Paris.

What are you listening to, watching and doing for fun?

As many of us, I’m into binging Netflix, especially BoJack Horseman, and I go on Mubi for rare or indie movies. Regarding music, my friend Arthur King creates very good playlists on Spotify, so I listen to his good choice of tracks everyday (thanks, buddy). And I must confess that as spring is already here in Paris, I listen to a lot of Italian pop music. No shame, again!

How do you stay in a positive headspace while in isolation? How are you staying creative?

I often talk to my team about the projects we have going on, so we have a good creative dynamic together. I’m obviously doing a screen overdose by the end of the day so I draw graffiti sketches and I read, magazines or books. I’m quite fed up with scrolling Instagram or blogs so I rediscovered my magazine collection (Clark, Complex, Vapors, XLR8R) and I actually found a few creative gems in it.

Do you have any advice for creatives who aren’t used to working from home?

I’ve worked from home as a freelancer for more than 10 years. I know how it’s hard in the beginning to stay focused on getting stuff done when you can chill instead. The keys are your to-do list — written by hand and stuck on your laptop screen — and going straight to the point! Time will go faster.