In Creative Conversations with María Angelico
We return with our Creative Conversation Series.
We are back with edition two of our Creative Conversation series, a space to learn more about our community, dive into the rituals, creative lives and bathing habits of artists, writers and creatives we admire. This time, we sat down with María Angelico is an award-winning actor, writer and artist
María Angelico is an award-winning actor, writer and artist based in Australia. María works extensively on screen, most notably in Netflix’s series Sisters; ABC’s The Newsreader; Binge original Strife, Netflix’s Stateless produced by Cate Blanchett; ABC’s Retrograde, Blizzards’ World of Warcraft and in her recent debut one woman show, The Disappearing Act at the Malthouse Theatre for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2022. María is currently in production for feature film Birthright and in development for a new comedy series she's creating with Matchbox Pictures.
SOS: First of all, let’s talk about bathing - are you a regular visitor to a bathhouse, pool, beach? What does bathing mean to you?
My mother used to joke that we were secretly mermaids pretending to be human because as long as I can remember, any chance we had to swim or dunk in a body of water we would: the ocean a bay, a pool, river, lake or even a damn… anything, with gusto and no hesitation whatsoever. So yes, I’m a regular bather big time. My favourite is the sea, there’s nothing quite like the feel of warm sand and salt on my skin that makes me feel deeply happy.
Living in inner city Melbourne however, I’m a regular bather in my outdoor bathtub (which sounds more glamorous than it is, unfortunately there’s no drain so I have to empty it with a bucket) and of course at Sense of Self! Thank goodness SOS exists! I love a soak, steam, sauna and cold plunge - that cycle is the perfect reset for my body and mind. To me, bathing and soaking is such a pure form of self care, it’s a gentle loving way to bring myself back into my body and treat it with love and appreciation.
SOS: We’d love to hear about your creative practice. What does a typical day or week look like for you?
A typical week in my career doesn't really exist. Working in film and TV, my routines change regularly and I often find myself spontaneously juggling multiple jobs at once and travelling at the drop of a hat.
When I’m auditioning, preparing for shoots or in development for writing, my days can include lots of reading, line learning, conversations with collaborators, researching, problem solving and daydreaming. In these times, soaking and bathing is a great way to ponder on my work without distracting temptations.
I also take long walks with my sweet Aussie Shepherd Peta, or spend time cooking whilst learning lines. Visuals and music are also a big part of my creative process so I’ll usually be making playlists and Pinterest for my characters which help anchor me in my work.
When I’m shooting however, my creative process is different, as I’m only focussing on one job at a time usually. Shooting hours are pretty crazy with early mornings and late nights, so I try to focus on getting good sleep (a sauna after I wrap for the day is great for it). I usually try to eat well and drink less. I spend my mornings preparing for the day ahead so once I’m on set I’m relaxed and can be playful. I usually spend my evenings zoning out to a trashy tv show; there is nothing like an episode of Real housewives to unwind to. Lastly, I love making friends and find myself to be more creatively confident when I feel connected with the artists I’m collaborating with on set. You'll often find me chatting about anything under the sun or telling silly jokes in between takes, it’s also more fun that way.
SOS: It’s common to hear a lot about self-care and work-life balance, so much that it’s sometimes hard to appreciate what these concepts really mean in our everyday lives. What do they mean to you, and do you find balance something relatively easy or difficult to maintain?
Work life balance is something that has become incredibly important to me particularly in the last year or so. With a career that is driven by me and causes me to focus so much on myself, it’s very easy to let all my self worth and happiness get all tangled with work. For years I made sacrifices and put my career above all else and it took me a while to realise that reaching certain goals is wonderful but doesn’t necessarily solve everything. Sounds cliche I know, but having really strong relationships with close people in my life and investing in my life outside of work is really important for me and my overall health and wellbeing. I now make really clear efforts to put energy and time into my relationships, hobbies, volunteering and creative outlets that are completely unrelated to my career and purely just for love, joy and connection. It’s been incredibly rewarding and grounding and helped me take so much of the pressure off myself in my career, it’s also made any career success I've had since feel that much more sweeter.
SOS: Whether it’s creatively or just life in general, how do you break out of a funk?
Exercise is one of my go-to’s; I’ve been big into yoga and pilates for years. I love working myself into a disgusting sweat in group fitness classes but this year, I just purchased a brand new fabulous sports bra and I’m trying to be a runner also…. Wish me luck! Another go-to for me is music and a dance, whether it be alone in my lounge room or at a club with friends, or a class with strangers. Moving to music is like medicine for me and has an amazing power to change my mood very quickly. Sex. Having sex is great, alone or together, it’s one of the best things to pick you up. And lastly, friends: spending time with friends, particularly ones that make me laugh, be silly and listen are heaven!
SOS: Dream bathing/swim spot and company?
I recently went to Berlin on a Europe trip and visited a massive bathhouse called Vebali and had my mind absolutely blown. I was there for 8 hours with my partner, it was heaven and I can't wait to get back there. I’d also love to go to Finland and explore the traditional saunas and cold plunging culture there. Visiting bath houses and saunas when travelling is one of my favourite things to do. I'd love to go on a sauna world tour hahaha with my partner Jon. May have to make a bucket list…