Joya: AiR / Holly Friend / ENG

‘Joya: AiR was a far cry from my usual pace of life in Hackney, London, where I can typically be found rushing around, doing everything I can to push 'thinking' and 'writing' to the bottom of my priorities. In rural Spain, the only distractions available were petting Frida and going for long, meandering walks, giving me ample (physical, mental, emotional) space to both edit and solve the existential problems I was facing with my novel.

My favourite thing about Joya: AiR was the positive boredom it manifested. Suddenly, I found myself in a place where I could wake up late, procrastinate, read for hours in front of the fire, confront a posse of local barking dogs, chat and eat and laugh, all while claiming bursts of creativity as they arose throughout the day. There was no guilt attached to doing, or not doing. Then there's the erratic weather (rain, snow, sun) and the slow, convivial dinners, fuelled by wine and absorbing conversation with new friends that made my time at Joya: AiR impossible to forget’.

Holly Friend

Holly Friend is a trend forecaster and futurist whose work revolves around unearthing the weird and wonderful aspects of consumer behaviour. As the former deputy foresight editor at London-based strategic foresight consultancy The Future Laboratory, her work ranges from researching and writing about cultural trends conducting ethnographic consumer research.

As well as being quoted as a futures expert by the likes of The Guardian, The Times and Dazed, she's consulted on projects for some of the world’s leading brands, including Google, Reebok, Diageo and Spotify, presenting insight-packed keynotes for clients and events around the world.

Holly completed her debut novel, Veneers, in 2020; exploring the power structures of social media and how digital spaces are changing the narrative around consent. She's now working on her second novel.

www.hollyfriend.com