Kelley Mullarkey is the creative director of Majestic Disorder Magazine. -"an independent arts + culture print magazine catering to today’s nomadic creative community." If you love textiles and traveling, this is the magazine for you. See Kelley's answers to my questions below...
Angelina: Where did you grow up?
Kelley: I was lucky enough to grow up in the great Midwest in the city of Chicago, Illinois.
A: You have to choose one... sneakers, clogs, heels, sandals, boots?
K: Ideally I’d be barefoot somewhere in the desert sand. Living in London though I am always in a pair of black Chelsea boots from either Portobello Market or by an amazing vegan brand that I love called Bourgeois Boheme.
A: Last year on a long flight to Japan I watched the guy next to me eating fresh fruit throughout the flight. I was drooling over it, and kept imagining how healthy that was for him. Now I always take a little fresh organic fruit when I take long trips, like medicine. Is there anything you always take on the plane?
K: Flying can wreck serious havoc on your body, especially your skin. I tend to avoid eating on planes whenever possible. The food is loaded with so much sodium and leaves you always feeling crappy. I was recently discussing this with my sister while in Lima and was curious to also hear what she brings with her.
I’m not an e-reader and have given up on trying to love the ease of a Kindle or iPad so my bag is crammed to the brim with books. But no matter how little of space I have left I always pack a stockpile of nuts, plain granola, organic lemon and ginger tea, and any fresh fruit I can get my hands on before boarding.
I get pretty bad anxiety from flying so I also carry a tiny roller bottle of lavender, which I find tends to help with stress, headaches and motion sickness.
A: From your instagram feed, it feels like you live on the road, though I know your home base is in London. How often do you travel? Do you have any personal goals or limits?
K: I travel internationally at least once a month since a lot of the clients we do marketing and consulting work for are travel focused. In total I typically spend about six months of the year traveling full-time. Maintaining balance and having an established routine is key when I’m home in London or else all the jet lag and constant going can easily run me in to the ground and cause things to feel out of whack.
In terms of personal goals outside of running majestic disorder as a creative agency and magazine, I’d love to eventually finish and complete my PhD at the London School of Economics and maybe do some screenplay writing. And extensively trek the Sahara on camelback. One can dream!
A: Tell us a little about your current trip, looks beautiful. What are you up to in Peru?
K: Peru as a country is pure magic and otherworldly. The moment you step off the plane a rush of magnetic energy washes over you. It’s like bathing in a warm light from the universe. The land is deeply rich in healing powers as the Peruvians are true wisdom keepers and have established a superior knowledge of Mother Nature and her capabilities. And the textiles! OH MY GOSH. My mind is currently still buried in an overflowing pile of them.
I was there for our sold out majestic disorder x nuna journeys retreat partnership in the Sacred Valley and spent two weeks prior exploring a hippie surf town in the north called Máncora, Lima and Cusco.
It sounds cliché but this group of 18 insanely gifted, inspiring and soul enriching individuals changed my life. And I’m forever grateful for that. For our week long retreat we gathered from all across the globe coming from Australia, Europe and the US and took part in Andean ceremonies, navigated local markets, explored weaving techniques, visited sacred sites such as Moray and absorbed the energy of Pachamama.
We were also blessed to have the incredible LA based photographer Kacie Tomita with us documenting our journey. She is a dream to not only be around but to work with.
You’ll be able to read about it all in our upcoming issue!
A: How did Majestic Disorder get its name? Which by the way is awesome. I first came across the magazine in NZ in a little bookshop in Auckland, I ran up to by BF and said, look I've found my magazine!
K: I’m so happy you found us! Fills my heart with joy. The idea for majestic disorder actually came about back in 2010 while Couchsurfing (pre Airbnb!) on a backpacking trip through Europe with a friend. For nearly three months we stayed in over a dozen countries with the coolest artists, activists, global nomads, surfers, musicians, designers, PhD students and a few unstable characters.
Their homes and personal style were as unique as the stories they told, the music they played, and the friends they kept and introduced us to. It was a perfect blend of the majestic - the magical soulful existence of one’s art and passion– and the disorder – the chaotic tapestry (or storm) that surrounds any creative’s life.
I wanted to document it all in a physical format that felt relatable. Like you were reading about your best friend’s rad cousin or the neighbor next door who grinds away at a 9-5 or works three jobs but does killer embroidery on the side.
Prior to the trip and up until moving to London, I hosted dozens of Couchsurfers from over 20 countries in my loft in Chicago where my interest in travel and sociology truly came about. I took these curious strangers to my favorite bars, museums and coffee shops. We ordered in pizzas, shared wine, laughed until we cried.
Someday I'd love to do this again. Who knows, maybe we will open a majestic disorder B&B in some far-flung corner of the globe.
Truth be told, majestic disorder was never meant to be a career. Law school and the corporate world was the plan. But it is a direct result of my experiences with those individuals that brought majestic disorder to life.
We're forced to think the world is particularly evil, certain neighborhoods unsafe, that everyone's out to rob one another or steal. We're much stronger together, with open and honest communication, growing and building each other up.
I can’t thank everyone enough for being here, traveling with us, sharing their stories with us, teaching us, befriending us. majestic disorder is my personal love letter to you.
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