A conversation with Lora Villanueva

Lora Villanueva. Image by Brit Gill.

It is an exhaustingly loud world out there.

The traffic. The constant deluge of WhatsApp messages. The newsletter notifications that you forgot you’d signed up for.

People talking loudly on their phones while you’re on the bus. On your flight. While you’re in line at the supermarket. Just everywhere.

In the work sphere, it’s even noisier. The parading on LinkedIn. The self-promoting posts by ‘experts’ in public forums and on social media. The incessant video ads that shout how they can help increase your Google rankings/beat the algorithm/crack the SEO code/solve all of the above.

It’s no wonder we are witnessing ‘The Great Exhaustion’.

Finding someone to work and collaborate with who does things impeccably and quietly, without all of the fanfare, has become increasingly difficult. Indeed, it takes a certain degree of grounded self-assurance and creative intelligence to create in this way — to work beyond the chaos of the marketplace and to just be. To just put your head down and do your thing, knowing that it is your best and that it will align you with clients and professional partners who value what you create.

It is this very energy that led me to Lora Villanueva, the founder of RNR Creative and Sāvitrīe Studio, who I chanced upon while scrolling my social media feed several years ago. Her posts intrigued me — simple, subtle, and awash in a monochromatic palette— they all threaded a calming element of Eastern philosophy into their story. I discovered she was an art director and a creative specialised in branding and web design, and as I dove deeper into her work, her sense of poise, of elegant stillness, distinctly emerged.

Her portfolio of clients is a testament to her precise ethos and her desire to create with intention. Her creativity may appear muted, but it holds an immense presence, and that is its greatest strength of all.

When I discovered Lora, I was elated — at long last, I had found another creative that wholly synced with my own values, who got it when I said that less is always more when it’s done right. It felt like the perfect synchronicity, and it was not long before we found ourselves working together to co-create a digital resource: the Intentional Website Copy Workbook. Inspired by our collaboration, I recently asked Lora to answer ten questions drawn from the Proust Questionnaire — a questionnaire that originated from a parlour game popularised by French essayist Marcel Proust back in the 1900s, and which was designed to reveal the player’s true nature. Her answers are certain to inspire you to rediscover the powerful force — and beauty — of simplicity, subtlety, and stillness.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Perfect happiness is taking that first sip of tea, listening to the music, meditating in a temple, watching the waves crash from a cliff, a long warm hug, feeling fresh grass under bare feet, swimming in a lake naked, fresh bread, a clean house, reading poetry in the park, the sound of trees blowing, the smell of rain, warm sun on my face, cool mountain air, the taste of a fresh fruit, washed linen sheets, contentment. Simple moments of pleasure, beauty and inspiration.

What is your current state of mind?

Inspired, creative, contemplative, analysing, planning, productive.

If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, who or what would she/he/it be and why?

This is a difficult one, something in form/formless that only lives to serve others' awakening.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

My love of sweets.

What is your greatest regret?

I don't have any regrets, I only wish I could learn more languages.

What is your most treasured possession?

A crystal Sri Yantra, a clay Shiva lingam and my tea bowl.

What is the quality you most like in a man?

Generosity and Integrity.

What is the quality you most like in a woman?

Intuitive and confident.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Having the courage to start a business aligned with what truly inspires me, gives me a sense of purpose and enables me to create meaningful work aligned with my personal values.

What is your motto?

You are the sky. Everything else is just passing clouds.