May's muse and our first Ibiza based creative is the one and only Mouji Longhi of La Paloma.
What do you do to feel motivated creatively or otherwise?
Nature inspires me; especially the sea and flowers which always calm my mind and when the mind is calm, inspiration arises.
When I think about the word “Creativity”, the first thing I think about is painting, writing, designing, singing…. creative skills in general.
But actually being creative for me, is related to so many aspects in life, emotions too. For instance, being a mother sometimes requires a lot of creativity. Just BEING, and thriving in life needs us to be creative.
On the career side, having had the same business for almost 20 years, I guess it’s about managing to innovate and have new ideas without changing the core and the DNA of the project.
In my personal life, my passion is singing. It fills my heart with joy and stops my mind. When I sing, I don’t think and that is beautiful.
What’s making you tick right now, is there something new you’ve discovered you can tell us about?
Probably this will sound very cliche and cheesy :) Love is making me tick right now. Simplicity too.
It’s a time where I am kind of sitting back, waiting for life to write another big chapter.
Obviously, the past years have been very life changing and challenging for all humanity.
For me personally, just before Covid hit, I went through separation with the father of my three kids. I actually like to call it transformation rather than separation because in the end we never really separate when there are kids involved. Then the pandemic started just a few months later, so it was really a huge change in life.
I am very blessed to have met a special soul and have fallen in love. And so, I am rebuilding my life with him and that really makes me happy. Also, my kids are now at an age where they are starting to be independent. My son Jai is 22, my daughter Liana 20 and Nayeli is 12. I had them very young and have been so busy raising them whilst opening Paloma, I have had no time or space to sit back and look at the whole picture. So, that is happening right now, and it’s both very exciting and terribly scary. It’s about letting go of what was and trusting that something magical awaits. I am ready for a new work project, that’s for sure.
How do you start your day, what does your morning routine look like?
I love details, food, and our garden. I feel so blessed to be able to walk into the garden and call it “my office”. I also love that I work with my family. Of course, sometimes it can also be challenging, but in the end, everything works out because we love each other so much.
When we started La Paloma in 2004, we had 2 babies and absolutely no money nor any experience in running a restaurant. The only thing we knew is that my mother was an excellent cook and we just thought why not share that gift with the island and find the way to live here. We found the finca, which was so rundown and looked nothing like it does today. We were so young and enthusiastic, worked very long hours and didn’t really have a clear idea of where we were taking this. No business plans nor excel sheets, just the love and passion for food and hosting. And of course, the necessity to make a living.
So, I think we were inspired by life!!! I like to say that we didn’t create this place, we just facilitated a dream to manifest, life designed it and we supported.
It’s hard to say, different moods call for different music. In Ibiza we spend a lot of time in the car and that’s where I mostly listen to music.
Right now, I am listening to “Eye in the sky” By the Alan Parsons Project on repeat. Loving it!!
What is your favourite possession and the story behind it?
I used to live in a beautiful old finca with lots of land. When I left, I potted all the roses I had and took them with me. They are waiting to be re-homed when my partner, Hernan and I have built our new home in the campo. Hernan builds wonderful fincas with his construction company, Puga and has fantastic taste and ideas, so my roses and I are very excited for our new home. Meanwhile they are still making me happy every day, especially now that they are in full bloom.
So many places I would like to go to, so it is very hard to pick just one! Somewhere adventurous - maybe Patagonia! I Have never seen whales, and that’s a long-time dream of mine.
And finally...how would you style our navy hand knit cardigan?
I will style my navy cardigan with practically everything; I love pieces that are versatile. With a lacy vintage dress it can look elegant and with jeans a more casual, everyday look. I am more and more looking for those pieces that you can wear often but still look special, and lately I am very drawn to anything blue! It is perfect for Ibiza mid season when the temperature changes so much all day.