In and out of the World
To be present and to create in a world so uncertain is to live in boldness. But to live with God is to always be alone, without feeling lonely. It’s like a relationship between two friends who decide to build an everlasting friendship. They understand that they must exist both in and out of the world to succeed in such an endeavor.
To be present is to serve the world; to create is to escape from it. Each of these two brings me suffering and beauty, love and pain, and people to meet and understand.
What better tools are there to do this with than words and lenses?
About:
ZEBRAS AND MAGPIES is rooted in an early idea for a printed magazine. It started in the early 2000s when I co-created my first teenage magazine alongside my three primary school friends. Most of it was hand-made and genuinely curated.
Two decades later, what became an insurmountable wish to spill out all the work I’ve created throughout the years, turned into a blog exploring the ever-complex human behavior, faith, friendship, art, health, science, modern lives in the rush to find peace, and the rare but significant moments of serenity.
After a few months of blog-only content, ZEBRAS AND MAGPIES grew into a multidisciplinary creative studio with its branch, ZEBRAS AND MAGPIES Workroom—keeping its stripes while growing new feathers.
The blog remains your balcony with a wooden chair where you can sit, rest, meet God, and observe the world through words and art. Don’t be surprised if you recognize yourself on the horizon.
Founder and Author:
Hi, I’m Ana—the founder of ZEBRAS AND MAGPIES and co-founder of ZEBRAS AND MAGPIES Workroom.
At my core, I am a creative, and a curator, always exploring the intersections of disciplines in everything I do.
Career-wise, I’ve always been drawn to understanding people, ideas, and cultures, driven by an endless curiosity about the world. This curiosity has taken me from the halls of academia to international advocacy, teaching, journalism, and marketing—each chapter informing the next, each experience shaping my work.
Through it all, one thread has remained constant: curation. Whether through writing, lenses, painting, sketching, researching or styling, I have always been drawn to blending creativity with thoughtfulness.
Outside of work, I devote time to researching brachial plexus injuries (BPI) and Erb’s palsy—an injury I sustained during birth. This research helps me understand my own journey, raise awareness, and support others navigating similar challenges.
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Artist Uli Van Neyghem welcomes us into her farmhouse in Céligny, where art, interior decoration, motherhood, and a love of calmness and balance have shaped both her home and creativity.
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Can the contemporary carry the elegance of the timeless past? Only if — not a conditional, but a factual term — it can respond with integrity to its predecessors. Some of my earliest memories of chairs are tied to three things: being caught in one, nearly smashing my head against a wall, and the heaviness…
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As I said in December’s Thank You Note, Zebras and Magpies wouldn’t necessarily talk about trends, unless there is a burning matter. Then, an action might be necessary. And this time, the action is to remind you that love is not limited to a day, nor to the month of February, nor to a shopping…
ZEBRAS AND MAGPIES 