Georgina Johnson, the creative polymath and author of The Slow Grind: Finding Our Way Back to Creative Balance, is encouraging today’s generation to be mindful with their time. “Taking things slowly and resting shouldn’t be a privilege. You have to check in with yourself,” she told us when we profiled her in Issue No.5 of our magazine. “It can save your life sometimes.” That was our first encounter with Georgina, when we spent the morning at her house in Sydenham, south-east London, and spoke to her about the importance of repair and regeneration. But, having fallen in love with her home and the second-hand objects within it, we went back for round two and asked her to share her Seven Wonders.

“To the reader, I encourage you to flow through The Slow Grind at your own pace,” Georgina Johnson writes on the first page of her book. Featuring a compilation of essays – which includes contributions from fashion designer Bethany Williams, photographer Campbell Addy, poet Wilson Oryema and stylist Ib Kamara, among others – it questions the “wake up, grind, repeat” mentality that defines the way we live. Having been two years in the making, the serendipitous timing of its release was fitting: it landed in 2020, during the height of the global pandemic and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, when protecting our mental health was of utmost importance. Naturally, its contents resonated with people – so much so, the sold-out publication has since been printed for a second run, with the support of heritage brand Mulberry.

Georgina’s devotion to changing our creative and cultural ecologies can be traced back to education. She was taught Black history at the Croydon Supplementary Education Project, for instance, which was particularly instrumental in shaping her way of thinking. She went on to train in fashion design at the London of College of Fashion, where she was awarded a first-class degree, before launching the online platform, The Laundry Arts. With an aim to improve representation in the fashion industry, Georgina commissioned content committed to telling the stories of womxn and BIPOC artists, which also sparked the conversations that would lead to the creation of The Slow Grind.

Perhaps it’s unsurprising to learn that Georgina’s home is as thoughtfully curated as her book. From the pre-loved clothes in her wardrobe to her upcycled bedside table, her belongings are predominantly second-hand and bring plenty of personality to the Victorian house that she rents with her friends. “I really struggle to walk up the high street and not go into a charity shop,” she says. It’s no wonder she’s accumulated such an eclectic collection of crockery, which she also sources from flea markets. “If there’s anything that I do hoard,” she says sitting at her beautifully laid dining table, “it’s homeware.”

Watch this episode of Seven Wonders to discover the stories behind Georgina’s most precious possessions. As always, we hope that you enjoy the film. And be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you never miss a new one.