"I think it’s safe to say that this year didn’t go exactly as planned for most, if not all of us but I always try to focus on the positive and I can’t help but see the past few months as such a blessing, having been able to spend uninterrupted time with my thoughts & with my family. Just like everyone, we have our disagreements but for the most part, we’ve always been quite chill and get along so well. We try not to dwell on the bad and are all very conscious of the fact that we should always try to maximise our time here on earth.

Back in March, ahead of lockdown in the UK, my dad suggested that my sisters & I come home, just in case. Three months later, having spent all of that time staying at our parents in the countryside, we were finally exploring the idea of heading back to our home in London. It’s crazy to think we all just packed a suitcase (mine was 60% skincare) and headed to the Buckinghamshire countryside thinking we’d be there for a few weeks — not months.

I personally had my up’s & down’s, I went through periods where I just would just watch movies & read all day as a coping mechanism and to ensure my brain was still being stimulated with inspiration & creativity without having any pressure attached or go on long walks whilst listening to audiobooks on greek mythology, because all of the uncertainty was overwhelming."

"My sisters all fell into their own coping mechanisms & routines as well, each reflecting their interests & careers. Adeola (24), is baker & confectionary artist. We devised a pretty incredible curriculum (think a home made le cordon bleu) of recipes for her to create & skills for her to learn. This lead her to make some of the most incredible desserts, which included bostocks, tarts & soufflés. All of this inspired her to then launch an online bakery during lockdown and she now has hundreds of customers, across the UK buying from her each month.

Then you’ve got Jadesola (20) who should have been physically studying her 2nd year music at University but instead had to take part in online classes and complete a lot of self guided work. This encouraged her to start a song writing challenge where she wrote a song or a poem every day for a month. She sometimes struggled with creating music in the past and putting herself out there like this was so exciting for me to witness but more importantly lead her to really find her voice and musical confidence."

"Finally you’ve got my youngest sisters Lolade (13) who should have been at school & living her best tiktok/skincare product filled/decorating her room life — plus her 13th birthday was in July and so we had a huge party planned ( we had to unfortunately cancel it).

She’s always been so diligent when it comes to school, so much so that when her teachers would upload her work, she’d be up by 6am working, so that by 11am she was done with, which honestly still til today shocks me, her worth ethic is beyond admirable. So what’s a 13 year old to do when she’s finished all of her work by 11am each day? Well naturally she spent hours on tiktok & YouTube but she was also spent more time figuring our her optimal skincare routine, which lead her to want to start her own beauty brand. So we set up a mini lab in our parent’s dining room and starting playing around with ingredients and I believe I’m allowed to say she’ll be launching her own brand, Beauty by Lolade very soon.

After reflecting on the past few months & our experiences, I sat down at my London studio, with my sisters to ask them a few questions." - Abi Omole

"That I tend to overthink & over analyse my business ideas. I need to just go for it and can expand and improve as time goes on. The idea will never be 100% perfect when initially launching and these past few months have really bought my some clarity."

"I love making and assembling layer cakes and the process behind them, especially decorating them. I also really like making macarons."

"I’ll continue to expand my postal offerings and launch a selection of desserts for click and collect from my London studio."

"I feel like everyone’s musical direction is unique and is inspired by many genres and time periods. Personally, my music sound is heavily influenced by British and American R&B as well as American indie rock and pop. My sound is constantly evolving and that’s the best part about making music, you don’t have to stick to one genre, you can have fun and make music that you want to hear, as well as music others will like and relate to."

"It’s a long list, so I’ll give the cliff notes version. If we’re talking songwriters the main one would have to be Ryan Tedder, don’t get me wrong there are lots of songwriters that inspire me, but Ryan Tedder was one of the first songwriters I was truly moved by. Other inspirations include Johnnyswim, Tori Kelly, Ama Lou, Kelsey Lu & Ella Fitzgerald."

"I am currently working on my debut EP that will be released in 2021. I am so excited for people to hear what I’m working on and I’m always sharing snippets on my Instagram @jadesola_music."

"A few of my go to skincare items are Glossier’s Milky Jelly Cleanser & Rosewater face mist, Clean & Clear’s Deep action Cream, CerVe’s Hydrating Cleanser and The Body Shop’s Magnolia or Almond milk and honey body & face yoghurt. CeraVe - Daily moisturising Lotion

I use all these products because they are very moisturising and they leave my skin feeling soft and smooth. I also have sensitive skin and all these products have little to no fragrances meaning they read well with my skin."

"Apart from doing my school work/ online school, some of my favourite memories have been redoing my bedroom & bathroom, as well as celebrating my 13th birthday. Although I had planned a party for this year it was nice spending the day with my family and my they went all out to ensure I had a great day."

"I decided to start my own beauty brand because I take my skin and skincare routine in general, very seriously. From the research, samples and more, the creation of this brand is very important to me and I can’t wait for the brand to launch. I want people to know that this is a Black Owned Brand and although there is no specific audience I want people, Black people in particular, to feel comfortable when buying from this brand and using its products. Overall I wanted to make this brand so that one day I could say that I’m a proud, successful Black businesswoman."