Welcome to the April volume of the Isolation Diaries, our monthly round-up of the things that keep us creatively motivated. In each instalment of 2021, Clear will connect with friends, colleagues and peers to explore their view of the world. Next up, we’re talking with Australia’s top broadcast interviewer Jane Hutcheon.

Working through the confectionery of highs with Design Week (26 March to 5 April) we can recommend checking out Broached Recall, A New Normal: More with Less, and MMeets: White Cube until the event places are all gone.

Are you having a laugh? …Well, there is, of course the Comedy Festival from the couch. Or, try to saturate yourself in light as lasers explode from a multitude of crystal balls at Housewarming by Arts House.

We are enjoying the enthusiasm of Anthony Ferraro and his passion for all things Jedi, being made to feel uncomfortable by Sarah Paulson in Ratched, and reminiscing our lost youth—from a safe distance—with Euphoria.

Up early? Pay your respects on Anzac Day and get on the ballot or ‘Light up the Dawn’ by signing up here​. Carrot Mimosa anyone? We have found the most… um… creative Easter-themed cocktails or, should we say, a loose collection of drinks from an excited bartender? Keeping with the loose theme, enjoy our chocolate-themed playlist​. Preorder the best hot cross buns EVER from Falco.

Jane Hutcheon, one of Australia’s top broadcast interviewers, writer and freethinker, shares her perspective on Ethiopia, Agnès B and kindness.

The travel industry has been stalled by the pandemic. If you could freely travel the world, where would you go?
Before COVID I began travelling to Ethiopia in my role as tour leader. It really got under my skin in the best way. It’s so exotic. The capital is full of broken dreams and half-finished buildings. It’s dishevelled, but then people form long queues to wait for the bus home.

Which artist or designer inspires you the most?
I’ve always admired the French fashion designer Agnès B. I can’t believe that she turns 80 this year. I used to make regular pilgrimages to her flagship store in Paris. Her style is stripey, berets, black, white, red. It embodies these words: ‘I have no ambition… I think, I draw, I design. I am not influenced by other fashion designers. I don’t go to the fashion shows. I never look at any fashion magazines. I don’t even go into the fashionable shops. Ever. Fashion does not interest me, only style.’

Which musical artist is on high rotation at the moment?
Max Richter.
Mercy.

What are you reading and watching at the moment?
Watching: The West Wing, The Dig (Netflix) and classic movies every Friday night. Re-reading: George Orwell’s Down and Out in Paris and London.

What do you see to be the emerging trend of 2021?
Modification.

Has the pandemic changed the way you structure your working day?
Yes. I work fewer hours but more intensely.

What project has you up late at night?
I’ve recently joined the advisory board of a not-for-profit movement called Stay Kind. I’m using myself as an experiment: can I be a kinder person by making kindness a habit? Judging by the exchange with my daughter this morning, maybe not.

Share the view from your desk.
I’m finishing a book at the moment. You don’t want to see my desk. It looks like a tornado just hit. The best part is when the book is finished, all the crap gets chucked away. It’s cathartic.