#1

Create my own advent calendar.

I imagined everything. From the idea behind each day, to the shape, the name, the way to open each case… Of course it had to be stars. Of course it had to be shiny and fluo orange. And the content had to be a vlog-style video, to bring viewers into my universe.

#2

Post a photo dump.

I have 100000 nice pics on my camera roll and I never dare to post them. So I selected my favourites from Sydney, shot on my analog camera, and used them to create a link to my new article: a Sydney city guide.

#3

Mom's idea: Decorate pebbles.

I also had the idea of asking my favourite people for challenges, to get me out of my comfort zone.

On day 3, it was my mum’s turn. I had to customise pebbles and stack them into a tower.

That day it was sooo windy and no pebbles, only volcanic stones here so they were literally flying. The result was not going to be amazing. The situation made me angry and laughing at the same time, so it turned into a humorous video. It forced us to think out of the box.

Still one of my favourites.

#4

Create my own sticker sheet.

’m a sticker collector, and when I write articles or edit for Instagram, I miss the stickers I use when I journal. So I’d been thinking about creating my own, to use in digital formats.

This was one of the first exercises that helped me expand my inner universe, putting into images what La Bouche is.

I documented the whole process in a vlog: create an inspiring environment, get the inspo, define guidelines, sketch, dive in, present.

Note

I quickly realised I always had the music before the visuals. First video: a cute bouncing vlog (Emma Chamberlain style). Second: rock. Third: classical, flowing.

#5

Read as much as I can.

I cheated on this one. That day I was finishing Day 4.

But a week before, I sat in a café for two hours to finish a book I started this summer, and I loved the experience. A new way of treating myself.

I was reading Le Parfum by Patrick Süskind, recommended by my mother-in-law. It’s a dark classic, but I loved the universe, being immersed into Parisian artistry and the precise description of smells was insane to read.

#6

Watch a movie + write a review.

I cheated again. I started posting Day 1 on the 3rd…

But I had recently watched The Grand Budapest Hotel, which I’d wanted to see for a long time, so I wrote a quick review.

Note

At this point, I wasn’t satisfied with the direction. I didn’t like the feeling of cheating, it betrayed my promise to be authentic. But I had no other option if I wanted to keep going uninterrupted.

#7

Create a Photoshop montage.

I got this idea from watching a Photoshop genius on YouTube (4 years ago).

Then I found a David LaChapelle photobook that introduced me to kitsch surrealism, obsessed.

Photoshop is my comfort zone, but I rarely use it these days.

I knew I wanted to create a wallpaper, so naturally I used the Windows XP rolling hills.

Then I added a badass woman and built from elements I love, because in two hours, you don’t overthink.

Note

This is where my gut started shaping things more. Creation became instinctive, you use what you love because it’s instantly accessible in your brain.

#8

AT80's mission: go to the museum.

A perfect way to recharge, get out, get inspired, even in a small town.

I got emotional in front of huge masks made by a local artist using recycled materials. So many textures.

#9

Write a short-film scenario. (Mateus' idea)

Last year, I got the chance to participate in the creation of Purple Jack, a short film written and directed by my talented friend Mateus (remember his name, he is going to become one of the greatest movie directors of the century).

We worked together to refine the story, and so naturally I had the idea of trying to write my own — and that’s the mission he gave me for Dopamine December.

I knew the main themes I wanted: historic, emotional, evolution, travel.

Then Mateus asked me to think about an object: it would be the story of a letter, and the content of the letter would stay hidden throughout the whole film, as a bait.

I came up with the idea in 2 hours, but then I loved the project so much that I spent more time on writing and research afterwards.

Read the full screenplay here.

#10

Buy myself flowers.

Originally, this was about treating myself. I always look at flowers but never buy them.

But that day, AT80 and I found the idea boring. No substance.

So we exaggerated it to the point of absurdity: a cheesy love song, slow-mo running in a field…

We got hit by creative fever. Ended up with something aesthetic, absurd, surreal.

My favourite video.

#11

Create my Xmas cards.

At this point, I just followed my gut. I wanted to use oil pastels.

Had I used them before? No.

Can I draw? No.

Connection to Christmas? None.

But I fell in love. Easy to use, blend with fingers, layer, intense colours, texture.

The messier, the better. I’ve kept this medium since.

#12

Write a poetic text for AT80's photo.

AT80 is a talented photographer, but he always struggles to find captions for his pictures.

He has this street photo series about people reading newspapers, and he told me he captures them because he finds it fascinating to see people reading the news on paper rather than online these days.

So I decided to write something a little poetic about it, but we were on a little road trip, and I wasn’t very inspired.

#13

Cook something new.

Maybe the video I like the least.

As I said, we were on a road trip, it was getting late, and we wanted to catch the sunset to film. We didn’t have time, so we decided to joke about New Zealand cuisine and embody the vibe of our road trip.

This was shot in 20 minutes, rushing against the sun going down.

#14

My best friend's idea: create a star for your Christmas tree.

I decorated the only tree I had here.

#15

Watch my brother's recommended video.

“The existential horror of the paperclip factory” by EGO.

I watched it. I’ll remember it. Didn’t change my life.

#16

Paint something.

I wanted a reasonably big canvas, big brushes, and vivid colours.

The Mediterranean colours I got to admire this summer in Corsica really made me want to paint. So I used one of the pictures I took there as inspiration.

I’m pretty proud of myself. I did it in one hour, and I’ve never really been a painter.

#17

Do a meditation session.

To link it to thise whole project I did a thrid-eye opening session, and I swear that day my energy with high vibration.

I sat at the café and a lot of kind and interesting people came have a chat with me.

#18

Record a podcast episode.

That was intimidating. But I already had the idea for the theme: record it first thing in the morning, in bed, with a black coffee. That’s usually when I’m the most creative.

And having coffee in bed is a move I find so cool (inspired by a woman I met, Fiona). So to start, it felt logical to talk about Dopamine December, why I ended up here.

I enjoyed creating the cover and the jingle, but I still hated hearing my voice and my terrible accent.

Now I’m dreaming of a pink, cheetah-print mic.

Note

After that, I started to feel tired and a bit less motivated and less inspired. Maybe 24 days is a bit long?

#19

Laura's idea: make a drink.

This was a mango and vanilla iced tea, because I love the aesthetic of mango.

I wanted to make an ASMR video. Then we started thinking about a hook, maybe trying a vertical format for performance… but we didn’t have the right equipment for close-ups or proper ASMR.

We did it anyway, but we weren’t convinced, and we’re still not convinced by the result.

But I guess it’s part of the process.

#20

Develop a book idea.

I went through the same process as for the short film: writing guidelines, defining the big themes I wanted to explore, and then refining them until I had a satisfying idea.

#21

Mamie's idea: do a relaxation massage.

She pull out this massage tutorial out of the drawer, unexpected as usual with my grandma. I have to confess I haven't done it yet.

#22

Go to the library.

I knew that I wanted to film the research process behind these mysterious stars found at the thrift shop. The quest itself was interesting to document.

We decided to go for a longer format, more documentary style, taking the time to explain.

But filming it in one day felt a bit short, and we felt like we were missing some shots.

#23

Learn a poem by heart.

To improve my vocabulary, my diction and prononciation. I found this poem on Instagram a couple of days before.

To create visual content for the video, I remembered that in primary school the teacher would always ask us to do a drawing next to the page with the poem text, so I filmed me drawing with the pastel oil.

#24

Recap the experience.

Inspired by all the 2025 recap carrousel, it was time to take a step back and see if DD bought me the things I was expected and more.