Grooming

My Morning Routine

Sean Hotchkiss

A quick Google search of Sean Hotchkiss will reveal a man of many talents, occupations and lives. When we meet at a coffee shop in New York City on a hot summer afternoon, he's just returned from a European trip, and looks every bit the part of a fashionable creative in well-worn black jeans and a black T-shirt. Prior to our meeting, he had spent three months in Los Angeles on a personal writing project that's slowly but surely coming together. A look at his expertly-shot Instagram would lend the idea that he is a budding photographer, but "it's just a hobby," he says. And then there's boy creative, Sean's creative consulting company where he advises clients ranging from corporate retail firms like Barneys and Bloomingdale's to smaller private operations like Harry's and Cereal Magazine.

Suffice it to say, he's seen it all over the last decade of the menswear movement, giving him a unique perspective on the industry. Once a regular on the GQ street style slide shows, Sean now splits his time between Brooklyn and his well-appointed home on Lake Peekskill in New York working independently and on his own schedule. To turn all of this creative energy into a successful career is something that many young men dream of, so the chance to pick Sean's brain, and get an idea of how he utilizes those first few hours of the morning to channel his focus wasn't something we could miss. Check out this thoughtful and stylish writer's morning routine below, and take inspiration where you can.

My Routine

I'm usually up for good around 7:30 or 8:00. I aim for eight to nine hours. I don't have blinds, so I'll wake up earlier with the sun, but occasionally roll over and go back to sleep. Those extra few hours are when I tend to have the most vivid dreams—that way I can remember them.

My morning is my most productive time so I protect it. I go straight to the kitchen and have some water, eat a banana and a rice cake with peanut butter. While that's going on, I prepare some tea and bring it back to my bedroom with some Incienso de Santa Fe incense.

When I started Five O'Clock for Harry's, it changed how I think about mornings and routines. Interviewing people made me realize how vulnerable the morning can be—you're preparing yourself for the outside world. It's so important to set a wonderful tone for the rest of the day.

Keeping this natural rhythm of routine is important for me. This foundation allows my energy and attention to go towards thinking and dreaming instead of wondering which subway I have to catch.

With a cup of tea, I write a couple pages in a journal that I keep on the floor next to my bed or read from whatever book I've got going at the time. This writing is by far the most important part of my morning. After about 30 minutes or so, I'll grab my laptop and start my writing assignments for the day.

My real breakfast kicks in a few hours later with two scrambled eggs, chicken sausage links and some sort of fruit (blueberries or an apple usually). Thinking about all of this, it's funny ... my morning is a gentle progression from the bedroom to the living room. Since I write in the mornings, I leave the afternoons open for exercise and socializing.

 

In terms of grooming, I swear by simple, natural products

like Cold Spring Apothecary, Ursa Major and D.S. & Durga's Burning Barbershop Cologne.That stuff smells like the aftershave we'd find in the locker room at the country club as kids. It reminded me of the old guys who would load up on it before dinner and too many gin and tonics.

Matte day
cream SPF 30,
$49 by
Control Corrective

Fantastic face wash,
$12 by Ursa Major

Fir balsam incense,
$3.90 by Incienso de Santa Fe

Clarity facial oil,
$45 by Cold Spring Apothecary

Hard cream
pomade, $20
by Baxter of
California

Burning Barbershop
cologne, $145
by D.S. & Durga

Clockwise, from top left:
Matte day cream SPF 30, $49 by Control Corrective; Fantastic face wash, $12 by Ursa Major; Fir balsam incense, $3.90 by Incienso de Santa Fe; Clarity facial oil, $45 by Cold Spring Apothecary; Hard cream pomade, $20 by Baxter of California and Burning Barbershop cologne, $145 by D.S. & Durga

Clockwise, from top left:
Matte day cream SPF 30, $49 by Control Corrective; Fantastic face wash, $12 by Ursa Major; Fir balsam incense, $3.90 by Incienso de Santa Fe; Clarity facial oil, $45 by Cold Spring Apothecary; Hard cream pomade, $20 by Baxter of California and Burning Barbershop cologne, $145 by D.S. & Durga

My Daily Uniform

"I wear black jeans 9 out of 10 days. Acne is my go-to right now. For T-shirts, Jungmaven is far and away the best. They're part hemp and arrive looking comfortably broken-in already. And for kicks, I've been wearing Common Projects since 2011. When something's working for me, I stick with it."

T-shirt, $38 by Jungmaven and Ace cash jeans, $185 by Acne