While in lockdown, director Leonn Ward has discovered the therapeutic powers of painting, baking and watching The Sopranos...

What were you working on before the lockdown?
I was working on a music video to shoot in the Scottish Highlands, and was very excited about it. There was two other commercial jobs with previous clients.

What are you working on now?
Right now my aim is to come out of lockdown with a pot of well-thought ideas and concepts. Now that I have the time, I have so many ideas half thought about, so I’m working on them, and trying to develop the script for my short, back in Ireland.

What's the most surprising, or least predictable thing, that's happened to you during quarantine?
Most surprising is I haven’t lost my mind.

Everyday I think about the people that this has affected way worse than me.

What's the favourite part of your daily routine?
Mornings. I’ve been painting a lot. I get a lot of pallet and composition ideas from painting, and find it quite therapeutic. So I try to do that everyday.

Are things getting harder/better/staying the same?
Neither to be honest. It feels like nothing is changing, which is a good and bad thing. I can't think about it too much - time that is - otherwise I’ll freak myself out about getting so comfortable with this new life.

What have you learned about yourself during quarantine?
That I'm lucky. Everyday I think about the people that this has affected way worse than me. People at homes that aren’t the best place to be, people who have literally nothing in their pockets, people with families to feed. My heart goes out to them.

Best meal you have eaten/are regularly cooking (send photo, if poss!)
Chicken fajitas, because it's my favourite meal of all time, lockdown or no lockdown. I made a banging Guinness cake too.

Best thing you’ve watched, or heard, while on lockdown, and why?
I’ve finally got into the The Sopranos, and I’m now obsessed. I’m on season 2 and don’t really want it to end. Some of the camera movements in how they depict the storyline blows my mind. I'm definitely taking notes.

How's your Work/Life balance at the moment?
It’s good. If I wake up and feel like I don’t want to do something motivating and work related, I don’t do it. I just chill out and speak to friends. Then I have days where I miss being on set so, so, so much. I adore my job, I feel so lucky to call myself a director, and I cannot wait for the day I’m back on set. 

This is the thing though. I could realistically grab my camcorder and go make more work if I really wanted to right now, but I’m tough on myself with the standard of my work. That sight of where I want to be is at the forefront of my mind. I’m not the kind to make work for the sake of it, unless it’s something that I feel very confident it is worth it.

• Leonn Ward is represented by Black Dog Films. Check out her showreel here. And Leonn is the guest on director Meji Alabi's podcast Real Talk, live at 7pm GMT today, April 26th.