Margot Bowman is not only in lockdown - she's stranded. She lives in New York, but she's been stuck in London for weeks. 

An illustrator and creative director for a number of publications and brands, including Boiler Room, her breakthough as a filmmaker came with her lo-fi animated film Common Misconceptions, which highlighted men’s attitudes towards women in club environments. She is now a director at Prettybird, and has made a stir with music videos for the likes of Shygirl, Amun and just recently, Syv De Blare.  

What were you working on before the lockdown?
A short film about two young women navigating their sexuality whilst learning to swim over a New York summer.

What are you working on now?
A whole new world...

What I understood as 'my life' has totally changed in the last month.

What's the most surprising, or least predictable thing, that's happened to you during quarantine?
I came to London for two weeks at the start of March for work. The travel ban on flights from the UK to the US means I've been here nearly two months.

What's the favourite part of your daily routine?
Meditating and Facetiming my friends all over the world.

Are things getting harder/better/staying the same?
It's day-by-day. I know we're an adaptable species but sometimes the enormity of it hits.

What have you learned about yourself during quarantine?
I need less than I thought.

Best meal you have eaten/are regularly cooking?
Whole roast cauliflower - simple, unexpected, visually iconic : )

Best thing you’ve watched, or heard, while on lockdown, and why? And the worst...?
It was a huge honour to have adrienne maree brown in the doc I directed about Motown last year. I love her voice and perspective. She wrote Sabbatical Your Quarantine a couple of weeks ago which gave me a lot of peace at the start of this.

I also love the new Yeaji album What We Drew. It's a reminder of the creativity and originality that we will have within us. New ideas are what we need right now and this album is full of them.

How's your Work/Life balance at the moment?
What I understood as 'my life' has totally changed in the last month - going out is off the table and I'm about 3,500 miles away from my friends, my community, my belongings.

My 'work' was always a part of and informed by my 'life'. With so much change I'm in a place where I'm re-evaluating what those words even mean - what gives them value and what motivates my actions in them.

• Margot Bowman makes films through Prettybird, and represented in the UK by Hands London. Check out her work here.