Another day with...Lindsey Shaw

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It’s been a busy year for our veteran cover girl, Lindsey Shaw. Between her role as Paige McCullers on ABC Family’s "Pretty Little Liars," working on a number of different film projects, and starring as the lead in a feature film set for theatrical release in January, you’d think the 22 year-old’s herculean schedule would take its toll. Her infectious smile, free-spirited nature, and impetuous outbursts of merriment prove otherwise, and after only a few moments of conversation, you feel as if you’ve known her for years. Zooey sat down with the doe-eyed beauty to get a quick glimpse into her daily life.

Dogs are a HUGE part of my life. I never thought they would be because I never had a pet growing up. I have two; Gypsy, the Dachshund, and now Lincoln, a little Brindle Chihuahua mix who I just rescued from the pound. I was never into dressing dogs, but Lincoln is small enough to wear anything. I didn’t understand people [who dressed their dogs] until I had a dog small enough to fit little clothes. It’s adorable.

Going to the dog park with my dogs is the most calming, serene thing. It’s like going to a little sanctuary. Parks remind me of being a kid; getting on the swings or playing with your dog. Nothing else seems that important.

Whenever I set New Year’s resolutions, it’s literally a setup for failure. There is no cut and dry ‘this is going to stop, I’m going to do this.' Your life is new every single day. What could be good for you one day could be [bad] for you the next. I feel like stating a resolution is not allowing for the evolution that every single day brings you. My New Year’s resolution is just to be better. Be better to myself, better to everyone around me, be better to the planet. To try and figure out even more why I’m here. To be more in tune with the situations around me, and make better decisions in those moments.

I’ve been reading a lot of Nietzsche; Beyond Good and Evil, Ishmael [by Daniel Quinn]. I love philosophy and spirituality. I read a spiritual teacher named Osho, and Ken Wilber. I feel like I need to read more fiction. I recently read Pride and Prejudice for the first time. The way she speaks; that’s how I wish we still spoke. It’s just so beautiful and eloquent.

People are going to be a little appalled at this, but I actually prefer silence to music a lot of the time. Music was never big for me as a child, so I feel like I’m a little behind the game. I listen to random songs and snippets. I listen to different stuff all the time. It evolves every day. One of my go to [artists] is Ray LaMontagne. I really like Ratatat, it’s very melodic. I’ve been listening to a lot of Lupe Fiasco. Rihanna when I want to get into a good mood. When I was working on set in Calgary, it got lonely, especially when I’d finish in the middle of the day and everyone else was still working. I’d always go back [to my hotel room], blast Ne-yo just to dance around and let it all out. I have certain comfort songs I go back to. I love rap music. Jay-z, Kanye, a little Wynter Gordon, I love Lupe. Pretty much, I like radio beats! I don’t have an iPod adapter in my car. I either old school CD it, or turn on the radio. A lot of people say my music taste is really crappy, but those are the frequencies that make me really happy.

My greatest TV nights are Monday and Tuesday, when Gossip Girl and 90210 are on. Those are the two best nights of TV for me. I always know that they taped, and I can’t wait to watch them. Those are my guiltiest, most awesome [shows]. [Also] The Office, Tosh.0, Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars.

Favorite procrastination pastime: Facebook, and before Facebook dorky computer games like Solitaire and FreeCell.

Guilty pleasures: Gossip Girl, 90210 and [reality shows like] The Kardashians and 16 & Pregnant. To get a little deep on something that’s not all, Nietzsche, one of my favorite philosophers, once said that people crave the superficial because everything else is so deep and has such an emotional root.[Watching TV] is almost like a meditation, because your mind doesn’t work overtime, scheming or manipulating or anything like that. I used to condemn reality TV, but there is a [time and] place for it.

I am obsessed with crazy high shoes. I actually start with the shoe when I’m picking out my outfit for the day. I’m tall so I thought I could never wear high shoes, but high heels were made for tall people! You feel so powerful. Every time you put on a pair of heels everybody notices you and picks up on that. You never feel sexier. When somebody gives you a catcall, you’re like “Yeah! Thank you! I’m not offended! That’s what I wear these for!”

I can’t live without anything that’s alive. My doggies. They are my babies; my little loves. Also my boyfriend. He is amazing. I love him and I love my dogs. Those are the living things in my apartment, and I take so much strength and energy from them. I couldn’t live without that energy. I should get a plant or something so I don’t have to be so dependent on dogs and people!

My nightly routine doesn’t start until I take the dogs out for the last time. Unless the [boyfriend] is over and we’re having our time, I come back in and immediately change into sweats and socks. I brush with my awesome, fancy electronic toothbrush, put my hair up and hop on the couch to watch my last show of the night. When I crawl into bed, I always have to read something [in order to fall asleep] and decompress.

Mornings suck! I am not in bed until the wee hours of the morning. I feel like I get a second wind at 9PM. When I’m actually productive in the mornings, it feels good. I like being out on the road at 8AM, on weekends. But for the most part, I’m definitely a night owl.

I let out a lot of awkward screams and sounds, which is not always very correct, but it’s like releasing energy. I do it in my car all the time.

I hate the gym. It smells like sweat, people are upset. It feels more like a shame thing than physical fitness. I never feel uplifted when I walk into a gym. I cancelled that membership. I love taking long walks with my dogs around the neighborhood. I do some hiking, roller blading, laser-tagging, ice skating. I like my activities to be fun. There’s no regime.

Home is a feeling. Its sense of safety and security. Growing up in Lincoln, Nebraska feels like a lifetime ago. My values were cultivated in the Midwest, but whenever I fly into LA, I feel safe. Even though it’s crazy and you want to scream all the time, I’m appreciative for everything I’ve learned here. This is such a cultural mecca. After almost 11 year here, I think I’m finally getting into the groove of things.

I used to think I had a superb sense of direction. In New York, I was like a grid. I figured if you can find your way around New York, you can find your way around anywhere. I then went to every other place I’ve ever been, and discovered that I have absolutely no sense of direction. Even [in LA], going to places that I’ve already been, I flip out if my phone loses battery.

I didn’t realize what an asset femininity was for a long time. I didn’t realize that power comes not in trying to match a man, but [embracing] the gentle counterpart to that. Getting dolled up is as much for you and evoking that womanly charm within yourself as it is for anyone else. I’ve just recently started to wear pretty makeup even if I’m only going to the dog park, or putting heels on to go have lunch. It’s nice to get dressed up some days. It’s the little touches. On nights when I probably should get more dolled up, I don’t. It’s in those moments when I really feel it, when I need a boost, I need to feel pretty and I need to remember that I don’t always have to conform to society’s view of “competence." You can wear your heels and still get your job done. You can conquer the world, but you can also do it in stilettos.

Credits Photographer: Derek Wood Fashion Director: Lyndzi Trang Hair/Makeup: Niko Wardrobe: Lindsey's own Assistants: Ashley Symone Lee and Tiffany David

Interview by Ashley Symone Lee Special thanks to Patch Cutler for usage of her beautiful home!