Can you tell us what has been your biggest learning/realization in life so far?
First thing that comes to mind: My biggest realization in life so far is that I have the opportunity to learn something (new) every day and that I am very privileged where I live.
On the other hand, There are also many things I „learned“ that im now trying to „unlearn“:
- As a teenager for example, I learnt how „women“ should behave and look in order to be accepted by the society (often in relation to „men“).I deliberately use inverted commas to illustrate how absurd this is and also to show that I did not have the capacity to think further than „women“ and „men“.
- I also learned i have to earn a certain amount of money in order to have „security“ and a „good life“. Or that it’s important what people think of me and all this nonsense.
Long story short: I`m constantly learning and also still learning to unlearn and deconstruct. I am still learning to look beyond the end of my nose, to question beliefs and to think critically, to sit with it even if it's unpleasant, to stand up for people and for myself. Our environment is on the brink - we have to realize that it’s now up to us to put the things right that we have destroyed. We have to start making responsible choices today!
As cliché as it may sound, everything has the power to be my teacher. I never want to stop learning.
What is your personal ikigai? The Japanese meaning for the reason you get out of bed in the morning or your sense of life.
„life itself gets me out of bed in the morning“ sums it up for me. Sometimes it’s the golden light outside, sometimes it’s my bladder, other times it’s the loveliest cat begging for food or the delicious smell of coffee or just the alarm clock. For me, it's the little things in life that count.
strong, sensitive and independent. How do these words resonate with you?
The older I get, the more I realize how strong so many people are! Each of them with their own story, each of them swimming in the same pond called life.
There are so many different conditions and horrible things are happening in this world.
Countless injustices and inequalities! Sometimes I wonder how some people manage to cope with all of this! On the other hand I also wonder how some people can be so ignorant and egoistic despite it all.
Sometimes I'm ignorant myself, for example, when I close my eyes to the terrible things that are happening all over the world. I think it's my duty as a privileged person to stand up for people and raise my voice to advocate for equality and freedom for all living beings. I want to be aware of my privileges and take responsibility.
It is important for me to be empathetic and sensitive towards people and all living beings in general, to listen to each other and treat each other with respect, and last but not least to be honest and sensitive towards myself.
I have zero tolerance for discrimination based on gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, skin color, appearance, disability, economic status, migrant status or better said I have zero tolerance for discrimination at all. I also have zero tolerance for violence of any kind, that’s where my empathy stops.
Independence is a big word! I don't know anything or anyone who is completely free of dependencies. For me it is more "as independent as possible" or even better perhaps "consciously dependent".
what meaning does fashion have in your life?
Somehow totally unnecessary nonsense and yet important!
It used to be so important to me how I look and what clothes I wear to make me look good, sexy, etc.
I didn't think for a single second about the fact that maybe children made my clothes, or that rivers are being polluted by chemicals, or how much micro-plastic eventually ends up in the ocean. I also find fashion decadent: Only privileged people can think about things like that. How many people freeze? Don’t have warm shoes or a warm jacket? They have have real problems and don't ask themselves if they should buy the new Gucci bag.
I don't want to say that I don't care about how I look these days. Of course I want to wear clothes that I like.
What I want to say is that it is much more important to me today that I wear something that was produced fairly and does not harm the environment. I want to be sure that the people who made my clothes are paid fairly! I want to wear something of high quality, something timeless and something that lasts.
If I shop second hand or buy clothes from a sustainable brands, I can justify that.
you live in a house together with your boyfriend and 3 more dudes. I know you grow a lot of your own veggies and you also like to do funny projects together, like recording atmospheric sound etc.
Tell us, how is it living like this?
It is extremely fun! Everyone has their own speciality. One takes care of the garden, another one does the maintenance around the house and repairs things, others cook and keep the house in a good shape. But in the end, everyone does a bit of everything. We have a good conversation culture at home and share everyday life together. But sometimes, of course, there are moments when you get annoyed and think: do I have to do all the work alone or what's up? But I think that happens automatically when several people live together. In the end, we always find a solution that suits everyone.
In addition, we do a lot of cool stuff together. For example, we founded Empty Space - an artistic platform. So visit www.empty-space.bandcamp.com and www.soundcloud.com/empty_space. I was finally able to come up with a pseudonym for myself, under which makes it easier for me to publish stuff.
I don't want to reveal more, so that everything remains a bit mysterious. So far, our online presence is still very modest, but we have many projects in the starting shoes.
your favorite quote or poem:
at the crescent moon
the silence
enters the heart.
- Chiyo-ni