Where do you live?

I live in Bohuslän. It's Sweden's westernmost province. Bohuslän is located in Götaland, on the northernmost part of the country's west coast. It is bordered by Dalsland to the northeast, Västergötland to the southeast, the Skagerrak arm of the North Sea to the west, and the county of Østfold, in Norway, to the north.

Bohuslän is a gem on the idyllic west coast of Sweden. It stretches along the west coast of Sweden from Gothenburg to the Norwegian border. Bohuslän is a seaside paradise celebrated for its seafood delicacies, cultural heritage and numerous outdoor activities.

Bohuslän boasts an extensive archipelago studded with over 8,000 islands and skerries. The coastline is famed for its smooth rock formation and picturesque fishing villages dotted with red boathouses. But there are also forests, meadows, wetlands and lush nature reserves to discover, including Kosterhavet National Park’s marine nature reserve – the first of its kind and one of the hidden gems of Sweden.

To me, it's simply - heaven.

What is your connection to Sweden?

My father is Swedish, I spent many years of my childhood here. I have happy childhood memories playing in nature, painting, baking, celebrating Midsummer, and singing Santa Lucia and Lusse Lelle at school. I grew up on the west coast of Sweden outside Gothenburg. I love the west coast culture, the seafood, and the diverse natural landscape from Halland to Bohuslän. Many of my family today and in past generations have lived in and around Gothenburg.

I have family on both my Mum and Dad's side who live in and around Gothenburg. Gothenburg is my favourite city. It's calm and quaint. That's easy to say comparing it to the many years I spent living in busy London. What a wonderful change of pace.

Why did you decide to move to a small island in the north sea?

Since my parents divorced in 2001, I have spent 4 weeks every summer on the island of Smögen visiting my Dad. I spent my summers swimming, fishing, grilling, playing the guitar with my Dad, biking around with my cousins, admiring the magical sunsets, and starry night skies. I have not lived in Sweden since I was 10 years old, but the love and connection remained strong in my heart throughout my adult years.

Summering in Smögen was what I looked forward to the most each school year since I was 12 years old. I really looked forward to running across the rocks barefoot and feeling the wind in my hair.

Four months after moving to Sweden in 2024, I bought a house! Smögen has become very built up over the years. I craved even more nature and quiet, especially during the Summer since Smögen is a very popular summer destination. But because Smögen is a big source of inspiration for my art, I wanted to stay close to my roots. So I bought an old farmhouse ten minutes from the island. Now I have the best of both worlds! Farm and Sea! I feel so blessed.

When did you decide to pursue entrepreneurship as an artist?

It started when I was very young, but inner child healing got me back to my creative spirit. I remember one summer when I was 14 years old, I knew I wanted to be a local artist and live on the island. But shortly after came a lot of external pressures, doubts, and expectations that got in the way of my dream. I have dabbled in art throughout the years outside of my “proper jobs,” but now I realise life is too short. I’m going for it! Art is in my heart.

When I was 34 years old, I felt burnt out. I had recently left my steady London-based job, bought my first professional camera, and decided I wanted to pursue nature photography. I had found my medium but I lacked inspiration. I was at a creative stand-still. I felt like I was forcing inspiration, which every artist knows is impossible. As soon as I returned to the island, the inspiration flowed in incredibly fast. Woosh! This showed me how important location is for my art. I need to have an emotional connection to the place.

Do you consider yourself Swedish?

Yes, I feel Swedish, I look Swedish, I sound Swedish (despite getting stuck on the odd words and grammar), my family and ancestors are Swedish. I also feel English since I spent many years there and my Mum and her family is from the Northeast of England.

What is your heritage?

I was born in California, raised in Sweden and England. My Dad is Swedish and my Mum is English with Scottish, Irish and Norwegian descent.

So I’m lucky to have both heritages. But Sweden is where I want to lay my roots. It’s where I feel I belong, it’s home, and in some strange way, I feel like my ancestors are welcoming me home again. There was a large Scandinavian influence in the Northeast of England after the Viking era, so now I embrace my Nordic family history and culture to gain a sense of belonging and identity.

What does the blog mean to you?

Right now, healing powers! By “healing” I mean growing into my authentic self. To me authenticity is building a life aligned with my true self: my true talents, my true essence, my true state of being, my worthiness.

My blog allows me to be creative through expressing myself, and my love for this area. Being creative is my path to authenticity, so this blog means everything to me. It helps me be, me! Then I also want to express the magic I feel in this part of the world, and the lifestyle that comes with rural living on the Swedish west coast. Hopefully with time, this blog will bring me an income so I can continue doing what I love, in the place that I love. Where I feel most at home and at peace with myself.

Why did you decide to blog?

With blogging I feel I have a little safe space on the internet where I can express myself, free from comparing myself to others on social media. Of course, I need to be present there to market my blog and artwork, but it’s not my “digital home.” I wanted my blog to be a diary of this phase of my life.

Many people don't realise that Instagram and Facebook could shut down, and then all the media dies with it! I doubt those platforms are going anywhere, but it still feels good to know that I own my online content by having my own self-hosted blog space.

I also find the blogs are like a breath of fresh air these days. Everything feels like a traffic jam on Instagram. It’s so congested and over-stimulating that I get what I call “inspiration fatigue.” And in a strange way, I feel like I lose my authentic voice there because imposter syndrome kicks in. So my blog is like a little slice of heaven, for me. And hopefully, for others too.

And lastly, I wanted to share my story of growing into my authenticity. I think the world needs more stories to help readers find who they are, and inspire them to be their true selves in the world. A lot of people in today’s modern world don’t know who they are. Writing today is still as important as it was 2000 years ago. So I hope my words inspire people to reconnect to their authentic selves through following their everyday joys in life. I truly believe that when you do more of what you love, who you are is revealed to you. So I hope my art and words inspire many around the world to embrace their creativity and authenticity.