Fir Trees, Farmlands & Sea

Today, I drove back to Smögen. On the drive home I stopped off at IKEA for some art inspiration, and then I went to Naturkompaniet to research camping and outdoor gear. I used to love camping and hiking as a young teen. I spent a few weekends camping in Wales; living in a tent with my school friends, and spent my days canoeing, swimming in the Welsh lakes, jumping off rocks, and grilling dinner by the fire. These are some of my best memories from childhood. So while I was at the store I bought my first grill set to start simple. I think when the weather gets warmer I'll car camp by a lake here in Sweden. The thought brings me peace.

Here come some pictures...

The art section of IKEA is my favourite section ♥︎

Inspiration ♥︎
I bought a Primus!
Back on the road & dreaming of adventures

After my shopping trip, I took a detour. I just saw a road and thought to myself, "I wonder what is down there?" I had nowhere to be and no responsibilities except to make it home safely. I am a curious person at heart, and love to feel guided down little paths in life. Anyway, I ended up driving down a dirt road for about 10 minutes until I reached an old barn, a beautiful lake and tall rocky "mountains" (if you can call it that). I desperately wanted to fly my drone but the land felt private. Some barns were abandoned and looked a bit spooky. I suddenly felt like I was trespassing. I took some quick pictures and retraced my steps home. It was a beautiful drive, and once I was closer to familiar territory, I jumped out the car and flew my drone a little bit. This is one of my favourite spots on the drive home. I don't know what makes it special to me. It's just the feeling I get when I drive by this place. Farm lands, sea water, inlets, rocky mountains, cows, horses, and a little red house. I'm sure I was a Viking farmer in my past life.

Creepy and beautiful
Nature took over
Flying home
Hello ♥︎
The land of my ancestors ♥︎
Stuck! Had to reverse onto a fast country road eeeek

Reconciliation

I spent a few days staying with Mum at her sister's house looking after her dog, Elton. He was the perfect emotional support during this time of reconnection and reconciliation. We spent our days walking, talking, and enjoying some wonderful meals at the local restaurant where Mum and I used to go when I was a kid. The restaurant is called Blomstermåla, and it used to be an old train station. It's a beautiful and quaint looking building.

Anyway, here come some pictures from my visit.

Speak soon,

Annika

Wiiiiii
Fun fact: the old King of Sweden used to summer on this island
Elton loves sticks and water
Nice and cozy
Those eyes
Dogs know love
<3
Happy
Celebrating A Fresh Start in Our Relationship
Enjoying the local pub food. Mussels!
RIP Chester 2015 - Our old family dog
I can sleep with peace in my heart again. The power of forgiveness

Everything Was So Still

Now I'm in Särö. I woke up to a stillness in the air. A stark contrast from the island storm I escaped. The sea water was like a glass mirror. It was peaceful and mesmerising to watch. The swans were gliding across the water in an elegant and graceful fashion.

Island Storm

The wind is howling and the stormy seas are rought. I'm concerned the glass windows are going to implode. I have never experienced such a storm. This morning I woke up to one bin rolling in the driveway, and the other toppled over in the garden. Trash everywhere! Thank god I was up at 7am to clean it up. My neighbour, Christina, peeking out the window. Oh dear!

Today is a big day because I planned to see my Mum. I haven't seen her in years. After a difficult past, I decided to put the past behind me and open my heart again. I was worried about driving across the bridge in case the car blew off haha I was determined to meet her so I made it to the mainland and drove south towards Särö. Another island on the west coast of Sweden. This is a very special place because it's where I grew up as a child. I was living in a cute little house on an inlet with Mum and Dad.

On the drive down, I spotted some beautiful horses. The landscape is very different from the island. Less rock, more your stereotypical Sweden landscape with fir trees and fjords.

Here come some pictures of the storm and my drive south.

Heart in the storm
The mainland

Around The House & A Little Chat

Today I spent the day pottering around the house. Here is a closer look into my every day life here on the island. At the end of the video I talk about authenticity, emotional health, and my intentions with YouTube. I hope it gives you a better insight into my values, thoughts & personality.

A clean and grainy bedroom
I made this two summers ago. I love making art from the nature here
One of my first island art pieces
Painted a seagull on some drift wood. I was 12 years old when I made this
Organising my jewelry
Enjoying my favourite childhood sandwich. Polar bread with butter and cheese

A Hard Day

Yesterday, was a challenging day emotionally. I didn't feel inspired to write, nor did I want to affect your mood through my negativity. I suppose that's how I process negative emotions, I just disconnect from the outer world and go within. And in that I find comfort, that I can nest within myself and self-soothe. I think it's powerful when you can seek comfort and reassurance within yourself. But it's also powerful to lean on other human beings and be seen. Emotions just want to be acknowledge but I have learned to find a balance between leaning on friends and leaning on myself. It all depends on the day, mood, situation. It's delicate dance really.

Yesterday, I slept pretty late and it was a cloudy misty day all day, as today. So it's not ideal photography weather. But to experience this mist is quite, well, mystical. I love the different weather conditions you can experience on this island. How it's ever changing and shifting in every micro moment. This island just feels so alive because of it's connection to the sea. I woke up today and came across a Nordic shamanic song on YouTube all about water. And it made me think how powerful water is for cleansing, healing, and nurturing all living things on this planet. Can you imagine no water on this planet? It's a scary thought. Something that we take for granted is vital to our existence.

Anyway, just some morning thoughts as I now write my to do list for the day. I always find having a to-do list centers me for the day and helps me focus on what is most important in the present moment. It's easy to get overwhelmed by a long list. And now that I have moved to Sweden, there is a lot of administrative things to take care of like organising car insurance, my european health card, getting a Swedish phone number, following up with the tax authorities to ensure I'm registered as a resident of Sweden, and much more! It's fun but boring at the same time haha I just want the sun to burst through the clouds and the mist to disappear so I can run on the rocks and capture all the beauty that is here with my camera and drone. That time will come, and when it does, I will be ready.

I think today will be mostly spent at my computer and on the phone taking care of business, and doing some things around the house: laundry and cleaning. As much as it's misty outside and not exactly photography weather, I will definitely go outside and be one with the magic of nature. There is something magical about this island and something mysterious about the mist. I like to go into it for some reason. When I was a child my Dad would tell me that it's spirits. We would drive in the dark and see the mist in the headlights. As a child I would think "Oh no, aren't we hurting the spirits driving into them?" How wonderful the world is through the child's eyes. I never want to lose that childlike wonder.

Baby Annika ♥︎
Jag och Pappa i England ♥︎
Dad and I at Disneyland Cailfornia
Happiest in nature ♥︎
♥︎

This island feels like a different dimension when I drive across the bridge. Almost like the Bifrost bridge haha Anyway, I hope you have a wonderful and child-like wondering day. I will take some pictures and film a little bit here and there today.

Speak soon ♥︎

A New Week & Reconnection

Good evening to you!

I see some new faces here already, which is very exciting. Välkommen!

I hope you have had a positive start to the week. I sit here just about to finish my tea and get ready for sleep. It's 10:42pm and I'm trying really hard to get into bed earlier so I can wake up with the light. It's getting lighter every day now. The sun rises 20 minutes earlier than it did when I arrived 3 weeks ago. It's fascinating when you really think about it. I feel like it's the climb toward the top of the mountain, and when we are at the top it's light all day, both outside us and within us. It's important to not underestimate the power of the dark nights. How I've missed the darkness. I recently came across the phrase "winter baby" and that's exactly how I feel. I'm loving the soul hibernation and the reconnection to self. In honor of this emotional and internal transformation, I created a short film to celebrate this moment in my life.

Reconnection ꨄ

I deliberately made the opacity low on myself because at the end you will see how I am "complete." And that is communicated through 100% opacity. It was fun playing around with visual communication using film and music. I think art and storytelling are such powerful ways to heal self and others.

When we are not in alignment with our true selves, I feel like we are like wandering ghosts seeking for the light, hence the low opacity. In this time of transition we are restless and often look for the answers outside of us. But I have learned that we really do have the answers within, if we are willing to listen and face our fears.

All I can do is send you healing light. I recently did yoga and the instructor said, "I recognise the light in myself and others." I think that's beautiful and so true. I have heard this before in yoga classes but never fully understood what it meant on a deeper level.

You can read more about this video in the description box on YouTube. I hope you like it ꨄ

I Couldn't Help Myself

I know I said I wasn't going to be online this weekend but I can't help but sign on to share the beauty on this island. Yesterday, was such a beautiful sunset, I simply had to capture it on camera and share with you. And so I jumped on inspiration and took these pictures. I'm so glad I did because today on Sunday it has been raining all day.

Beautiful Smögen

The weather is getting warmer and I can feel the spring coming now. All the snow has melted on the island. I feel inspired to create a little spring film, which I will post on YouTube. I see a lot of season related content on YouTube, but there is beauty in the in-between. Beauty in the space that is not quite winter and not quite spring. I think this in-between can reflect our inner emotional experience, such as when we are letting go of fear, pain, and suffering, yet we are nearly at the light in our life.

I personally feel like I'm in that transition phase because I feel more inspired, connected, and clear about what I want in life. Yet, I also feel some energetic heaviness in my body, especially in my muscles. This weekend I did yoga to release this old stagnant energy that is no longer serving me. It helped a great deal, but there is still some lingering energy that needs to be acknowledged. Next week there is a full moon, which is a perfect opportunity to burn some old energy that I no longer need in my life.

Here are some photos I took yesterday from the house. I just had to go outside the back door to witness nature's orchestra. Enjoy the rest of your weekend and speak to you soon.

Sending you lots of healing magic from this island ꨄ

Goodnight ꨄ

Who You Are is Revealed To You When You...

...get close to what you love!

Whenever self doubt creeps in, I listen to this Ted Talk by Ethan Hawke. "To express yourself, first you have to know yourself.” And to know yourself, allow yourself to get close to what you love. To me this is nature. I have consistently loved nature and animals since I was a child. As I get closer to nature and the things I loved as a child, I am filled with the desire to create. And through that process, I embrace everything I am. I fall in love with myself and as a result, I create art that is authentic to my true self, and express myself as an artist. I hope this little blog speaks to your heart and inspires you in some way.

The most inspiring 10 minutes of my life
Little me happiest in nature
Nothing has changed

The Moment of Clarity

In January 2024, I created this video but felt too shy to share on YouTube. In this video I am filled with a mixture of emotions about my decision to move to Sweden.

In this video, I share a life changing decision and an important life lesson: it's not selfish to put your happiness first. Your life is now and you deserve to live it for YOU. I used to feel I was selfish for putting my happiness first, and some people might think I'm selfish by making this decision, but that's okay. Staying true to myself by following my heart is the best gift I can give myself. It's one of the most important things you can do for your own wellbeing. And for others! How can you take care of the things and people you care about if you are drained? You can't fill from an empty cup. I hope I inspire you to start putting your needs, feelings, wants and desires first. You deserve it 🙂

I knew I needed to go to Sweden. It had been my dream to buy a house close to roots. And the dream felt more real and reachable since I received an early inheritance in 2022. A gift from my Dad. The only person standing in the way of having my dream was myself. Who knows what the future will bring, but this is what I need to do now in this phase of my life.

I finally feel that I need to root and reconnect to my true self before I can make any other life decisions. As I mentioned, I've been longing to return to my Swedish heritage and experience living close to nature. Why nature? It's the place where I feel fully connected with myself. I'm not running away from problems or life. I'm running toward myself with my heart and arms open. It's a journey of self-love and self-discovery. And I think anyone who chooses to embark on this journey has the heart of a wolf.

I hope to give you more information in a future video. This video felt a bit scrambled with all the emotions I was still processing at the time. When I filmed this, the feelings were so fresh that I struggled to find the words. That's usually how I am when I'm still processing my emotions. But I'm trying to be as authentic and human as possible, as scary as it is on Youtube. On a positive note, I'm very excited to share what lies ahead on my journey to authenticity and creativity. I hope you will enjoy watching my story unfold. And that you are left feeling inspired to create, reconnect to your true self, and feel courageous enough to make that life changing decision. Here's your sign, sweet friend.

Let me know in the comments what you dream about in your life, both short term and long term. I strongly believe that when you share your dreams with the world, you are owning what you want in life. And communicating that to the Universe has a powerful manifestation effect. But you have to really believe it with your whole heart. And if you are feeling a bit scared, know that I believe in you! ꨄ