Annika Alexandra

February 17, 2024October 23, 2024

Spring Feelings

God Moron kära vän! That's Swedish, for good morning my lovely friend ꨄ

Today I woke up with energy because there is not a cloud in sight. All the snow has melted and today I feel a taste of Spring in the air.

I sit here on the floor by the coffee table with a second cup of morning coffee. It's so comforting with a coffee, but I want to try and drink more tea again. I spent just over a year living in Naples, Italy from October 2020 to December 2021, and since then I drink more coffee haha I just love the Italian coffee culture and I want to keep this positive energy in my life through drinking the coffee. I never used to drink coffee really, just a small espresso after lunch. I will get back to this healthier coffee routine now. I think it is my way of keeping the happy Italy memory alive.

Today the sun is shining after days of snow and rain. I have loved the grey weather as it's always an invitation for me to go within and reflect on my life journey. I am a very emotional and introspective person in case you haven't noticed hehe The past days I have been soothed to sleep not from fake rain sounds on YouTube or my sleep app, but real rain! That is always the best.

I was planning on catching up on some personal admin work today but the weather is just too nice. I will go out for a walk and take some photos to share with you. I won't film so much because I feel I already have enough footage to catchup on and I don't want to burn myself out too soon. There's going to be plenty of opportunities to share this beautiful place with you.

This weekend I think I will take some time to myself to enjoy the sun, catchup on boring admin tasks in the evenings, and create a plan and budget for the next 6 months. I feel this weekend I need a reset of my body, mind and soul so I will do some yoga, release tension that I have in my upper body through restorative and trauma-informed yoga practices, and just breathe in all this fresh air. I want to allow myself to just be, and avoid the screen as I have experienced multiple headaches these past 2 weeks.

This rest from producing is something I intuitively feel I need right now. So with that said, I will step away from the screen for 2 days. I wish you all a beautiful weekend and hope you also feel inspired to reset and refresh this weekend. Take care of your body, think happy thoughts, and accept everything you are and feel. One day at a time!

Sending you lots of love and spring sunlight from this magical island! Speak to you on Monday! Happy weekend ꨄ

Annika

February 16, 2024October 23, 2024

So Much To Look Forward To

Hi Friends!

I am at a cozy coffee shop on the mainland and enjoying a delicious fika. I'm going to spend some hours now editing footage and photos from yesterday's adventure.

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I drove to Varberg yesterday to look at a car I was interested in buying. It was a long day at the dealership. I was so happy I worked with such a genuine and helpful person, Claes. I was so relieved to hear that they had a Hertz drop off center in Varberg, so I didn't have to drive back to Landvetter to return the rental car! The whole day went so smoothly until it came to the payment. I have a Swedish bank account from when I was a child but because I haven't lived in Sweden since 1999, my bank account was so old fashioned that I needed a cheque book to make the payment for the car. Today, Sweden is a cashless society and of course cheque books aren't common anymore. So I was stuck with old restrictions on my account and had no way to use the money. At this point I was stuck in Varberg and had already returned the rental car.

Today I went to the bank, and as you can imagine, I was very frustrated to learn I don't have access to the money unless I had this old cheque book from the 1990s! I had to submit a request to remove this old account, which would take 6 months!

I am so grateful to my Dad who loaned me the money to buy the car. So now I have my car that I will spend a long time with. As long as possible. I will take good care of it and already see it as part of the dream I am building here. I envision many photography and camping trips in my new SUV. I think my future dog will also like the car. It's a nice size and will fit both of us on long drives to beautiful nature and national parks, forests and lakes. I am so excited to drive North when the snow melts. I want to see the reindeers run free, see the milky way for the first time in my life, and feel spellbound by the Northern lights in the autumn. There is so much to look forward to now and I feel a whole door has opened now that I have allowed myself to dream again.

The lifestyle I want to live now means I really need a car to get around. Gone are the days where I had the convenience of London public transport and stuck in horrible city traffic. Here's to me, nature, and the open road, with my new car who I named, Snowflake.

Here's a little video blog from my day trip to Varberg! The day ended with celebrating with sushi before a very dark and rainy 3 hour drive up the West Coast to Smögen.

My Swedish grandfather worked for Volvo marketing his entire life, so I feel like honouring him in way through investing in a Volvo car.

*Admiring the beautiful artwork in the office*

*Celebratory sushi before driving 4 hours home*

Love,

Annika & Snowflake

February 15, 2024November 3, 2024

Healing With The Sun

Good morning beautiful souls!

Here's some inspiration to start your day with sun salutations. I hope this video it gives you inspiration to awaken and reconnect with your heart. The most powerful way to do this is in nature. Especially in the much larger natural surroundings like on open forest or field, or looking out at the vastness of the water.

This feeling of doing sun salutations in minus conditions instead of the comfort of a warm room was truly magical. I filmed this at sunset, but mornings are a wonderful time to set positive intentions. How you spend your day is how you spend your life after all. Being outside showing gratitude for the sun infused me with a sense of inner awakening, which to me is another way of feeling the goosebumps of the present moment and lovingly accepting the truth of everything that is within me and around me. Why is this even important? I think self-awareness and self-compassion is the answer to a lot of struggles we face as human beings on this planet. And nature can help us grow in this way.

Now I will drive 3 hours to Varberg, to take a look at a car I would like to own. The snow has melted so it will be safer to drive now.

I hope this video inspires you to get outside, to feel alive again, and reconnect with your heart and soul. Much love and light to you from Sweden ꨄ

“There are two wolves battling inside of you, one is fear and one is love. The wolf that survives depends on which you decide to feed.” ~Jaden Wilkes

February 14, 2024November 30, 2024

Nordic Winter Island

Hello dear friend!

Now it's 22:43 and I feel grumpy and tired. This is usually how I am when I lose my routine or don't get outside. I have spent most of my day glued to my laptop editing my latest vlog where I documented my first self portrait shoot in nature. I love editing but it takes a long time. I also created some little reels and played around with some music video ideas and visual poetry, which I really love! I love communicating visually without explanation or talking. It leaves people to interpret the art themselves. And that's why I find art very healing.

I feel like a whole world of creativity and inner expression is opening up just by creating and being here. I love it! Anyway, here is the vlog from yesterday. I hope you enjoy it and I will speak to you tomorrow. I need to get my rest now because I have a long drive to Gothenburg tomorrow to drop off the rental car and maybe buy a car! I will drive to Varberg and then drop off the rental at Landvetter Airport. It's going to be a looooong day.

Sleep tight my sweet friend. Puss ꨄ

I also have a Youtube channel where you can follow my story through videos

February 13, 2024November 3, 2024

My First Self Portrait Photoshoot

Hello friends!

I sit here with my salt rock lamp glowing from the candle light and a big plate of pasta in front of me. I felt inspired to write because dinner time is a nice time to socialise and share the events of the day. So I thought I would welcome you to dinner with me, and invite you to share some moments from your day in the comments.

Today I spent most of the time preparing for a self-portrait photo project. I brainstormed some themes close to my heart, journaled about my personal experience, and explored ways to communicate my inner world through visual poetry. For years now, I have been drawn to self-portrait photography, before I even knew the name for it. And today was the first time I tried it out. It was love! I had so much fun despite me freezing in my dress. Snow everywhere and icicle falling from the sky into my tea. It was all perfect and part of the magical experience of photographing in nature. You become one with it somehow. It's an amazing experience. A put together little video blog that you can watch at the end.

I've always been drawn to the human connection to the much bigger natural world. More so from an environmental conservation perspective. I also believe that nature aids our emotional wellbeing. Being back to my roots and living close to nature helps me feel emotionally safe again. I don't have any outside influence, just me, the wind, the silence. It's the safest I have felt in a long time.

*Can you spot Bohuslän's Väderöarnas in the distance? It means The Weather Islands in Swedish*

I understand now that I accept myself as I am. I think I struggle sometimes when I surround myself with people who don't accept themselves, because they project their insecurities onto me, and then I start to doubt myself. I think it's all very subconscious on both parts. I have learned these past years that being self-aware really helps me to understand what is my energy and what is someone else's energy. If I am not self-aware, I risk taking on too much of other people's energy, and that leaves me feeling disconnected from myself. If it goes too far, my emotional wellbeing suffers, and then my physical wellbeing suffers. But being here alone in nature, on this island doesn't affect me in that way. I feel more connected to myself than I have in years. Some people might think I'm running away from the world and my problems, but that is not what I'm doing. I'm reconnecting with myself again. I have made the conscious choice to not run away but to move toward myself again. Back to my heart. Back to myself. Through that I hope to foster healthier relationships with people. Because deep down, I really love people.

So on this photoshoot, I wanted to capture this moment in my life where I am reconnecting to my heart and soul. My emotions and my purpose. My roots, the earth. I desire to live more in tune with nature and let go of the expectations of others. That's why I chose to come to this part of the world.

I understand why artists never feel like their work is finished. After I was done taking pictures, I met a lovely older man called Ulf who lives on the island. I also met his daughter's dog, Ego. I chatted with them for a little bit and introduced myself. He had a very strong island dialect. It's a dialect you don't here very often. Because I am close to Norway, the dialect has a lot of Norwegian influence. I think it's one of the most beautiful dialects.

Here are some more pictures from today's adventure. It was a really special day.

*The adventure starts with a warm cup of coffee*

*I think it's a fox. What do you think?*

*Back home again! Time to edit & share with the world*

Here's a little video to capture the highlights from today. A full length vlog from the day is coming later this week. Hopefully tomorrow!

The hours outside in the snow felt like minutes and I barely felt the cold because I was so excited. As a first attempt at self-portrait photography, I was really happy with result. I will definitely try more in the future and work to improve my photography. I noticed the quality is not so crisp. Any ideas why that might have happened? I shot with my Nikon D850 on raw and manual. I used my 50mm lens.

I'll say goodnight now, enjoy the rest of your day.

Puss och kram ꨄ

February 12, 2024November 3, 2024

Snow, Sea & Ice

Good evening,

It's 10:39pm here. I have a candle lit in front of me and pasta in my belly. I'm slowly winding down for sleep with a cup of rooibos tea. I'm so relieved the jet lag has passed but this fresh air and short daylight hours really makes me want to sleep longer. This morning my body woke up naturally with the sun at 8:30am.

Today I was so sad because most of the snow had melted. I was hoping to capture some beautiful snowy shots. I woke up to the sound of ice rain hitting the windows. I was getting ready to return the rental car at Gothenburg Airport but then the snow came! I was filled with joy at the sight of snow, the feeling of the snowflakes landing on my cheeks, and knowing I had snow in my hair made me feel so free. I love the sound of the crunching snow under my boots. It brings me so much happiness. I was also happy I didn't have to drive to Gothenburg, so now I will return the car on Thursday.

All day the island has been covered in a white cloud. I barely ate breakfast I was so excited. I threw back some muesli and half a banana before running outside with my camera. It was snowing pretty heavy and I'm still not 100% confident with my big heavy camera. Plus, I knew there was going to be ice underneath the snow, so I didn't want to bring heavy gear.

I spent all morning by the water taking photos and filming. I felt like the only person on the island. There wasn't a human in sight and the silence was so calming. I haven't heard silence like that in many years. I felt so incredibly free that I called out to the big rock across the water where orca whales have previously been spotted. I heard the echo of my voice, which felt amazing! I felt alive again for the first time in forever. I felt connected to nature and myself.

After capturing the beautiful surroundings and enjoying the gift of my own company, I filmed a little talk to share on YouTube. When I got home to upload, unfortunately, there was too much wind interference. I need to sort out my microphone. I have one, it just needs a battery.

I spent the rest of the day cozy at home. I had some warm soup and just spent the afternoon on my computer playing around with some video creation. I love it! I lose myself in creating and the hours fly by. That's a good sign I think. I know I'm on the right track now.

I also feel like I'm falling behind on all my editing because I have so much footage and videos. I will challenge myself to share something. Something is better than nothing. Here come some photos and an Instagram post from today.

Enjoy! ♥︎

*Your potential is endless. Dream big* ♥︎

*I have the northern winds styling my hair. This is the winter island look hehe* ♥︎

*The north winds are the best hairdresser*

*It's still snowing as I'm about to hit publish* ♥︎

I hope the sun is out tomorrow so I can capture the golden light and snowy sparkles. I wish you a beautiful Monday evening!

Goodnight from this magical snow covered island in the north sea ꨄ

February 12, 2024November 3, 2024

Jötunheimr

World of the rock and ice giants

February 11, 2024October 23, 2024

Where The North Winds Meets The Sea

Happy Sunday!

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend filled with love and compassion for yourself and the world around you.

I woke up with another headache, but it soon passed and before I knew it, it was gone. I've been sitting for about 4 hours editing my first Sweden YouTube video. I've dabbled with YouTube in the past but nothing that I considered making it a career. I love filming and video creating. When I edit it's like playing a game where all the puzzle pieces must fit together in a way to evoke an emotion and a story. I love it! I studied film and photography in high school and it was like falling in love. I had lost sight of it over the years but now I feel stronger in my abilities to pursue film. I think I could really be good at it! Self belief is a powerful thing. When I lacked self belief in the past, I never pursued the things I was good at or loved. I allowed self-doubt to rule my life. Life is too short for that kind of thinking. I feel more empowered and motivated than ever to create.

I hope you enjoy this little movie.

The drone shot at the end is from two winters ago when I celebrated Christmas here with my Dad, his wife, and her children. Funny story, I actually lost my drone after that shot. The battery was running low after 10 minutes of flying. Drones can't withstand low temperatures and it was minus degrees celsius. The drone makes a scary sound when it alerts you that the battery is running low. I was so startled that I accidentally turned off the return to home feature. I had no idea where it was in the sky. I couldn't see it because I'd set it to automatically film the surrounding area, so off it went. After it landed, I was out with my niece looking for it. Then the rest of my family came out. After nearly losing hope we found it after 2 hours of searching! Just in time because the sun had set and it was getting dark fast. The relief I felt when I saw it! I had saved a long time for it and I'm so happy I still have it in my toolbag. I can't wait for the wind to ease so I can go out and capture some more winter landscape shots. And if I lose my drone again, I'll know to check the last known coordinates. Another lesson learned! So many crazy things that happen behind the scenes as a filmmaker.

This drone was the first big expensive gift to myself. It was from my first few paychecks working at a digital marketing agency in London. I had recently graduated with my master's degree and wanted to get myself something special. I studied digital media and entrepreneurship for my Masters degree at University. For projects at school we created video content to promote our digital designs and ideas. Storytelling was a big part of my course. I loved it! I'm so glad I get to translate everything I learned into my own business.

I want to create more YouTube Videos, even though it took forever to edit this one. It took 3 hours to edit this 3 minute film! That's roughly one minute per hour!!! I admire all YouTube creators and filmmakers out there.

Speak to you soon! Thank you for supporting my artist dream!

Puss och kram ♥︎

February 10, 2024November 8, 2024

Icy Winds

Good Evening!

Another headache so I haven't spent much time at the computer screen. It's 9:18pm here and I wanted to write a quick hello before I go to bed. Today I went grocery shopping at a larger supermarket on the mainland.

*Driving across the "bifrost" bridge to the mainland*

I forgot it was Saturday, so it was quite busy there. I got everything I needed and the check out lady was lovely. I still have a US debit card to make payments so I always need to bring my passport to confirm I'm the card holder. It's a cute little supermarket and makes a nice change from the ginormous supermarkets in the US. I love grocery shopping but I never enjoyed the overwhelming choices at the warehouse sized supermarkets in California.

After leaving the supermarket I was greeted by icy winds. How I've missed the feeling of the cold, but windy icy particles hitting my face is not so fun. Driving home I was mesmerised by the way the snow moved with the wind. It almost looked like an earth spirit of some kind.

Snow Spirits at the end of the video

I have some film footage from yesterday and today that I would like to share with you. Simply some beautiful moments on the island. Eventually, I would like to make more professional style videos. I'm sure with time my craft will improve. I don't want my perfectionism tendency to hold me back from sharing and connecting with you.

I ran out of coffee yesterday and was so happy to stock up on beans.

The smell of fresh coffee beans is one of the most delightful smells in the world. Especially when I have a headache.

*Oat milk flat white's are my favourite*

*I couldn't wait to take a nicer picture haha*

*I wonder what the rest of the day has in store for me*

It looked so beautiful outside with the ice and snow on the rocky landscape. As you saw from the pictures, I decided to go out to take some photos with my Nikon D850. It's a new camera and I haven't used it much. I snapped away but when I got home to edit the photos I saw there was no sim card in the slot!!!

A hard lesson learned today. I'm sure every photographer has done this at least once in their life. I did get some footage on my video camera and iPhone. Looking forward to editing and sharing with you.

After a cozy night with some warm soup I am now ready to snuggle in for the night.

I hope a good nights sleep will cure my headache!

Sleep well my friend,

Puss ♥︎

February 9, 2024November 3, 2024

The Land of Sea & Ice

Hello my friend!

Today has been wonderful. I have been outside hiking the rocky icy landscape. Just me and my camera, and the North winds styling my hair. It's been really cold today, and the bottom portion of my body was definitely not well dressed for these icy winds. It felt so good to get outside though. Here are some photos from today. Enjoy the ambience on this magical Nordic island in the North Sea.