I Think My Mother Is a Zen Master | Familjefotograf Stockholm

This autumn was a very busy season here at Jolly HQ. I knew in advance it was going to be a hectic time, but I hadn’t anticipated the last minute bookings for family photo sessions. I thought everyone was ready to go into hibernation early this year - I for one quite fancy the idea of sleeping until oh, I don’t know, maybe my birthday in March next year! That was not the case however and life at Jolly HQ got quite hectic.

As grateful as I am to have been so busy this autumn, there were a few occasions where I could feel myself starting to get stressed. Between business and family life, there was a lot going on and NO help! I realised one day though that I didn’t want to identify as a stressed person. I didn’t want to be the person rushing around in a flap, telling everyone how stressed I was, shallow breathing, pulling my hair out, and well, basically missing out on my actual life. What does all that achieve anyway?

And then I thought about my mother. I thought about her zen-like qualities. Her unflappable cool. The way she does things slowly and deliberately. The way she lives in the moment. The way she never hurries for anyone. The way she doesn’t take life too seriously. Stressed people are easy to find. Zen-like people, not so much. I knew which camp I’d rather be in.

With all that in mind, I gave myself a good talking to. I reminded myself I’m human (we tend to forget this sometimes). Everything doesn’t have to be done right now. You can let some things slide, but not things like looking after your mind, body, and soul. They should be your top priority. Do you know what I did then? I took even longer walks. I did yoga in the mornings and in the evenings I did longer, restorative yoga sessions. I meditated more. I drank more water. What use are we to everyone else if we’re not creating the best version of ourselves first?

I may not ever be a zen master like my mother. I can try though. I can remind myself to slow down, to breathe, and to actually be in my own life.

On that note, I’ll leave you with some of my favourite personal pictures from autumn 2020. I hope you enjoy them.

Peace and love xoxo

The Student | Autumn portrait session and personal project

Are you enjoying this beautiful autumn? I don’t know about you, but I feel it’s particularly magnificent out there this October. All the golden, copper and yellow tones, not to mention the incredible light, has been very inspiring to me.

As well as photographing some wonderful client portrait sessions, I’ve also created some personal projects, in the shape of photo series. I thought I’d share part of one of those series with you below.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you The Student. I’m hoping for this to be an ongoing series, so please watch this space :). This particular series has been inspired by what I have been learning about myself and about life, specifically in the last four years. Following a devastating life event in 2014, I feel like I am starting over. I am the student. A reborn student. Learning everything anew and seeing life from an entirely different perspective. I have so much to learn still. Maybe that’s the beauty of it all, you are always a student of life.