It’s all about my first thoughts about my new concept today, and to illustrate it I’ve used photos from the apartment in Stockholm that I will stay in for another week to work on this. It’s such a nice place, and I feel very comfortable even though it’s much white;)
I’m really excited about this! Let’s dive into the core of my partly new thoughts business-wise! Yesterday I was working at a café for two hours, and here’s what I’m thinking: My vision is to do even more of what I love and push it two steps further. Sometimes two steps further means outside the comfort zone, for sure.
First I divided it into categories which are everyday, weekly, monthly, seasons, longterm projects, general and extra.
So, generally my way to my new concept is to share and serve more. To treat those of you who want to like VIP’s. Not kidding, wait and see! I’m not loosing myself in this, I think it will have the opposite effect: I will carry on being me with my struggles, mental illness and everyday life, and show that despite this it’s possible to master things! I can do it – you can do it!
Being me will make my content unique – because we are all unique, and the thought of this gives me strenght. Everybody else is taken, you have to be yourself no matter how difficult it can be at times. And one of my biggest strengths is to be brave and share what I do to make my life as kind, soft and balanced as possible. And how it all messes up every now and then, and how I cope with it.
My everyday category covers more blogging, which again means more photographing and editing, more rambling and most likely some new categories in here. It also covers keep up making and selling original paintings! My two biggest priorities in my new apartment will be to always have canvases and paint, and iMac and camera ready at all times. I have to make it easy for myself to get started, and to continue.
Weekly includes two things, and both of them happens every other week: week 1 & 3 is a newsletter (this is where you get to be my VIP, more about that later) and week 2 & 4 a brunch club at my pad, most likely in the tower for 3-5 people every time (you’ll have to sign up)! I was thinking that one of the brunches will be in the middle of the week, and the other one maybe on a weekend, what do you prefer? It’s the talking-together-about-everything-and-eat-home-made-food-kind-of-brunch, but I would like my partisipants to wish for topics if there’s something special you would like me to talk about. I’ve also been thinking about inviting someone every now and then to talk about different interesting topics that I think many of you would like.
The monthly category will be a little boring to you as it’s about me remembering to push my longterm projects one or ten steps further, not let them stay in silence too long.
But the season category will appeal to many of you, I hope, and though it is very diffuse at the moment, it’s about workshops & retreats. Hurray! *cough*, this will definitely be one of the things that will push me out of my comfort zone! I’m already thinking a bit about who I would like to work with, and the names are very interesting and goals very high. Very… Keep your eyes peeled and fingers crossed. I want this to be so good that you’ll stay awake for several days, and start saving some money for the ticket, because you’re afraid of missing out when it’s time to sign up, ha ha!
Longterm-projects will be very time demanding in periods, stuck in periods and gives my lot of flow other times. Earlier I’ve been working quite much with longterm projects in music and short films, and it can be so very frustrating! In film I totally lost it, because it takes practically years from an idea is born to the film is done, if you where lucky to get money to make them, and you always have to work at many big projects at once. I don’t like it, I like things to happen! In music one song can be done in “no time”, and that’s satisfying, but it takes time from it’s done in the studio until it’s actually out there on vinyl.
That was a digression, I think I’m mentally preparing to dare to jump on some new longterm things, and I will make it happen! One of the projects that I will continue to work on is my book project with this amazing illustrator ,and hopefully it will force me to go to Varberg in Sweden to meet her 😉 The other project is something I’ve been invited to do, top secret so far, but it was so exciting and so overwhelming to be asked that I said yes immediatly! Because why not?!
My third, and so far last, longterm project is music. Yep, I’m not a quitter! My ex-husband and I have released two albums (vinyl and all streaming services) under the name Gråblomst, and we where already planning the third. But there won’t be a third, but at the same time I will never say never. Anyway I’m thinking of making some weird and beautiful things solo! Gosh, out of my comfort zone again!
And then it’s the general category, because I couldn’t find a better word for it. Generally I want to make my new home a place that can be used by others. By that I mean to rent it out as office space/ mind space/ project space, whatever you like to call it. If you need a day or two to work on your own, or with a colleague, in a different environment.
I would be there to work on my things too (and be very quiet), and serve coffee whenever you like, and home made lunch included! I also consider to rent out a week at a time when I’m away myself (first possibility will be in October), but it won’t be any air bnb, I have to feel more secure about who’s coming. Maybe it’s you? 😉
Also I want my new home to be assessable as a location for brands and other photographers and businesses, but that will have to be on hold too until I’ve actually moved…
Next up is Family Photo Sessions. Yep, I’m soon ready! In short I can tell you it’s about me coming to your family to capture every day life – natural situations and portraits while you’re doing things together. You’ll get photos back in high-res that you’ve been able to choose yourself (for the ability to print fine art photos) and for web-use, and you can order a beautiful album too. I will hopefully go to a family in not too long, and then I’ll be able to show you and tell you much more, and you can book time!
The last category, extra. This means things that I want to do, but I have a feeling I might not prioritize these things in a while. First up is portraits – portrait people sounds exciting and would be new to me. Maybe to get the story behind each and every one, work in both text and photo. Next up is film, and by that I mean to film more for my blog. It can be quite much job, but it would be nice to use it to show you more of what I do, and to make some live photos from the brunch club and me making paintings and so on. Would you like films?
Home tours is another one that I would like to put more effort into. I know about one home that I am to photograph in my town, but if you know about some special homes close to Hamar you’ll have to email me!
As you understand all of this will not happen over night, but there’s no such thing as overnight success, right? I’m working my very best to take care of myself and my business, and I will push it further! Hope you’ve enjoyed to get to know more, and please leave a comment with your immediate thoughts, that is very welcoming <3
Make sure you follow me on Instagram to see my stories from my time here, I update frequently 😉
Inspirerende å høre om alle planene dine 🙂 Særlig likte jeg Family Photo Sessions-konseptet, har faktisk ikke hørt om noen som driver med akkurat det, kan tenke meg det vil slå an blant barnefamilier. Blir spennende å følge med videre utover våren.
Hei og takk! Håper det vil slå an, selv om jeg kommer ikke til å drive veldig mye med det, men kan jo satse på venteliste, det hadde vært vakkert 😉
It all sounds great. I know what it’s like to struggle with some things and it’s inspiring to read that you are going to do what you like, what is you. I think that’s the best way for creative types .. As if there is no choice sometimes but to follow that pull.
You have such a distinctive style that .. I would like to buy some art one day and if you released a book too, no matter the type of content, I know it would be good.
Best of luck, Maren. X
Really enjoying your blog too, it’s a real corner of the internet that is beautiful and has soul.
Hi Nicola! That’s a true compliment – to be a real corner of the internet 😉 Thanks a lot, it made me smile. And triple thank you for the thing about my art, I’m so glad you would like to buy it, no matter content. You believe in me, and it warms <3 Best, Maren Ingeborg
Oh my gosh, Maren….you have been hard at work! I imagine being in such a lovely space really lets you be more creative in seeing all the possibilities you have open to you. I think your ideas are fabulous and can see them all coming true. I just read somewhere that if you put your ideas on paper, they become your reality.
I am excited that you will be sharing more on your blog. One thing that inspires me the most, (besides your ideas/plans being very similar to mine) is that, even though my tastes in colors, art etc. are drastically different than yours, you have a way of putting it all together so beautifully … and that appeals to me.
You must be so excited to be making such progress, definitely time away to yourself has been good, hard, I’m sure….but good. xo
I love your concept of share and serve more!
Thanks for your lovely feed back, it makes me so excited when my followers are excited about my ideas and plans!Love your thoughts about having such different style than mine, but still it appeals to you, I totally get what you mean. I will share and serve you more 😉
You have very interesting plans! It’s a pity I live so far away from you. But at least I can follow your creative work online. 🙂 You always make me think that I should get more creative in my life too. I have plenty of projects and aspirations. But there’s this overwhelming feeling of no time! I feel like I’m drowning in all the everyday things that I have to do before I can get to the creative ones, and there’s no end to it. Do you ever get that feeling too or is it just me? My life now reminds me of that part in “Alice through the Looking Glass”, where Alice and the Red Queen run like crazy for a while and yet, stay in the say place. And when Alice tells her that where she comes from, if you ran fast for a long time, you’d generally get somewhere, the Red Queen responds: “A slow sort of country! Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place”. I feel like that’s what I’m doing – running like crazy just to stay in the same place. So thank you for inspiring me to get creative. Maybe I’ll be able to get out of this rut eventually. Baby steps. 🙂
P.S. That apartment IS nice. I love the orange fridge and the bedside lamp.