Do you feel pressured to post perfect photos on Instagram?

Do you feel pressured to post perfect photos on Instagram? 

Yesterday I made an instagram post ( photo below) that was quite unplanned, a shot that usually would end up with the Oslo filter on my insta stories, instead found itself on my feed. There is nothing extraordinary about it, other than for me it is an irregularity. Unlike my usual content ,this one is neither styled, neither if fact edited. It is however shot with my DSLR camera which produces very beautiful photos under correct light and adjusted settings, and everything in the photo is arguably quite photogenic on its own. Let me put aside any questions of if this unstaged moment was staged, it wasn't. Through everyday actions it turned out as you see it , I was taking photos and testing settings when I turned the camera to the table and took a series of this shot, mostly to put on my instagram stories. Of course I framed it , one of them was too bright, turned down ISO, another was blurry, but this one was ok. I am not sure what made me decide to put it instead on my feed, it looks ok but by no means is it perfect, it is also unedited. I have felt lately however my inspiration draining, I wrote some time ago that one of the hardest things is to be creative on demand for continuous periods of time. For a long time I have tried to be more kind to myself and post things I don't necessarily think are perfect, after all I love when others share candid moments! I am sure I am not the only one feeling this pressure, even though I love unstaged moments, I find it hard not to "correct" something when I shoot even my everyday moments. Lets call things by their name, for example, all the "flatlays" you see on so many instagram accounts of course they are all staged, some look more natural, some look hilariously bad, either way, all of them are not what you would call, real life. And of course we want to put forward our best days, our best selves, of course we want to put forward what we know people will like ,comment on. The pressure is not hurting me, but it is affecting my creativity. I am not sure how I am going to tackle this but, for now, I can promise you that 1: I will be posting more of candid moments not just on stories but on my feed as well, and 2 : I will be posting more photos of what I love or find beautiful , even when I know most people will not like or won't comment on ( like the all dark one above). Hopefully this will make for a better experience for me when it comes to my posting, but also it will mean that I will get back to healthier levels of creativeness. Food for thought.

// Photography and Styling by Katerina Dima

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Birthday Girl

Yesterday it was my birthday, and by far, it was the best one yet. I woke up to beautiful flowers ( from my husband) while later all my amazing friends in Oslo surprised me with balloons and sushi dinner at my place. It was the sweetest gesture, I was so very touched and once again, I was reminded how lucky I am to have them in my life. I am keeping the balloons all through the weekend, and probably as long as they will last, after all why not, waking up and walking in the living room makes me feel amazing while they are still there. Birthday weekend! A huge thank you to my most amazing friends, Elisabeth, Line, Emilie and Linda, and to my sweet husband for successfully keeping this a secret and arranging the surprise. I feel like the luckiest girl alive :)

// Photography and Styling by Katerina Dima

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Mondays

I have been under the weather the last few days and with so many things to be finished before Stockholm design week I can feel the pressure of time already. If I haven't answered your email yet please forgive me, I am trying to prioritize but work almost always gets first in line. Being the stylist, photographer, editor and PR manager for my company all in one person can be quite overwhelming somedays. If I haven't mentioned it I really should hire an assistant, and the days that I have little time I feel it the most. I do realize that I cannot do everything however, taking some hours off during the day the best medicine. Lighting a candle ( new favorite from Diptyque the 34 collection which was created for their 50th anniversary ), is one of my go to relaxing methods, there will always be candles lit in my apartment regardless of the season. In fact one of my everyday routines is right after I get up from bed to go around and light some key position candles in the apartment , mainly bedroom windowsill , kitchen table and bathroom. Do try it, not just for the feeling of hygge, but you will immediately notice your mood change. 

I have a very busy week ahead along with preparation for Stockholm design fair, if any of your attend and recognize me do say hi!

//Photography and editing by Katerina Dima

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At home with some of my favorite essentials

Since getting a bed in the bedroom (sneak peek of the bedroom)I feel the whole apartment has finally come together, it feels much more like home now than it did when I first moved in July. I love spending time in here now, and since I have been a little bit sick last few weeks I have been working from bed much more than I would normally do. I don't have a speaker in Oslo for my bedroom so the new portable Beoplay P2 has become my best companion ( mine is in color Sand ). It doesnt have any controls on it, but tap it twice to pause any song ( double tap again to resume ) and shake it sideways to skip a song are all the controls I need :)  It also has a microphone so when I get calls I dont even need to pick up my phone! I always take it with me when I travel too, it is lightweight and then I can listen to music or podcasts or audio books while in my hotel room, its a win win. The sound is great as well for such a small speaker, it is now firmly on my essentials list.
To make the bedroom a little cosy, I like having a candle on the windowsill next to the bed (the bedroom has two big windows), and with some books and magazines, a mirror and a lamp the scene is almost complete.

On the window you might have noticed some products, they are from the Nuori face care line, the Perfecting face oil on the left and the Supreme moisture mask on the right. If you don't know about Nuori already, apart from their super minimalistic design, what distinguishes them from other skincare is that their products are always fresh. Mine were mixed right before they were delivered and their ingredients are 100% natural. A lot of brands claim this to be true, but Nuori actually delivers, read more about it here if you want and I promise you , you will be converted. 

Last but not least my top favorite brand Aesop launched a new perfume! ( They are currently launching a new website , I will link to it as soon as it is up! ). When it comes to how it smells, you should really visit one of their stores, it is a little too masculine for me but I love how it smells on my other half :)

// Photography and Styling by Katerina Dima

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Salted Laccino

I have been trying to find a name for my favorite childhood drink that I still drink every morning to this date and I think finally I thought of one that seems very appropriate! I present you with Salted Laccino! It is really not complicated at all just warm up some milk,  add a pinch of sea salt and stir! My grandmother who lived in her farm would make it for me when I was really young, which is probably why I grew up thinking this is the way to drink your milk in the morning. She would get fresh goat milk and bring it to boil, adding a little bit of salt at the end. The way I prepare it is even easier, I just add milk and sea salt in the Nespresso frother and a few seconds later my morning drink is ready. During winter ( or a cold day ) I will have some sort of porridge while during warm days I will possibly skip the salted laccino and make a cold brew with milk instead. I am not big on breakfast, I prefer instead eating something an hour or two later. Again something I have been doing since I was very young, possibly because I would wake up so late to go to school, that I only had time for a rushed milk and then I would eat during breaks. Old habits die hard :)

//Photography and Styling by Katerina Dima

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Friday Thoughts

//Photography and Styling by Katerina Dima

Lately I have lost track of time, so it came as a surprise that today its friday. Between tax season, renovating downstairs and keeping up with the blog and freelance work, I am so behind that I doubt I will have any time during weekend to relax. And with some press events coming to Oslo next week that I will be attending, I will definitely have my hands full next few days. Looking forward to sharing some highlights from the trip, as always the best place if you want to keep up is my Instagram. When I travel I always update my stories daily, it is a great way to show where I am or what I am doing in a fun and refreshing way!

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Birthday Girl

Today its my birthday and I treated myself to some gifts. Some magazines and books that were missing from my collection and a new Byredo perfume and bath products. The magazines arrived yesterday (photo above) while the Byredo additions probably will be here by the end of the week. When you shop for yourself time is irrelevant! Even though I am quite busy, I am trying my hand in a cake, the recipe of which I found in the Kinfolk Table book, Hummingbird cake with Cream cheese frosting. Fingers crossed! If there is any left by tomorrow I ll be sure to snap some photos :) And with these few words, I need to rush and get the cake out of the oven and then finish off my new media kit! 

#workworkwork

//Photography and Styling by Katerina Dima

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Back from Oslo

I came back from Oslo yesterday night, however I just started unpacking my suitcase. I did a little bit of shopping (stopped by Byredo, Acne, COS and Aesop), but I was also lucky to receive in the form of press samples some early copies of books I wanted to purchase as soon as they were available (courtesy of New Mags , with my thanks).

The first book, by Katariina Lamberg , Sacré Cœur, is a compact travel guide to Paris ( a sneak peek can be seen below). It includes maps, locations for restaurants, cafes, even ice cream shop locations, all neatly arranged in an A5 book that can fit in my bag. A must have next time I visit Paris , which will hopefully not be too long!

The Green Home Book does not need many introductions, but with a little more than 4 weeks before launch I am happy I get to peruse through it and finally have in one place all the care tips for all my plants. While it acts as a guide, it is so beautifully made, the photos and content so well curated, that it fits any coffee table easily as well.

//Photography and Styling by Katerina Dima

All books can be found at New Mags in Norway and various other sellers around Scandinavia and the rest of the world.

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The small things

//Photography and Styling by Katerina Dima

It is the small gestures that can make any day start well, and today I woke up to a small surprise in my mailbox ( I usually wear my robe and then barefoot I dare the cold and the snow to check my mailbox for some reason). Studio Esinam surprised me with their yearly planner in beige in A5 size,which will have a permanent spot on my office desk from now on. I had already purchased my 2017 planner ( in A6 size) that is already quite full if you can believe it, so this new addition will be perfect for anything extra and quick notes while I can keep the smaller one in my bag on the go. Since January and February are months that see a lot of travel ( due to press events and fairs) it is always good to prepare early!

For more posts of my home visit My Home category!

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2017 Goals

Happy 2017 everyone! I didn't intend on making a blogpost today, but as I sat down to write on my new 2017 planner ( I should mention that I have been using it for at least 2 months now due to noting down scheduled tasks for the new year), I thought about some of my top new years resolutions and how instead I would prefer to have goals. Goals are something I can work to achieve, something that is more of a journey towards what I want rather than an abstract idea that is a resolution. So many times I am trying to get from 0 to 100 and I set myself an unreasonably small amount of time to achieve this, so I am hoping that setting up goals instead will also let me enjoy the journey there too as opposed as focusing only in the final destination.

//Photography and Styling by Katerina Dima

I hope this year is a happy and productive year, it does not have to be great but I will feel amazing if at the end of it I can look back and know I achieved most of my goals.

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Christmas Eve

The last presents arrived yesterday, and to my delight they came already beautifully wrapped in white paper and white ribbon. Minimal and understated, much like the rest of my Christmas decorations this year. I have just a few minutes before I wrap the last presents , then I am off for Christmas dinner, then cake and finally unwrapping the presents! I will be taking a small break until New Years from the blog, however you will always find me on Instagram, especially spontaneous Instagram stories! God Jul and Merry Christmas to everyone!

//Photography and Styling by Katerina Dima

For more posts of my home visit My Home category!

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