𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖍𝖚𝖒𝖆𝖓 𝖎𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖕𝖎𝖈𝖙𝖚𝖗𝖊

Paula is a very openminded, creative and spirited woman that has left her home county Brazil in the age of 17 to travel the world as a full-time model. Now she’s 22 years young and currently living in India for already more than 1 year. It’s her third time living there so we talked about that, but also traveling as such and what realizations one might come to when seeking the unknown. She is a beautiful human from the inside out and has way more talent than just her looks. For example: playing the guitar and singing and I mean seriously she’s fantastic at that. We talked about the importance of creativity and finding tools to create a balance for yourself. What important learnings did Paula take away from the crazy year 2020? Why can writing be such a helpful tool? Is she more afraid of dying or not having lived life to its fullest? What’s her definition of happiness? And that’s really just a glimpse into the things we explored in this conversation. I very much enjoyed getting to know the human in Paula’s picture a bit better and I’m optimistic that you can take away something useful from this and maybe you will even experience what Paula calls: the click.

The human in the picture is Justin Petzschke. He is 24 years young and from Germany. Justin and I were talking about his life as a full time model. He was telling me the story of how he got into the modeling industry and what keeping a tiny card for about 4 years had to do with it. Which event transformed his entire career? What does he love about his job and where might be difficulties working in this industry? We talked about approaches to deal with yourself during the global pandemic and which habits might be helpful in this lockdown situation. Also: What is Justin’s perspective toward social media? Why can it be unhealthy to compare yourself to others? And finally: What is his hope for the future? He is an optimistic guy that follows his passion and tries to find his place in life.

Jola is a 22 year young woman from Latvia. For the past 5 years she was traveling, modeling and creating art in countries such as Hong Kong, the Philippines, Korea, Macao and Dubai. We talked about modeling and the fashion industry, with the specific example of Hong Kong. Why is it so easy to get lost over there? What advice can Jola offer young people that travel abroad by themselves? What are good aspects of the life as a model and on the contrary: what are the downsides and why can one feel like a human hanger? We explored her life as an artist, too. What is it like to create something you love and trying to make a career out of that? Is luck the result of dedication and hard work? And what are goal-setting mechanisms? Also: Why did the global pandemic confuse us in different ways and what may we all have in common? We talked about that and much more. Jola is an impressive, insanely creative and talented makeup artist and human being. “Art has always been a big part of my life and my brand is a place for me to share my vision with the world.” ~ Jolanta, creator of @_yolan_custom_

The human in the picture is Nikolas Malafekas. He was born and then growing up in Greece and he is currently finishing his degree in psychology in California. As a teenager he left his beautiful hometown Kalamata to pursue a professional basketball career in Athens. In the age of 20 he decided to continue his life in Germany. Among many other very formative experiences he met someone that would change his life. His future wife, Kamille. Niko started all over again, but this time in Amerika. At that point he was 24. Now he is 29. A lot has happened in between. We talked about his path, life lessons, purpose, ethics and universal morals, the good aspects of this global pandemic and finally: If Niko could go back 10 years in time to spend 1 minute with himself, what advice would he choose to offer? If you want to know more about his story and hear what he has learnt over the years and possibly take away something useful for yourself, then feel free to keep listening.

Ophelia Johanna Lundström was born and growing up in Sweden. To me, she is a free spirit. Indescribably inspiring with moving stories to tell. As I asked Ophelia who the human in her picture is, she said: “A philosophising, stargazing, psychedelic fractal of infinite consciousness. Chasing sunsets, exploring new places, meeting new people and learning about everything I don't know. Other than that, I work as a model, love to paint, dance, sing and act.” The list of what we don't know is very much endless, but I guess what matters is starting somewhere with something. What matters is what you make matter. In this conversation we talked about matter and getting lost in an early age. We also asked ourselves different questions that seemed relevant in the moment. Like... is it possible to listen to your feelings? Why is it so important to become friends with your own brain? And... how might your life change if you stopped lying to yourself and everybody else? Keep listening if you are up for a well intended and original conversation. 

Quinlan Gusnowsky was born and growing up in Canada and he finished his studies with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. Afterwards he worked as an international model in cities such as Seoul, Tokyo and Singapore. We talked about traveling, fears, trust, wishes for the world, and realizations that ultimately made Quin who he is in this moment. You may gain a new perspective toward aspects of yourself you haven’t reflected upon yet, get an insight into the modeling industry, or simply be inspired by this story. A special thanks to you Quin for starting this project with me and for being such a good-hearted human being.

What is this project about? It’s about the human in the picture. That means: Uncut conversations out of the moment with humans from all over the world with all kinds of roles in their respective cultures and societies, leaving them with different (and similar) perspectives toward life. Perspectives I would like to explore with them and discover how they became who they are. Moreover, what important lessons they have learned along the way. Talking about values, beliefs and stories. Basically; the human in their picture. As a listener I hope you can take away some insights about yourself and hopefully even learn something that you can apply to your life. If you keep listening, you will hear me trying to define what else this project is about. I hope you enjoy the ride and thank you for your time.