Freja, motherhood and rediscovering Herself

As a photographer with such a poetic aesthetic, how has motherhood shaped the way you see the world?
Without a doubt. When I became a mother for the first time, I was working as a teacher, and photography was not really a part of my life back then.

I have always been a very creative person - I have always written and created things, and at one point I was also photographing, but I had set it aside in my eagerness to build a life for myself.

But then I became a mother, and it was as if I began to see the world through the eyes I once did. In moods, light and moments, and just like that, I began taking photographs again.

Not long ago, I found one of my old diaries: at the age of 10, I had written that I dreamed of becoming a photographer when I grew up.

It brought me to tears, because my childhood and youth were so difficult, and at some point - in the struggle to survive - I forgot how to dream. But motherhood brought me back to those dreams again.

As a mother of three, how do you balance your time between them?

Going from two children to three initially made me feel quite inadequate. I mean, I only have two hands, now I have three children. How am I supposed to manage that?

I remember how overwhelmed I could feel whenever Jonas had to go away on a business trip, leaving me at home with all three children for an entire weekend. But somehow, we managed, and over time, we’ve found our way.

I feel a big need for one-on-one time with each of my children, and - since they also have their own need for some alone time - they understand that the others need it too.

So, while we naturally spend a lot of time together as a whole family, we also frequently do things with just one parent and one child.

We go for evening walks, visit the local coffee shop or thrift shops, go see friends and so on.

What values do you hope to pass on to your children?

I want to teach my kids the value of being a good person - someone who is kind to others, and not least to themselves.

I wish for them to keep believing in themselves, to keep dreaming and that they will grow up and find a sense of home in themselves.

What do you wish you had known before becoming a mother?

I wish that I had known that motherhood is nuanced, and not just pure happiness.

When I became a mother for the first time 12 years ago people didn’t talk much about the difficult aspects of motherhood - something we have, fortunately, begun to speak openly about now.

Becoming a mother is all emotions at once - good days and bad days.

When I became a mother for the first time, I could often feel very alone with the difficult aspects of motherhood, and it would have been much easier to say it out loud if I had known that it was completely normal to feel both happiness and anxiety at the same time.

How has becoming a mother changed you?

It has changed me in so many ways.

First and foremost, it has helped me do the work required to find peace within myself.

What’s your favorite moment of the day?

My favorite time of day is the slow mornings on the weekends.

In everyday life, it is the evening - when we all sit around the table having dinner, talking about our day.

Followed by reading and bedtime routines, and then the quiet that settles once the kids are asleep.

What inspires you in your everyday life?

Generally, it is the everyday life that inspires me the most.

It could be a color combination on a building I pass on my way home, or the way the light enters the dining room in the afternoon.

But most importantly, if I am stressed or under pressure in some kind of way, my inspiration is the first thing to go.

So, I really try to take care of myself and do good things for myself, so that my creativity can flourish and I can be the mother I want to be.

What’s your favorite Minois product?

I can’t choose just one favorite.

My favorite product for myself is the Perfume.

I have always been very sensitive to smells, and I actually haven’t worn perfume since I was a teenager, but when I tried the perfume from Minois; I found my scent. It is very subtle and fresh.

We all love the Gentle Cream and the Dry Oil. We use it everyday - we use the oil everyday on both skin and hair, and the cream on our cheeks every single morning.

And last but not least, the kids, of course, love the Bubble Bath. I actually love it too.