Life is all about learning

At the train station in Kløfta, Norway

I jumped into a new world this summer when I said yes to a retail job. Each day teaches me something, and I want to share an interaction from this past week.

A customer asked me the price for an item, and I informed her: førtini (forty nine) kroner.  She then switched to English, so I switched to English too, no problem. Then the cashier and I chatted about the item in Norwegian, the working language, as usual. I decided to be brave and asked the customer, ‘Hvorfor byttet du til engelsk med meg?’ (Why did you switch to English with me?) ‘Fordi jeg trodde du snakket engelsk til meg.’ (Because I thought you spoke English to me.)

It wasn’t until I tried to type førtini today that I realised: I pronounced it more like fortyni. That might not seem like a big deal, but the letter Ø and the letter O have very different sounds. Think about Ø as the middle sound in the English word fur.  Now I know how to correctly spell (and say) førti, and I understand why the customer thought I was speaking English.

I highly recommend stepping out of your comfort zone and challenging yourself. I am a much more patient person today after learning a new culture and language. A few years ago, the above conversation 1) would never have happened or 2) would have left me fuming because I felt offended. Humility is a very beautiful thing, and it takes time to grow.

But what does that have to do with landscape photography?

Outspoken Images has been a business since 2011 and has survived two international moves. But, honestly, it’s never really been a business. I haven’t actually made money selling my photography in seven years. People like my photos but that’s where it ends. So I humbly accept that my efforts have not been fruitful and now challenge myself to something new. I’d like to pursue the same goal, using my creativity, but in a different fashion. And I have always been just as excited about fonts as I am about photography.

I especially enjoy making logos, business cards, posters, & flyers, and I am learning social media / digital marketing with Outspoken Images and Mercy House. Combining these with my photography skills seems like the way to go. My photos will soon be available as stock images and I’ll start marketing myself as graphic designer.

So what does that mean?

This has been on my mind a lot in the last year, and it starts with a new logo. So, dear readers, tell me your thoughts. I have assembled a few logo sketches, all to be combined to spell Outspoken Images as seen in the final sketch. Find me on social media or send me an email and tell me what you think – wouldn’t you like to join me on the lifelong journey of learning?