Behind The Brand
How long have you been a professional photographer?
In 1995 i started as an apprentice. And in 2000 I started my own photography studio in Kristiansand with another photohgapher. We were doing wedding, children, family portraits for both private and corporate clients. I ran the studio for 12 years, up to 2012, when the time felt right to follow my own creativity.
What started your specific interest in travel photography?
I’ve always loved to travel for business and pleasure. After I sold my half in the business in 2012, I decided to explore more of the world. I lived one year in France from 2012/2013 and that’s where the idea of SchimJolie started to form. I began to take lots of pictures of nature, architecture and just moments in time. Everything felt so different and beautiful on the Cote d’Azur. It was the period of my life when I realized: make beautiful photographs and inspire others.
What’s the ‘Honest Photography’ technique you promote in your work?
Before the digital era, we worked very skillfully with our cameras because you only had twelve frames on a professional analogue medium format camera. And there was no clone tool to take away any flaws or mistakes after shooting. That’s how I wanted to work again! I had become lazy as a digital photographer. I would curate my shots less because I could so easily delete them later in Photoshop. But in the long run it just made more hours in front of the computer, and I hated it. So, I went back to my skills and began again to see through the lens artistically, work angles, lines, fore grounds, backgrounds, perspective, contrasts … Honest Photography. No manipulation.
What started the idea to transfer your images onto silk?
I always loved silk material. I have many silk dresses and I love the feel of silk. I held several photo exhibitions in Norway and I printed my images on large format paper, aluminium, and canvas. So I figured, why not try and print them on silk? Silk is light, foldable, easy to travel with. So I had a sample made and the rest is history.
Can you explain the genesis of the SchimJolie Silk Square?
Well, the numbered limited edition concept, plus the Certificate of Authentication and the story comes from my background in art and photography. I'm very visual, appreciate luxury and exclusivity, and I love to share my joy of travelling and inspire others to do the same. A key factor when travelling for me is to travel as light as possible. The Silk Square represents the lightweight. A piece of quality fabric that can be easily transformed (multi-styled) into a never-ending array of outfits and the image ‘magically’ changes as you fold and twist it. Over the years, I’ve seen men and women shape it as a scarf, skirt, dress, top, jacket, vest, poncho, headwear, bow, a belt, and a bag!
As a single mother and independent businesswomen who runs her own global brand, how do you maintain work-life balance ?
My work is my passion and I’m not pursuing a dream. Just living my life, doing what I love most, and sharing it with others. Nothing makes me happier than making other people happy and to see their smiles. I seek to be an example of how being good to yourself and others, will make you feel so much better about yourself and the world you live in. So the key to my life balance, both private and work-wise is to share and give the best of my self to both my children and my silk audience. And the response I get in return is my reward and it gives me so much energy to maintain balance and to move forward on a sometimes very bumpy silk road.
Where would you like to go next for your silk squares?
Russia … Moscow … Japan and New York again! .. Budapest … Prague … Galway in Ireland, … Scotland ... Sydney, Australia, … and Skagen in Denmark for the light.... So many wonderful places for SchimJolie to capture!