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Kristina Bosjanoks
@comewithkris
Photographer based in Denmark
Traveling has always been a part of my life. Having family from Latvia, meant that from a very young age I had to learn what different cultures really meant. One of my favourite parts about the trips to Latvia was the journey. You might think that sounds strange, especially when I tell you that we had to drive from Denmark to Latvia because of my mother’s fear of flying. However, to me, it was the journey that made it all even more special. Seeing all the new things on the road, getting to eat takeaway and oh! Of course, the ferry with all the fun gift shops you got to go around and have a look at. I absolutely loved it.
"It was not until later I actually started pursuing travel aside from going to Latvia."
When I was 17 I started watching Travel YouTubers. One stood out in particular: Hey Nadine. She inspired me to go on my first solo trip to Italy. When I turned 18, I went to Florence and did a backpacking trip around Northern Italy. I fell in love with the culture, then the food and then I fell in love with the people I met along the way. In the end, I fell in love with traveling and everything about it.
During this trip, I had to take care of everything myself for the first time. The hardest part for me was having to look past my social anxiety and make friends with strangers on my travels. It impacted me so much and really made me realize even more that this – this was what I was supposed to do. Since then, I was hooked. I moved to New Zealand when I turned 19 years old and have never lost my passion for travel.
"From my love for travel, came my love for photography. Now, despite my photography passion arriving later in my life, it definitely took off hard."
I have always had a creator in me. I had always loved painting, singing, playing instruments, writing… Anything creative you could think of – I would probably be doing it. From a very young age, the creative subjects were my thing. I studied music in school and wrote songs and books at home. When I moved to New Zealand, I discovered my love for moments and then capturing them through photography. I combined my creative need through photography with my passion for travel and have never looked back.
"There is one moment that stands out to me when I think about my journey to where I stand now. That moment was quitting my “regular” 9-5 job for good."
And deciding to no longer seek jobs like that. I have never been more scared in my life. How would I make an income? Would people even take me seriously? It turned out – to be taken seriously, you need to take yourself seriously first. I knew to do that, I had to quit everything that was not in alignment with what I wanted from life. I quit situations, jobs and relationships that did not in some way help me along my journey. I did not want to feel stuck anymore, and to not feel stuck anymore, I had to let go of everything that was doing exactly that – keeping me stuck. It’s a tough pill to swallow but really – you’re the only one keeping yourself stuck. I had to learn that the hard way.
Photography brings me fulfillment and appreciation for life in a different way than I’ve ever felt appreciation and fulfillment before. Photography is what made me realize that you can travel from anywhere. At any time.
I used to believe that without a plane ticket, you wouldn’t really be traveling. These last few years, my mindset on that matter has changed drastically. I think that what we are all really chasing – when we desire to go traveling – is the emotions that come with traveling. The feeling of experiencing something new, the feeling of feeling free to do whatever you want, whenever you want. The feeling we get when we are learning about a new culture, perhaps even taking up a bit of the language of the country. That is what I believe we all truly seek. As you have probably guessed, all of those things can be achieved with or without a plane ticket out of your country.
"These last few years, especially with the circumstances going on at the minute, I have really tried to take this into play in my everyday life."
Now, do not get me wrong, I would definitely take a plane ticket any day. I absolutely love going somewhere new and getting inspired and learning about a new place, however, I also have learned that all of that is absolutely possible to do in your own country. With the right pair of glasses on, anything is possible.
"When I first started enjoying photography, I didn't really understand what it was that I loved so much about it."
For a long while, I didn’t. However, now, I finally do. It all goes back to what I just talked about. I find that with my lens, I see and enjoy the things I wouldn’t normally even notice. The smaller things in life, like how the light hits, the fog in the morning, the rainy, stormy days, the people on the street, the connections between animals. I find that with my lens, I, in a sense, become more mindful and aware of the little things around me. So to me, the favourite part is feeling connected and aware of all the little things that might seem insignificant, but actually are extraordinarily beautiful.
"My most significant challenge on my journey has been how to deal with fear."
Specifically, fear of being judged. When I first fell in love with photography and travel, I had so much anxiety, I never ended up posting anything. In the beginning, I didn’t even buy a camera because I was so scared of what people would think if I tried to pursue this as my carrier. Would people think I was foolish to believe I could pursue my dream? Would I even be good enough for people to care? So many questions flooded my brain, that I was completely exhausted and had absolutely no energy left to actually get started.
When I finally did get started, I hid it. From everyone. I did not want anyone to know I was creating this content, not on YouTube, not even my photographs. I was embarrassed of my work. So I think the most important lesson, I’ve learned after actually buying that camera, getting started and finally getting the courage to start posting my work, is yes, people will judge you. No, you will not be great when you first start out. You will actually, probably, most likely – be pretty bad at it. However, post it. Post it, even when you’re still learning and you’re not great at what you’re doing. You will still be able to inspire someone out there. Post it to inspire others, but most importantly, post it for yourself. Grow. Learn to be okay with being imperfect.
"Your work will never be perfect, not even when you reach the milestone of getting to call yourself a “professional”.
Perfectionism and pleasing everyone is the biggest lie of them all. There is only learning, growing and evolving, and to be honest with you? That is what we all love about photography, isn’t it? It would be pretty boring if we just all mastered it completely in one day and got to call ourselves “perfect”. It would be pretty boring too if everyone related to and loved our work, wouldn’t it? If that was the truth, there would be no creativity left. Embrace your imperfections in your photography, learn to use them and some people will absolutely love it, while others will not.
Taking all of this into perspective, I would like to mention the fact that I lived in New Zealand for 2,5 years. Going back to Denmark meant I had to adjust quite a bit to the different culture, but also the difference in nature.
If I have to be completely honest, going back to Denmark was a bit of a let-down in the beginning. It just wasn’t the same. No mountains, no rainforests, no volcanos. Just “farms and flat land” – I didn’t have much hope for Denmark living up to my expectations after having lived in one of the most beautiful countries in the world.
But my mindset definitely changed. One moment that stands out in particular was when I saw Opalsøen on the island Bornholm. With a castle of ruins as a view from the top and the beautiful stones and cliffs along the side of the lake; it was a spectacular moment. Still one of the most beautiful places I’ve been. I’ve definitely changed my mindset about Denmark’s nature. Not only because we do have some pretty spectacular cliffs and nature sights, but also because of the peacefulness, the stillness of the flatness that absolutely has its own beauty. I’ve learned to really appreciate it to another level. I find that Danish Nature is so peaceful. I can really just take the time to be mindful of the little things around me.
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