an introduction

OH HAI all of Liam's friends and family! I'm super embarrassed that you are apparently reading my blog now! But since you're here, I might as well introduce myself. (Well, I've actually been planning to make a new introduction post for a while, since I've noticed a lot of new readers (yay!), but I sort of haven't gotten around to it ... Why not now? :))

Here goes:

Hi! I'm Kristin!

I'm a mostly self employed singing teacher, blues singer and photographer from Gothenburg, Sweden. I run two pop choirs for adults, give singing lessons, sing the blues with my bands the Sky is Crying and the Gentle Sorrows (here's what I sound like), and photograph weddings and portraits and dance events. I don't work a lot, because I value time and freedom more than money (yes, I belong to the small and privileged part of the world that can say a thing like that), but when I do work, I like it a lot. Liam calls me a creative bum, I guess that's pretty accurate. :)


So somehow I've managed to arrange a life for me where I get to work with the things I love the most - music and photography - and I'm still surprised by it almost every day. (How did I get here?!) I always considered myself someone who is a little bit good at a lot of things, rather than very good at a few things. I did, however, manage to get good enough at music in general to get into the Academy of Music and Drama to get myself a proper degree in music, yay! My job is exactly as fun and cool as it sounds (at least I think so, but then I am a total music geek and music is MY FAVOURITE THING) and it makes me happy almost every day.


I also do a lot of dancing. Like, a lot a lot. :) Blues dancing is my main passion, with balboa and lindy hop following close behind. I teach blues dancing and organise events in my local scene, and spend more money on travelling around Europe to dance than I like to admit. :) Here's me blues dancing!


I'm passionate. Or I'm not. There's no in between. I love it, or I don't. I'm annoyingly intense, but I'm not boring. And I'm very rarely bored. There's just so much that's interesting in life, you know? And beautiful! This insane beauty that surrounds me every day! I want to eat it. I'm almost always happy. I've asked myself why I'm so happy most of the time, and have found the answer: privilege, luck and therapy. I also have the best friends IN THE WORLD. Truly.


Speaking of happy, I only do the fun things and none of the boring things. That is not true. I do boring things if things go really bad if I don't. I.e. I do my laundry, but I'll wear my clothes until they fall apart rather than go shopping for new clothes (because boring!). And I pay my rent, I do my taxes, but I don't vacuum clean. I wish this was an exaggeration. It is not. I leave everything until the last minute and I'm always late, but not late enough to make my friends hate me, and somehow, I've always managed to keep my jobs.


I was born in Gothenburg and have lived there my whole life (except for a year in France after high school, and a few years away at different music schools). It's because it's my favourite place in the world; big enough to have everything I need (all the culture!), and small enough to not feel like a "big city" with miles and miles before you see trees and sea and lakes.


Other favourites: Hiking in the mountains, travelling, breakfast, autumn, words and languages, books and libraries, bright colours, intersectional feminism, oranges, stars, hot chocolate, art museums (modern art especially; my favourite artwork is Gleaming Lights of the Souls by Yayoi Kusama), ice cream, morning walks, any walks, board games, frost, gift wrap, swimming in the sea, parks and gardens, scents with clear or light blue or light green or silver bottles, ALL THE FEELINGS.

Most of the time I look like this:


I also look like this:


So that's that, pretty much!

Also: I'll take really good care of Liam, I promise. I love him.