Emotional Journeys / Lohi Journal Issue 5 Out Now

My father loved animals, but he was allergic to fur. Instead, our home was full of parrots, canaries, and lizards. One time, I went into the bathroom and sat down on the toilet. Then I heard a noise, and so I pulled back the shower curtain. There was a swan, hiding in the bathtub!

The woman, sitting across me at a birthday dinner, laughed as she told the story. I saw her eyes light up, it was clear that she had revisited the scene in her memory, that she had once again experienced the surprise of sharing a bathroom with a swan.

We continued talking, probably about nothing in particular, but after a few minutes, she stopped mid-sentence and continued her story:

The reason I remember it so well is that nothing ever happened when we were children, nothing at all. Everything was always the same, everything was routine. All school days were the same, all evenings were the same, all weekends were the same. We didn’t travel anywhere and did nothing, ever. Memories are based on emotions, but apart from the surprise I felt when I saw the swan, I never felt anything I didn’t normally feel. And so I remember almost nothing from my childhood, except for the day I saw the saw in my bathroom.

I once read in a book (that I ironically no longer remember the name of) that most shepherds know the things it takes philosopher decades to figure out.

In our casual dinner conversation, the woman had summarized one of the main findings in the field of memory research: memories, on both individual and collective levels, are the most intense when associated with strong emotions.

This is also what inspired us in choosing what to include in Lohi Journal’s fifth print issue – we wanted to create stories that the readers engage with emotionally, that are not only interesting and informative, but moving.

In this issue, we’ve met with artisans and artists like Calle Forsberg (south of Stockholm), Håkon Anton Fagerås (in Pietrasanta), and Lucas Odahara (in Berlin), listening to their stories about working with their hands to tell a story or to express an idea.

In Berlin, we stayed at a hotel famous for its collection of contemporary art, and explored the many historic layers of the German capital.

In Milan, we spoke with Katharine Kostyál and Nina Yashar about their work between interiors and art, while also getting their tips on what to do and where to go. We also travelled to Lake Como, favourite holiday destination for the milanese.

In France, we visited Bordeaux, travelled around the famous wine district and stayed at one of the most special hotels I’ve ever been to, the suites placed like bird nests up in the trees, far from the ground.

For a few months, I corresponded with Matthew Williamson about his work as an interior designer and new life in Mallorca.

I was fascinated to learn about the reasons for his strong work ethics, and his view on how to live a good life.

We’re also including a travel guide to Menorca, Mallorca’s little sister, a great destination for those wanting to get away from the crowds.

With this fifth issue, it’s become clear to me that what we’re doing with this magazine is that we’re inviting our readers into the worlds of people working and living according to the principles of a slow lifestyle.

They might live in different places, and what they do for work might vary, but the underlying principle is that Lohi operates as an introduction to different creative worlds, demonstrating that another kind of lifestyle - slower and smaller in scale – is possible.

Order Lohi Journal here.