Recently, a German magazine asked me for an author photo as they wanted to publish an interview with me. I wondered what kind of photo they had in mind. Posing with one of my books? Outside in nature? In a room in my house? What kind of clothes? "It`s entirely up to you how you want to present yourself", the editor said. I pondered the question all day long. How do I want to be presented? Not easy. Authors don`t only write books nowadays, they have to know what their "brand" is. And how to market this brand. Eventually I concluded that I present myself not how I would like to be seen but how I am. Starting with my clothes: I wore blue jeans and a lumberjack shirt on the day of the photo shoot. And cowboy boots. (I had thought about hiking boots and cargo pants but decided against it, although it would have been a good fit, too.) The photo session was on a windy day in Newfoundland where I am currently spending the summer. The wind made shooting a bit difficult, there was always hair in my face. But on the other hand, I`m an outdoorsy person, so why not? Is my brand now a Swiss-Canadian natural woman? An adventurer? A female lumberjack?
The truth is that I like a simple life. The situation with Covid-19 has even facilitated it. I have started a potato garden! Who would have thought? I`ve been berry picking in the tundra and have enjoyed it very much. I´m making natural yogurt from scratch and – like so many others – I`m baking my own European style bread with a crust. It is especially good with fresh cod from the North Atlantic that my fisherman brings home. I have also discovered wild peas along the shore. And the beauty of flowers is just stunning in Northern Newfoundland.
But I`m not only a nature lover, I can also be intellectual and brainy. And sometimes I like to be a coach potato reading all day long. The reality is that we are a lot of things, and many of us possess contradictory traits. Which makes us interesting, doesn`t it? I`d say: Ditch the brand. Embrace your contrasts!