Stephen.
”I moved to Berlin because I wanted to follow my heart and here I found everything that my heart needed. I found music, love and friendship in the way I had always dreamed about. I've lost a lot of people that I was connected to in the past, including my best friend, I've lost furniture, I've lost the ability to earn lots of money but I've also lost a lot of fears and a willingness to put up with crap - so I've gotten so much more back. My ideas about work and who I am changed, everything in my life changed and Berlin gave me the freedom and the opportunities to do that.” #berlin #portrait #stories #bigcitylife #change #inspiration #blackandwhitephotography #photography #followyourheart #storytelling #life #bigcitylife #strongpeople #peopleofberlin
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Tina.
"For me Copenhagen and Berlin are very similar in a lot of ways. The things that I love about Berlin are also the things that I love about Copenhagen such as the diversity and the interesting people but Berlin is much bigger and has a lot more of all the different subcultures that I like. I lived in Berlin for two years before returning to Copenhagen for a year but I came back. Moving home just didn't feel right. I had to go back to be sure that Berlin was where I was supposed to be and now I know. The only downside is that I'm far away from my family and everyone I love in Denmark. I'm actually a librarian but because of the language challenge working in the library is not an option at the moment. Now I work with customer support regarding insurance and I quite like where I am and what I do but I really miss the library and to be working in the field that I love and educated myself in. I don't like the gentrification that's happening in Berlin just as much as in Copenhagen and many other places. There's more money coming into the cities, with lots of ugly buildings shooting up everywhere and I think it's a shame. When I go somewhere where everything is new and built in glass I don't feel home, there's no history. There needs to be a history and I need to feel it where I am and where I live." #berlin #copenhagen #denmark #expat #history #gentrification #librarian #bigcitylife #awesomepeople #danishpeople #berliners #berlinstories #portrait #blackandwhitephotography #photoblog #travel #germany #photographer #streetphotography #lifeingermany #lifeinberlin #citylife #people #stories #newcareer #relocation #life #strongwomen #peopleofberlin #change Poppe.
About a year ago I was living in Södertälje which is a city close to Stockholm in Sweden. For the last 14 years I'd been working as a painter and I really felt that I needed to do something new. The Swedish mentality can be quite judging and complaining and I was tired of it. Somehow Berlin seemed slightly more interesting... People's mentality here is perfect for me. I feel that I fit in way better than I ever did in Sweden. You can do whatever you want without anyone raising an eyebrow. As long as you don't hurt anyone - everyone's cool with it. You can be yourself, be what you want to be and do what you want to do. Right now, I'm just loving life. I didn't manage to get a job in the painting and construction industry so I ended up working in an office and I'm super happy with it - we get free lunch! Every street in Berlin is full of history and every person has a story to tell. If you've enjoyed this reading of Portraits of Berlin, please like and share. Together we can make a change. (Text originally posted for the Kristian Kotilainen Photography Facebook page 2017-04-03.) #Berlin #Streetphotography #Officework #Sweden #relocation#followyourdreams #sodertalje #stockholm #bigcitylife #awesomepeople#change #painter #holidayinberlin #beyourself #newcareer#careerchange #blogging #lifeingermany #lifeinberlin #berlinlife #street#people #stories Sandra. "My role here at the Neukölln Opera/Neuköllner Oper is a mix of second director, stage manager and sometimes also props manager. On rehearsal days I'm the first one here in the morning locking up, waiting for the others to arrive. Then we rehearse, working on spoken texts, singing or dancing depending on what production is being set up and in between I fix props and costumes and whatever else is needed." "On show nights I have to be here for the singers to put on their make-up, wigs and costumes, prepare props and make sure all is in order behind the scenes for the show run smoothly. Basically, I do a little bit of everything." "I knew about the Neukölln Opera/Neuköllner Oper through a good friend of mine who worked here as I was studying stage directing in Hamburg, specifically for opera. What attracted me was that it was different from the more traditional and conservative opera houses which tend to have a lot of hierarchy. We're not that many people working here, something that demands more individual responsibility and I find it to be a more democratic process of making opera when we can talk face to face and communicate straightforward with each other." "The Neukölln Opera/Neuköllner Oper also dares to take more risks in order to make modern contemporary musical theater that's accessible for a wider audience instead of dusty, long and boring stuff which might be what you picture in your head when you hear the word opera." "With Berlin – I have this constant love/hate relationship. The city is so crowded that you always have to fight for your space. But there's also so much diversity going on and when you find your space – there's space for everybody, no matter how you are or who you wanna be. That's really nice. Even though I do miss fresh air and the ocean sometimes..."
(Text originally posted for the Kristian Kotilainen Photography Facebook page 2017-03-21.) #berlin #neuköllneroper #neukölln #oper #berlinlife #opera #theatre#interestingpeople #bigcitylife #photography #theatreandarts #theater#peopleofberlin #portraitsofberlin #art #strongwomen #acting #dancing Kim.
"The general vibe here in Berlin is kinda weird, a little crazy but very real and very honest. Berlin has given me that realness. Here I don't have to pretend to be happy, to feel good or that I have to feel in a certain way. It's okay to also not feel good sometimes and it's not the end of the world. Berlin is darkness and light, freedom and life and embracing yourself." (Text originally published for the Yes Wow Museum 2017-03-17.) #berlin #berlinpeople #peopleofberlin #realness #citylife #streetphotography#holidayinberlin #berlinlife #berlinstories #embraceyourself #feelgood #citygetaway#travels #strongwomen |
AuthorI came up with the idea of expanding my photography with Berlin related storytelling. Every street in this city is full of history and every person has a story to tell. ArchivesCategories
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All photos © Kristian Kotilainen 2016-2018.
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