I desperately needed to cheer myself up… The sunless grey days of German winter needed some warmth and the beautiful white landscapes some colour.

Fortunately I brought some really cute, really bright orange goldfish along from Namibia and decided to take them for a swim in unusual places.

Swimming in the snow ©Imke Rust

Swimming in the snow ©Imke Rust

Interventions like these are fun. And important. I slowly realize that these ‘small’ and playful things, which I am usually doing on the spur of the moment, are not that frivolous at all. I might just be following a hunch or a simple, but fascinating idea, at the time and only see the relevance to my life or the bigger picture later. And then I am surprised how these simple creative processes help me to make sense of my life and emotions.

Since I arrived in Berlin in the middle of February, I struggled to adjust to the cold and sunless weather here. Even though I have been regularly moving between the two continents and cultures for some time now, I am still not managing the change very well. I really enjoy Berlin and all that it has to offer, but I have to admit, as a born and bred Namibian I still feel like a fish out of water in Europe.

Flying Goldfish ©Imke Rust

Taking my goldfish out into nature, letting them brighten up the day, wobble through the snow and glide up into the sky reminded me that I could choose to embrace the unease and stress I am experiencing because I am out of my comfort zone. To focus on the bright side and willingly submit to the growth-pains which are a necessary if we do not want to stay stuck in the same old rut. And to explore the advantages: more freedom to discover unusual and new things, having fun in simple ways and being able to see the world with a fresh and unconditioned mind.

And for a while the excitement of placing my cute goldfish all over the place and photographing them made me forget my unusually low tolerance to the cold and my gloomy mood. 🙂

Finding a trickle of flowing water ©Imke Rust

Taking my goldfish for a swim ©Imke Rust (Photograph by Steffen Holzkamp)