The Anticipation Letters No.3 – To Reconnect to the Earth

Photo: Grisslehamn, Väddö, Charlotte Ryberg

“Ideas are like fish. If you want to catch little fish, you can stay in the shallow water. But if you want to catch the big fish, you’ve got to go deeper. Down deep, the fish are more powerful and more pure. They’re huge and abstract. And they’re beautiful."
David Lynch

Re-connect to the Earth – the guiding principle behind For the Love of Pine

Last Sunday, I wrote about values. Our values should be the foundation for everything we do. In times like this, especially, we can so easily lose our path and our faith. But at the same time it must be more important than ever to know what we stand for. For my own direction as a designer, I’ve put down my values into a manifest “10 Principles of Holistic Design”, returning to it whenever needed.

The 7h guiding principle – “Re-connect to the Earth” – led me to explore my love for Pine Trees in a holistic way. Instead of solely work with Pine Wood (furu), I went deep, merged perspectives and explored the possibilities openly and were able to layer my findings in intriguing new ways.

I experimented with terpentine (from Pine!) using techniques I learnt in my younger years as a decorative painting artist. I worked with pine soap (“såpa”) and tar (“tjära”). I made a spirit (like Cajsa Warg) and a kombucha with pine shoots (“tallstrunt” in Swedish). Used essential oils from pine needles. Collected inner bark (yes, the one used to make flour substitute) and discovered it’s deeper resinous, balsamic notes when dried. I applied gold foil (a very delicate task in deed) on Pine wood, and instead of hiding its grains with layers of gesso for a perfectly smooth surface, I wanted to bring forward its beautiful structure. It reminded me of the golden shimmers of sun drenched Pine trees. And a visit many years ago to a golden pavilion in Kyoto, called Kinkaku-ji with a pond and Pine trees in front of its golden structure. The work was hands on and seasonal, but at the same time connected me with traditions, different cultures and deep knowledge. The abundance!

The possibilities felt endless – when one species of tree could give all this and more. An intriguing process for a multidisciplinary designer, in pursuit of a sense of whole, ONEness, to focus on one single thing, and explore it in a holistic way. Like a stem branching out in many direction into a whole crown of a tree. A few years ago, I invited people to my studio to share the findings, and served a layered cocktail with Pine, Pine, Pine. We experience deeper when we use all our senses. The response and the conversations were deeply rewarding.

No.7 of my “10 Principles of Holistic Design” – the manifest I return to to refind my values as a designer and as an individual – is “Re-connect to the earth” , which to me means to return to the relationship with nature that is already there. In fact we are nature.

The self-initiated project For the Love of Pine is at the very core of this principle.

Nature is inherently beautiful, highly complex and deeply intelligent. So finding our path back, is not limiting our love of refinement, curation, functionality and storytelling etc.

In the fragrance For the Love of Pine, I wanted to bring forward the feeling of walking through an open Pine Forrest, towards the sea. That sense of calm spirit combined with a joyful sense of freedom and anticipation. I wanted something deeper than the fresh cut wood/carpentry kind of scent that you get if you rely solely on the pine needle essential oil. I wanted you to be able to almost see and feel the moss and lichen, the blueberry bushes, the resinous proud stems.

I imagined how in this sensory moment – Pine forest bathing – I was reaching my late grandmothers seaside cottage, where old and well worn rustic Pine furniture gave off a more mature, balsamic, pine wood scent.

Scent is process. It changes, just as nature does. In an olfactory experience, there’s several layers unfolding. This intrigued me, and I felt, it was a story worth telling.

I truly appreciate all you pine loving early adopters who felt this, bought by one of the 50 numbered handmade boxes, experienced it. Merci and to be continued. The second edition of For the Love of Pine will be released Spring 2025.

For the Love of Pine is An Ode to the Magnificent Pine Tree and an invitation to share the love. Here are a few examples of works of art by other artists and creatives.

The Lawrence Tree, Georgia O’Keeffe, 1929. A starry knight and a red, almost glowing stem in this painting of a Ponderosa Pine Tree.

The Magnificence of a grand Pine Tree…

Mary Lattimore is an harpist, and a musician I often return to, and I’ve also seen her twice at the jazz club Fasching in Stockholm. Lattimore surprised us by sharing openly the stories behind how she got the ideas for her songs. Often she wanted to recreate a place, or a moment.

This album, a golden gem called Collected Pieces, is a favorite of mine, I listen to it when meditating and of course especially the song Pine Trees – Home Recording.