A Garden of Kindness

Ida Christine Kvisgaard - Barista for Farstad & Co

Even though I consider myself an introvert, I enjoy nothing more than interacting with people. I think we have forgotten the immense power we as individuals have when it comes to impacting others. Offering unconditional kindness often feels like a dusty book left for too long on some forgotten corner shelf. Well, I am dusting off the cover to say that there will always be a place for kindness, even if it comes one smile at a time.

Through the Looking Glass

When I moved to Oslo after high school, I worked full time as an apprentice in a portrait photography studio. Looking back, this was probably where I developed my solid people-reading skills. Portraits are incredibly intimate to take, and you really get to know someone through the most minor facial details. A forehead wrinkle, a slight frown, or a twinkle in the eye. To me, it was magic. The ability to climb through a tiny mirror into humanity’s deeply complex world is what continues to fuel my freelance photography today. 

With a graphic designer as a dad and a photographer as an uncle, each worked silently to inspire me to choose my own path, a path less traveled.

After I decided to make my photography more of a side job than a full-blown career, I found a lot of joy working in coffee shops. After two years of barista-ing, I found myself looking into the future for a new workplace that offered flexibility, community, and opportunity. And my experience at Farstad & Co has been nothing but inspiring. The international environment found within these four walls has given me many meaningful exchanges with people from all walks of life. The energy is contagious - full of young talent and ambition. I use this to fuel my days, two of which are never the same, as I also write for Farstad and do occasional photography work.

Finding Simplicity in Mind, Body, and Spirit  

As artistic as I may feel, I perform best when things are organized, tidy, and in the right place. I constantly have these “organizing goggles” on, looking for ways to improve systems, both at home and at work. This offers some peace of mind and balances out the high energy that can come from a customer-service-oriented job. It’s no wonder that I’m so drawn to simplicity in the form of interior design and architecture.

Give me some great architecture or a well-designed and decorated home to look at, and you will be speaking to my soul.

If I had to describe myself with one phrase, I would say that I am an old soul. I adore spending time with my family. I relax when listening to my dad’s old records - the sweet sounds of Simon and Garfunkel having first hit my ears at the age of nine. I feel time slow when I’m watering my plants, helping them bloom even during dark times. And I feel like we all have a responsibility to watch out for each other and our communities. It’s these little , yet immensely importantly things, that truly mean the most to me.