GET TO KNOW :: Marthe Hagen of The Freedom Experiment

Freedom is a state of mind.

photos courtesy of Marthe Hagen

Freedom.
Our country (the U.S.) is built upon this ideology.
Personally, it’s something we all long for.
Freedom to be ourselves.
Freedom to say what we believe.
Freedom to marry whom we choose.
Freedom to live a life on our own terms.
Freedom.

My dear friend and fellow blogger + writer + freedom seeker, Marthe Hagen, exemplifies the meaning of freedom. Her blog The Freedom Experiment has been a tremendous source of inspiration and encouragement in my life.
Her words are poignant. Vulnerable. Raw.
She shares from the depths of her soul.

I recently got to sit down and chat with Marthe about all things freedom, inspiration and creativity.
And I got a lucky sneak peek at her new book, released last week (hint: it’s crazy good)!
Read on to learn more about Marthe, her mission and her powerful story.
Plus we’ve got a super sweet surprise for three lucky readers. Yep, THREE!
Enjoy!
~

Tell me a bit about YOU.

I was born in 1986, in a town called Gjøvik in Norway.
I grew up on a tiny strawberry farm on the countryside with my two siblings and my 4 cousins + grandparents just nearby.
During my school years I was very lonely and although I did very well in class – those years were very painful for me. After high school, I started studying international relations and development studies, but decided to go to law school instead.
I took a year off law to study fine art photography in London in 2010 – my first Freedom Experiment. After that, I have been blogging, writing, photographing, creating and coaching.
I live in Oslo, but spend about 4-5 months a year traveling.

What is the Freedom Experiment and how did that come to be?

I did my first Freedom Experiment when I decided to move to London to study photography. It had always been my dream to live abroad and to study something creative. Although I was bored in law school and in Oslo, I wasn’t ready to pack up everything and make a permanent shift in my life. And still, I wanted to make my dreams come true!

Then I got the idea of making it into an achievable experiment.
For one year, I would make my two dreams come true – while still keeping the security and safety of my current lifestyle in Oslo. The first Freedom Experiment was born!

A Freedom Experiment is a way to make your dreams come true – faster and easier. It’s creating a smaller scale version of your dream and then going for it. If you dream of writing a book – write a short e-book. If you dream of living location-independently – do it for 2-3 months first. If you dream of living in New York city – stay there for 6 weeks.
If you dream of being a commercial airplane pilot – start by joining your local club and learn to fly a glider.

A Freedom Experiment is about taking out the essence of your dream and experimenting with it – making it achievable and doable within a more reasonable time frame.

I’ve always felt the need for freedom in my life – so working for myself came as the only option (though not always an easy one). What do you find are the most challenging things about being a writer + blogger + being online (and working for yourself)?
And what is the most gratifying?

I definitely feel the same way about being self-employed. At this time in my life it really is the only way to go for me.
The most challenging part of being free is to find a balance between true freedom and routine, schedules and plans.
I don’t really have any set working hours or plan – I work when I feel like it (which is often a lot!).
However, I do realize there’s a certain freedom in routines too. This is a balance I am working on a lot right now.

The most gratifying thing about being a writer, blogger and life coach is that I can work from anywhere!
At the time of writing, I am in Los Angeles – working from a local coffee shop.
Two days ago, I wrote a blog post from thirty eight thousand feet while on a trans-atlantic flight.
Three weeks from now, I’ll be working and writing on a beach in Thailand.
As a writer – all I really need is a pen, paper + my computer and wifi. A blank page is the most gratifying thing I know.

What inspires + motivates you to keep creating?

People inspire me.
I find endless inspiration in reading – poetry, novels, magazines, blogs and everything in between – but most of all I find inspiration and motivation in the people around me.

I very strongly feel that I am on this earth to help people heal, and I find it so powerful to realize that I can do that with my writing. I receive a lot of e-mails and comments from people who are suffering in various ways and I am so blessed and honored that they trust me to help them to the best of my ability. I care so much about my readers.

As both a creative and a practical person (I’m a sure mix of left + right brain) ~ personally I find it hard to strike a balance between running a “business” and creating “art”. Do you struggle with this? How do you manage it?

Yes. And No.
What I struggle with the most is to balance the work that pays the bills with the work I want to be doing.

As of right now, I am spending more time on the legal consulting work that I do – than I ideally wish. However, I am managing this by working very strategically with creating products for my writing and coaching work that will allow me to downsize the legal work in the future.

On the other hand, I don’t struggle with the business/art question with the work I do online. I see these things as two sides of the same coin. I think the reason why this works so well for me is that I don’t ever create or write any art with the intention of selling it.

I create 100% from the heart with the intention of helping people heal.

Putting a price on that and selling some of the work that I do is a natural extension of creating – I know that the business part of things make the flow of energy dynamic and rich. I believe in an equal flow of support – I support my readers and they support me.

Yes! I love your take on art + commerce. It’s all about flow. Speaking of which, I got the chance to preview your new book Feeling Good When Life is Hard (and it’s deeply personal + incredibly powerful + flows so well) – what was the process like of writing your very 1st book?

Thank you!
The process of writing was very dynamic, as I wrote and rewrote and edited along with living my way through a very challenging time personally. Writing the first draft was relatively easy – I know it sounds a bit cheeky, but it did really just flow.

However, shortly after I wrote the first draft – my life fell apart. My boyfriend of 8 years left me, I lost a lot of friends (who I realize now were more his friends than mine), I had to sell my apartment and start completely over.
In retrospect, this was the best thing that could have happened to my book at the time. I got a very real chance to test my own advice. Some of it fell through and some of it worked wonders!

I spent almost 3 months all in all – mostly writing from coffee shops in New York and Oslo. I also had the chance to work with an incredibly talented graphic designer (Kristin Butler) and I am very, very happy with the result.

I’m sure you’ve faced your share of struggle in your life (as have I and a lot of my readers) ~ I wonder, what advice you have for them, about not only feeling good when life is hard, but creating a life you are madly, crazy in love with.

I think the most important concept I have learned over the years is acceptance.
I used to believe that I was powerless when it came to accepting difficult situations – that I either could or couldn’t accept – and that I had no choice. It felt like I either accepted something, or I didn’t. Most of all I didn’t, and I spent a lot of time and energy on fighting something that had already happened.

I believe that this is a very common reason why people suffer. Wishing things are different is incredibly painful and can be the source of a lot of hopelessness and sadness.

Over the years, however, I have learned that acceptance is a choice. It’s not easy, but at some point you have to make a conscious decision to let go, stop fighting and accept what is going on. When you can do that, the shift is huge! Suddenly you have a clean slate and a blank page. After that, anything is possible!

I love that – and totally agree. Acceptance of the present moment is key! Not to change the subject, but your book (and website) are gorgeous. I love the simplicity, white space and beautiful fonts. Personally, I’m really drawn to beauty + aesthetics (as I know you are too), so I’m curious, what does beauty mean to you?

Beauty is very important to me. As a highly sensitive person, I am very attentive to detail and nuances.
I get very easily stressed if my surroundings are out of sync!
I find calmness and ease in white, spacious and naturally lit environments and I spend a lot of time and effort in making my life as visually stimulating and pleasing as possible.
I love anything that has to do with beauty – fashion, decorating, art, graphic design, music and even beautiful words!

I know you love to travel too – tell me, what are a few of your favorite spots?

Oh my, where do I begin?
I am very attracted to all things Asian and two of my favorite countries are Malaysia and Japan. In Malaysia, more specifically the Perhentian Islands I have found peace in a way I didn’t even think possible.
Tokyo is a beautiful city – the Japanese really know their way around good design. In addition, the mix of traditions and innovation is just sublime.

Another favorite of mine is New York City. I dream of living there permanently. Most of all, I love the sense of possibility I get when I am there – I truly feel like everything is possible.

Last, but not least – a list of favorite spots would not be complete without a mention of my three most amazing travel experiences ever. Watching the sunrise over Angkor Wat in Cambodia, swimming with wild dolphins in Hawaii and flying in a helicopter over Manhattan are the three highlights of my life.

Is there a specific quote or a philosophy, which guides your life?

Yes, there is! I have two quotes and philosophies that guide me in almost anything I do.
“Everything is possible” is a life motto I created for myself with the help of a life coach a couple of years ago.
It really sums up the essence of how I want to live my life – optimistic, hopeful and magical.

The other quote I live my life by is “This too shall pass”. Originating from the Persian Sufi poets, this little saying has guided me through some of the hardest times of my life.
For me, it signifies a deep trust in life – nothing is permanent, everything is changing and it will all turn out the way it is meant to be. In addition, I find that “this too shall pass” also helps me appreciate good times – to live in the moment and enjoy life.

WHY do you do what you do?

I have a very strong sense of why I am living this life – to help people heal.

When I look at it that way, everything I have ever experienced has a deeper meaning. For example, I believe that my lonely years happened because I was meant to spend time alone reading (which is how I spent most of my time from the age of 8 – 16) and this has made me the writer I am today.
I also believe that I suffer from a mental illness because it helps me relate to people and experience life in a way that will make me a better healer. Everything I have ever experienced has led me to this point in life where I can clearly see that my work in the world is truly helping people.

I do what I do to make the world a better place.

Mmm, I love that Marthe. And you truly are making a difference in the lives of SO many (including me)! Any final thoughts + musings?

Thank you so much for having me! I am still awestruck by the world we live in – how I can be sitting here in Los Angeles and communicate and connect with like-minded people from all over the earth.
It truly is a wonderful world.

~

And I couldn’t feel luckier to have the lovely Marthe Hagen in MY world.
She is the personification of quiet beauty. Grace. Thoughtful transformation. A phoenix rising from the ashes.

In support of the launch of her 1st book (yay!), Marthe has generously gifted me with THREE copies of the book to give away to you lovely readers. Lucky ducks!

To win your very own digital copy of How to Feel Good When Life is Hard, here’s what you need to do ::

1. Sign-up for the Freedom Experiment mailing list

2. Sign-up for The Girl Who Knows mailing list below, if you haven’t already (+ you’ll get my FREE guide to finding your life purpose, for now)