Joona

Melanie Hoppe

33 years old

I am a young mother with a little sewing business, with the dream to create a picture book for children one day…

I come from Buxtehude, Germany.

About my drawing
What I was doing: I am listening to music when I am doing my drawings. Drawing pictures does relax me so much and it is so much fun!

Where I was: I am making my drawings in the living room at my big dining table or I am sitting in my little office.
Whom I was with: Some pictures I am drawing when I am all alone and some are generated when I am together with my son.

Sun is joy!

“I realized how important the sun was for my naturally happy state of mind after I lost it.
It’s been six years since I did this spontaneous doodle, it was my first winter in Germany.
Since then, ‘Sun is Joy’ became my motto.”

Ilana Paterman
29 years old
media art student and designer
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, currently living in Cologne, Germany

About my drawing
What I was doing: I did it in 2005, in the middle of several sketches and doodles during a brainstorming for a conceptual design project.
Where I was: desk at design school in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany
Whom I was with: alone

Sunshine, shopping, sea, etc.

Cathy Styles
a young 46
currently unemployed, previously director of a biotech company
Munich, Germany (previously Dahab, Egypt; Newbury, UK; London UK; then Cape Town, South Africa where I was born)

About my drawing
What I was doing: I was supposed to be online job hunting, but got horribly distracted by the Brain Pickings post on Facebook.
Where I was: at my home desk
Whom I was with: alone with my cat Miro

Who you feel

Susu Fiedler
30 years old
Profession: “profession of being”
City/Country: Ravensburg/Munich/Hong Kong/Windhoek/Germany/China/Namibia

“Positive various imagination of all the possibilities in life out there for being happy.”

“I was actually listening to some nice soul music when I drew this pic and thought about everything makin’ me feeling ‘happy’ …
I drew this on my dinner-table.
I was all by myself.”

Either / or

“Singing makes me happy, horses / horse riding, sunshine / good weather, family, friends, good food, traveling / learning about different cultures.”

Anja
24 years old
finance student
born in Germany, living in Australia

Me on a sailing cheese

“That’s me on a piece of cheese, so I’ll never be hungry.”

Swantje
26 years old
film student and receptionist
born in Germany, living in Iceland

Meeting my family

“Meeting my family in Iceland makes me happy! I’ve lived in Germany since [I was] 18 years and try to come [at] least once a year to see them.”

Sissy Haspa
26 years old
Germany
student

Heavy metal is love

“Me + heavy metal = <3"

Steve
Germany

Ska, sun, sports, travel, ice cream, family, friends

Nina
25 years old
primary school teacher
Bremen, Germany