Sara Vita Justesen
We asked some young people in Copenhagen to share their thoughts on life, creativity and sustainability.
Topic
Type
Article | 03:32 min read
Portrait of
Sara Vita Justesen
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
Still photography by
Frederik Kjeldgaard
Interviewed by
Adam Morris Philp
“I have realized that I can’t hold the weight of the world on my shoulders alone – I can’t save the whole planet. But I can think about my own role in the world and about what marks I leave.”
My name is Sara. I’m 23 years old, and I’m a journalist and a DJ.
I grew up on a small island in Denmark called Bornholm. I was always near the water. The forest was wild and it was a great place to play. I love the ocean, the trees, the ground. You could almost smell the nature growing.
I’m an only child, and I spent a lot of time with my mother and my grandparents. I often played by myself and created my own worlds around me.
I was a restless child, always playing, always chasing things to do. I had a lot of space to go on adventures, but I was longing for new ways to be active and creative. I would play by the river with my dolls and create worlds for them. Nature was very beautiful, but it was also too quiet.
It meant a lot to grow up with my grandparents around. Being surrounded by people who loved me was very important to me. It still gives me the urge to be around people who make me feel safe.
What does sustainability mean to you?
Sustainability, for me, is being conscious about my place in the word and how I affect my surroundings. I take responsibility for my own being. I have realized that I can’t hold the weight of the world on my shoulders alone – I can’t save the whole planet. But I can think about my own role in the world and about what marks I leave.
Do you make sustainable choices in your everyday life?
I try to think a lot about what I eat and what I buy. What I consume is very important to me, so I try not to buy excess clothing or other unnecessary things that I don’t need in my life.
What is unique about this planet?
The better question is what is not unique about this planet? There is always something new I notice in my surroundings that almost baffles me.
I think it’s unique that we don’t actually have to change anything because everything is kind of doing its own work. I believe it’s more of a question of not disturbing our planet too much, like we’re doing right now.
Instead of trying to find another planet to go to, maybe we should just try to stand together and fix what we have. We should find a way to be on this very small planet together.
What do you think we can do to make this world a better place?
I think the world needs to heal on a lot of levels. We have to respect each other and accept that we live together. There are a lot of different people and we all have the right to be here. We all have the right to feel the way we do or believe in the things we do without hate or without the urge to have everyone around you looking, feeling, or believing in the same things as you.
There is a lot that needs to be done on different levels. In order to do better we have to act collectively and pull ourselves together to really think about how we treat the environment. We have to get out of old habits. We have to be conscious and reflective about our choices.
But I also think something has to be done on a higher level. Powerful people have to make changes too. We all have to work together to take responsibility for our planet.
What do you fear the most?
I fear a lot of things. I think the world is currently feeling very fearful. And on a personal level, I fear losing the ones I love. I also fear that the world is going to change in a way that’s not positive and that all the worst scenarios are going to become real.
What is important for you?
It’s important for me to be free and able to be creative, and to have the freedom to feel loved and be with my friends and have fun. So I guess freedom is very important to me. Also love.
I feel like sometimes life gets in the way for me to love or be loved, but it’s my own choices that make me who I am. It’s important to have ambitions and to grow, but I can’t do that if I’m stressed or worried all the time.
Do you think it’s important to stay positive?
I have a bad habit of being very pessimistic, but I try to stay positive. I feel like I get a lot more done when I’m positive. I can feel it in my body.
And if I’m being negative, then it kind of holds my whole body down and it’s hard to get anything done. I think it’s important to be positive, but you also have to leave some room for all the other feelings. It’s all a part of being able to feel emotions.
How do you think other people would describe you?
I think that people would describe me as a person with a lot of opinions, as a person who reflects and thinks a lot. Maybe too much sometimes. Maybe they would describe me as a fun person, at least I hope so, and maybe as a person who likes to be around other people.
When do you feel most happy?
It makes me happy when I get to be creative without worrying too much about the end goal. I don’t want to worry about tomorrow.
I also feel happy when I’m with someone I love and we have a great conversation, or when we share a moment together. I love laughing about something, really laughing until my belly hurts and nothing else matters.
I love just flowing with someone.
