Photo : @marthethu — *Photo :* *@marthethu*

Location : Selvær, Northern Norway
Profession / passion : Costume designer, writer, shopkeeper
Website : www.marensaedi.com
Instagram : @marensaedi @dinnaerbutikk

One Day is an ongoing project sparked by the Covid-19. In the days of isolation we would like to focus on what we do best; bringing people together. Read more about the project here.
We will be posting one new day of someones life every day until we run out of contributors. See our instagram stories to experience these peoples One Day in action.

A film everyone should watch?
The Elephant Walk a movie by swedish Marie-Louise Ekman... And Twilight two times a year.

What is the story behind your profession/passion?
Well, I got my education as a costume designer at Oslo National Academy of the Arts (KHiO) where I finished my BA in 2018. Being a part of a creative team and telling stories through textiles and bodies is some of the reason why I find that profession exciting. I´m also on very interested in clothes and have been a sucker for thriftstores and vintage clothes for many years. I love to find odd, ugly or beautiful clothes. Thinking about who wore and owned them before. What their life was like. Did this piece of garment mean anything special? And so on. Exciting!

During my studies I started to feel very, very overwhelmed and tired by living in a city. Actually, it felt rather exhausting and depressing, so I felt a huge need for a change of scenery in my life. By a rather small coincidence I saw a small note on a webpage where a job was listed. On a tiny island in Northern-Norway they needed someone to take over the only shop on the island. A small grocery store and also a cafe. The most important meeting place for the people that lives there. The 12 people that lives there actually.

I googled the island, Myken, and it looked like something out of a dream! It was so beautiful, very pittoresque and I realized that THIS is what I´ve been waiting for. I have to get this job! So I applied, and eventually i got the job! So strange, a bit scary but also filled with curiosity and hope.

I am very interested in food, but i have never worked in a grocery shop before. This was all so new and maybe a very odd job to get when you´re educated in designing costumes.

But i loved it! The island and northern-Norway have been breathtaking. The work is also interesting in different ways. One side is how i learn more about food, locally sourced groceries etc, but the best part is the people. You get so close with almost everyone, and i´ve gotten to know many great people.

So after i left the city and moved to a tiny island i´ve gotten so much more time and headspace for doing other things. I´ve started writing and are working with two different books right now. I lived on the island called Myken until January, when i moved from the island to work with a theatre-production close to Oslo for a few months. I HATED being in the city, even though i have all my friends and family there. So now i´ve moved back to Northern-Norway, but this time i´ve moved to another island and i´ve started in a new job. And new shop! For a tiny island with about 50 inhabitants. Life is strange.

Function or form?
Form!

Analog or digital?
Analog!

Quality or quantity?
I want to say quality, BUT when i´m visiting thrift stores i always end up with so many things! Especially old dishes. I have so many dishes! Too many!

How do you want people to react to your work/passion?
Hehe, it depends on what kind of work it is. When I told people in Oslo that i was going to move to and island and take over a shop, i noticed that some people didn´t take me seriously. They thought it was a bit “cute”, but nothing that seemed serious. And why would i who have a creative background work in only a grocery shop? Isn´t that somewhat a failure? It made me angry to notice how people had ideas of what would be a good or bad job. Like some jobs are more cool while other, like the shop, isn´t good enough. It´s so stupid! Everyone can´t be artists or designers, we must value all kind of jobs! So, my short answer is that i want people to take me seriously, and see the value in my profession, even if it´s costumes, writing or as a shopkeeper.

How has the current situation affected how you work?
Well, for starter. The theatre production I was making costumes for got its premiere cancelled like everything else when the world shut down in March. I´ve also had to postpone a big project i´m doing with a photographer called Marthe Thu. We´re making a book about small shops, like the ones i´ve worked with! So my creative professions been paused, while my job as a shopkeeper have been busy. I think that during these times people have started to acknowledge how important the work of people who run and works in grocery shops actually are, and that is something i think is very good.

How was your spiritual and religious upbringing and how did it affect you?
My father is actually from Iran, so he´s a muslim. Or at least he was brought up as a muslim. My mother is really not religious at all. My father don´t practise his religion either, so I wasn´t very influenced by any religious beliefs. But because of the diversity in family background, I feel that it has impacted me since I've known about different religions and beliefs. I guess, or I choose to believe that it´s made me more open minded towards different peoples from different places. My mom also worked a lot with underage refugees in my childhood, so during my upbringing i felt that I had 4 afghani older brothers, because that was kids she worked with and eventually in some way became a part of our family.

Your greatest achievement.
My greatest achievement is definitely to have made this choice about moving to the north almost two years ago. To leave everything and everyone I know, and just start all over. It has sometimes been a bit rough. You get to know yourself on a whole new level when you do something like this. With only 12 inhabitants, and everyone is like 30-40 years older than you, you get a lot of alone time. I´ve learned that i do value my own company. I actually need to be alone sometimes. And I´ve discovered the big art and beauty about doing nothing. To give yourself A LOT of time with not necessarily anything important or busy that has to be done. If I was to rule the world, I would force everyone to do nothing - sometimes! Haha. We live in a time where you´re constantly under some kind of pressure. Either is work, self-esteem, education. It´s so much stress! A constant hunt to become something? Someone big? To have “made it”? I feel that success is equivalent with having a fancy, well-payed job. But what about having a good life? Of course it´s important to feel satisfied with your work situation, but what about life? A nice hobby? Spare time.

I guess i kind of see it as an achievement that i have redefined success for me. That I´ve stopped being stressed out about if I´m good enough, cool enough or talented.
...And I do believe that all of this has given me more room to be creative. So maybe, in the end, it´s a big win-win.

Describe a smell that brings back memories to you.
Lilacs. Every spring. The blooming of the lilac. Such a strong and incredible smell. Makes me think about all nice memories connected to the spring.

What traits do you treasure in other people?
Sympathetic and humble people. It´s almost enchanting, and sometimes i actually think it´s very sexy too. Sympathetic people.

Lastly, how do you wish to see this current situation have a positive impact on our lives?
Oh, on so many things!! But for starter, since Im interested in locally sourced food I really hope that people start value local food and manufacturers. If we can eat more local food, it will have a huge impact on so many levels. The environment, because we´ll maybe see that it isn´t good to ship food all over the planet, if it could be made here or if we have similar options! Like in the fish industry. Norway ships so much fish over to China and eastern-Europe where it´s being processed before it comes back to Norway again for sale in our grocery shops. That´s insane and not so appetizing.
This also impacts our economy, if it was all processed here, we would also have more workplaces. Ah, everything is connected. Bits and pieces and some loose ends.

One Day : Maren Saedi - Costume Designer & Shop Keeper