A pleasant time with Anton

Hi Anton! Tell us a little about yourself and what you do?

I am Anton, 30 years old, and live in Klitmøller. I have lived in Thy for the last 3 years and moved here from Aalborg, where I studied Industrial Design. I am originally from Malling, south of Aarhus. I was drawn to the waves, nature and the entrepreneurial spirit that is here together with the unique local community. On a daily basis I sit in the office with you, and currently I work freelance as an LCA consultant and graphic designer and illustrator. Anton's Atelier is my little side project, where I paint and draw.

That sounds exciting! What is Anton's Atelier?

Anton's Atelier aims to provide space for pure creative expression without too many thoughts and plans. It's good, if you're the type who's very much in your own head, to get some colors down on canvas or paper and use your body a little intuitively. It's an attempt to get out of your head and into your body, to force yourself to work intuitively without too much control and planning. It's a healthy exercise for someone like me who's very much in my head and makes plans to make plans.

It's also a kind of outlet for the frustrations I may have about the climate crisis, and maybe also my own inner climate. All the challenges the world has with the climate can make you depressed, but if you express it and focus on it, it can help your mind, I think.

I have always dreamed of having a studio or workshop dedicated to creative projects. My head has always been bubbling over with ideas for new projects, so it is liberating to bring some of these ideas to life so that you don't feel like they are going to waste.

Do you actively think about nature and climate?
Both through your projects, but also privately?

Definitely. In my projects, I would say that they are some of the most important driving forces and sources of inspiration that I have. I have always been fascinated by nature, from catching butterflies in elementary school to studying the starry sky in my telescope. From the small scale to the very large. From the abstract in the infinite universe to color combinations and patterns in nature, it opens up an infinite creative energy.

The climate crisis is something that is constantly on one's mind, and especially now after a year with many natural disasters. I want my works to focus on it and make people reflect on it, but also to focus on the beauty of wild nature. To make people aware that nature is worth taking care of. It is something that people pay more attention to here in Thy. The raw nature. You are more a part of it when you practically live in it. I want to show that to the outside world. It is also a form of quiet climate activism to include it in the artistic process. It can help to alleviate some of the powerless feeling you may have.

In my private life, I have recently cut pork out of my diet. Both for climate and biodiversity reasons, but also because it is a bad industry and a bad product. Danes grew up with pork in their diet, so we are used to eating sausages, liver pâté and roast pork. But is it really so delicious that we want to use so much of Denmark's land to grow feed for pigs, which indirectly causes oxygen depletion in the inland waters and pushes our nature and insects to the brink? No, right?

Do you think about what you buy and throw away, and how much?

Yes, but maybe not as much as I should. I rarely buy new clothes and mostly Pleasant ;) But I still drive a lot, use digital technologies, and I love gadgets. But when I buy new products, I look for the greenest options. I am a big believer that we as consumers should have the opportunity to choose the most considerate products we need. The green choice should be the only choice.

What does your work/life balance look like?

My work/life balance is such that I plan my daily life according to the tasks I have, and in collaboration with those I work with. It's new to me, but I can feel that it suits me perfectly. Especially when you live here in Thy and want to surf when there are good waves, it's worth its weight in gold to be able to prioritize that. For me, that's the key to the good Thy life.

In relation to the climate crisis, what do you think is the most important thing that needs to change to help put the climate on the right track?

Definitely the collective understanding of how busy we are. Politicians and citizens should have the same crisis mentality as during corona. It works best if everyone is on board with it. I think that we in Denmark should be at the forefront with everything there is to know about green technology, climate taxes, nature restoration and bans on spraying and bottom trawling and what not. And we can't wait for 80% to agree. We have to get started.

Do you think about your clothing consumption, where the clothes come from and how they are produced?

Yes, if I buy new clothes, I would like them to be as locally produced or sourced as possible. I rarely buy clothes though, because I don't really care about them. I wear the same thing a lot. So if it's timeless and good quality, I'm often satisfied.

What do you think the world will look like in 10 years?

I think the world is becoming a rougher place with climate refugees and more natural disasters, but hopefully we have picked up speed and that there is a sprouting of hope for a beautiful and diverse future with a healthier environment for both people and nature.