Why Fräulein
The blog has gotten a little refresh! While nothing major has changed, I updated a few cosmetic things here and there, and I’m excited to share them! First and foremost, is a new logo. Slightly paired down, streamlined yet intrinsic–the new logo brings one singular element into play–”fräulein”.
As I was redesigning it, I thought–I’ve never really shared the story behind the name of my blog or where it came from. So here we go.
My family is from Austria and I grew up completely immersed in the culture. My parents both worked full time when I was a kid, so I spent a ton of time with my grandparents. I was at their house at least three days a week, and they easily fit the role of a second pair of parents early on.
As native speakers I learned bits of the language, the food, and culture from them. As a child, I definitely wasn’t aware of the impact it had on me, or how it differentiated me in a positive way. I was always kind of ashamed of being a little different (as most kids are). I showed up to school with a tin foil-wrapped schnitzel, which to all the other peanut butter and jelly kids was beyond weird. I feel like everyone has a traumatizing lunchtime story from elementary school, no?
Alas, I digress. As I grew older, I began to fall in love with the Austrian culture, I took German in high school and ended up living with a family in a small town in Germany over junior year summer 2011. It was an amazing experience, and I’ll never forget some of the beautiful moments from that trip. I remember people watching in Berlin, wandering the streets of Vienna (which became a favorite city of mine) and observing what appeared to me then as such a different way of life. A way of life that felt foreign yet completely natural – one that was slow, intentional, methodical and above all extremely beautiful. It’s what I know now as this, “euro-inspired” lifestyle. One that celebrates small moments, natural beauty and the art of an everyday moment. I brought the camera that I still use to this day on that trip and got to know it intimately–shooting small, everyday moments during our excursions. I fell in love with capturing, editing, and then later sharing them on …of all things…Tumblr. Remember Tumblr?? I miss her, she was a good one.
I created a blog called Lebe+Liebe (which means life and love in German) LAUGH OUT LOUD at that now, I’m cringing as I write this. But hey, if you’re not cringing at your past self, are you really growing at all?
And so this love for photography, everyday moments, and simple beauty was born. Found by Fräulein is a continuation of those things (plus a few more), and my goal is for it to serve as a hub for documenting moments in my life that I think are beautiful and impactful.
There is no direct translation of Found by Fräulein to English. Nor does it make sense in German. Hah. Rather, I fell in love with the beauty of the word fräulein itself. I fell in love with the idea of honoring it’s roots in radical divine femininity while breathing new life into it by celebrating the small everyday rituals in life with the unique feminine perspective.
Of course the blog will continue to evolve, and change just as I do. I’m excited for the next chapter and continuing to share what inspires and speaks to me!
