STELLA NOVA

Visiting Emilie Schleppegrel

EMILIE SCHLEPPEGREL
IN HER PRIVATE HOME, COPENHAGEN NV
23 YEARS OLD
STUDYING AT ROYAL DANISH ACADEMY OF ARCHITECTURE
@EMILIESCHLEPPEGREL

Trine: WHAT IS LOVE? 

Emilie: In love, you need feel yourself, and what you feel can be very fragile, vulnerable and at times ugly. But it is important cause otherwise I don’t think it is love. 

Trine: SO LOVE IS NOT JUST HAPPILY-EVER-AFTER? 

Emilie: No, I don’t think so... Because that’s not how life is. Happiness is not a constant state, but something to be experienced in small bits and pieces here and there. Moreover, love isn’t just a thing between two people, but also something that exists between friends, family and in other relationships.

Trine: DOES THE "ONE AND ONLY" EXIST? 

Emilie: I think there exists many “one and only’s”... But it is essential that both people are a good match for each other, in regards to where they are at in their life. 

Trine: SO IT TAKES GOOD TIMING? 

Emilie: Yes, because we develop through life and therefore the person who is good for you at one stage, might not necessarily be the right one later on.

"In love, you need feel yourself, and what you feel can be very fragile,
vulnerable and at times ugly. But it is important cause otherwise I don’t think it is love"

Trine: BUT... DO YOU THEN JUST SWAP THEM OUT? 

Emilie: Maybe... Or alternatively you can make an effort to grow together and find new ways to do things, and that is always a shared responsibility in a relationship. Overall, I think it is important to make an effort - also in love. Then it is about letting go and not focusing on all the prejudices on what’s right and wrong - and how things should look. You need to be cautious not to mistake love for something that has to fit into the performance of your life.... That doesn’t make you any happier.

Trine: BUT IT IS, PERHAPS, ALSO THE TIMES THAT WE ARE LIVING IN... THERE IS SUCH AN EXTREME FOCUS ON PERFECTION... AND EVERYTHING IS EXPERIENCED THROUGH THE LENS OF CAMERA.

Emilie: Exactly, - and everything needs to be so correct and you do get, without even noticing, sucked into that way of thinking.

Trine: AND THEN YOUR BOYFRIEND - AND MAYBE EVEN KIDS, BECOMES LIKE AN ACCESSORY COMPARABLE TO A HANDBAG?

Emilie: Yes, it becomes all about these symbols of status, and that is just so tasteless.   

Trine: AND THAT IS NOT LOVE? 

Emilie: No, and that’s exactly where many people have a very narrow understanding. They don’t listen to the other... Or to themselves, because they are so busy trying to make their life seem "picture-perfect".

Trine: WHY HAS IT BECOME THAT WAY? 

Emilie: Back then, when we were much more dependant on each other, maybe love had fewer conditions. Today, maybe it is too easy to just walk away and swap each other for something new and more exciting, instead of looking inwards.

Trine: AND THAT DOESNT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH LOVE? 

Emilie: No quite the contrary, for love should have even more weight in the equation. You have probably seen too many movies if you think that it’s all gonna be a like a dance on roses. You need to work hard together, and with yourself, to make the relationship work. It also required that you are honest with yourself  and dare to take responsibility for your less attractive qualities. 

Trine: MAYBE IT IS A DANCE IN ROSES; BUT WITH A BIT OF THONES ON? 

Emilie: Yes, that is probably the right image... And then you have to hope that you dance on the roses with fewer thorns. 

Trine: THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME EMILIE... HOPE YOU WILL BE ENRICHED WITH A LOT OF LOVE IN YOUR LIFE.