CURRENT MISSION

Happiness is a journey, not a destination

ABOUT ME

I'm from Panama but half Swedish. I am currently living in Manchester working as a designer and personal brand photographer.

You can see some of my photography work here:

www.carolinabeiertzphotography.com

or Design work: www.behance.net/carolinabeiertz

I'd say I am a free-spirited explorer of the world. My motto is "work hard, play hard". I caught the travel bug a few years ago and have never stopped travelling. I also love cooking, but there's nothing better than coming back home from a hard days work and having some friends over for great dinner & drinks.

I'm a very spontaneous, fun, creative and friendly person (sometimes very outgoing so some people might not understand that too much but I mean it in a friendly way). I've spent the last 8 years, working, and studying in different cities in Europe such as:

• Amsterdam
• Stockholm
• Jonkoping
• Linkoping
• Madrid
• Aarhus
• Liverpool
• Berlin
• Munich
• Barcelona
• Manchester
• London
• Milan

Things I love:

• D.I.Y
• Cooking things from scratch (and trying new food)
• Making lists / Bullet journalling
• Collecting postcards
• A good bottle of wine (especially red wine in the winter) or white wine in the summer.
• Cats
• Drawing/ Making stuff (That's why I keep organised Pinterest boards of what inspires me http://www.pinterest.com/carolinabeiertz)
• Typography (especially handmade typography)
• Travelling/backpacking
• Exploring different cultures (venturing into the unknown)
• I love sleeping, especially after a good night out (I'm not an early morning person but I can drag myself out of bed when I need to)
• Making other people happy
• Complimenting strangers (If I like their clothing, their style, or personality)
• Photographing people I know/love/cherish/find inspiring

PHILOSOPHY

I think life is short so just do what you think is right, and make the most out of it. Be yourself, and don't let other people get in the way of your goals and dreams.

As they say : "Don't live to work but work to live"

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I used to attend monthly CS meetings in Manchester. I don't really go to that many CS events anymore, but I still like meeting up with people every now and then. I also love hosting people, especially when they've taken the time to write amazing couch requests.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've been hosted in

Barcelona
Madrid
Brussels
London
Valencia
Faro

I've Hosted:

Cata from Chile
Tine Marguiller from Belgium.
Rodrigo Serrano from Burgos, Spain.
Mattias Gybels from France.
Melanie Harouel from France
Peter Kovacs from Hungary
Iwan Thomas from Wales
Gosha and Dayana from Poland
Sarah and Matt from Canada
Julia and Adam from Ukraine and England
Kim from Germany
Deniz and Lotta from Germany
Josh and Joanna from USA and Germany
Tiphaine from France
Bernie and Lena from Germany
Nikola and Pinko from Czech Republic

and many more.

Interests

I love solving problems and being creative. As a designer, I'm constantly looking at how I can re-design a service or improve a customers journey through UX, and experience design. I love to D.I.Y. and refurbish furniture. I also enjoy creating things with my hands.

I have a deep passion for photography since I've been doing it for almost for eight years now. If you would like to see some of my work check out my Facebook Photography page:

http://www.carolinabeiertzphotography.com

When I'm not doing creative stuff, I love to spend time at the beach surfing (when I go home to Panama). I also love to brew my own beer and drink craft beer.

• cats
• arts
• design
• graphic design
• fashion
• photography
• dancing
• cooking
• wine
• clothing
• movies
• traveling
• blogging
• painting
• drawing
• coding
• backpacking
• surfing
• languages
• beaches
• craft beer

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: I've seen to many films to decide if I only have a favorite one, but I love anything that makes me laugh, cry, or smile.

Some of my favourite films are:

• Amelie
• Up
• Exit Through the Gift Shop (Banksy Documentary)
• The Pianist
• Superbad
• The Wolf of Wall Street
• Interstellar

Music: I listen to anything that is pleasant to my ears (Pop, Electronica, Reggae, Dubstep, Rock, Dance, Alternative), but at the moment I'm really into:

• Parov Stelar
• Caravan Palace
• Alt J
• Tame Impala
• M83
• David Bowie
• Elton John
• Grammatik
• Horse Meat Disco
• Buena Vista Social Club
• Coldplay
• Adele
• Grizzly Bear
• Florence and the Machine
• Marina and the Diamonds
• The Smiths
• Muse
• Radiohead
• The Killers
• Two Door Cinema Club
• Lana del Rey
• Bon Iver
• Boards of Canada
• Fatboyslim
• Jarabe de Palo
• Fleet Foxes
• Battles
• Empire of the Sun

Books: I enjoy good novels, but also books about business, self-help, psychology, history, romantic novels, design, and creatives ones. Some of my favourites ones are:

• Make your Own Luck (By Kate Moross)
• How to be a graphic designer without losing your soul (Adrian Shaughnessy)
• The Creative Economy
• Just my type
• Freakonomics
• The World is flat
• How to find fulfilling work by the School of Life

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

• Spent a weekend in San Blas, Panama in a deserted island camping with friends.

• Visited the Alhambra in Granada

• Spent a year living in Milan and going to art school as an exchange student when I was 15 and learnt Italian.

• Had dinner with Shakira and her parents in Panama when I was 13

• Fell in Love with Barcelona

• Rode a camel through the Merzouga desert in Morocco for about 7 hours, and spent a night in a tent under the stars in the middle of that same desert. (Also climbed a sand dune).

Teach, Learn, Share

I could teach you:

• Photography
• Non Violent Communication techniques
• Team Development
• Self-Leadership
• Graphic Design (Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, etc)
• Branding Strategy
• How to cook healthy meals
• Spanish, English or Italian
• Lino Printing
• How to dance Salsa or Merengue
• How to make yummy healthy fruit and veggie smoothies
• How to travel cheaply on a budget / How to find cheap flights
• Drawing or Painting
• How to code (basic)

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Mexico, Morocco, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Denmark, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Panama, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom