PRESENT

23/01/2025

17/01/2025

My favorite New Year Reflection is what I call the Future-Gratefulness-Letter. You can do it alone, but it’s also fun together in a group with friends: Take out pen and paper and write a journal entry. Imagine it’s exactly one year from now, picture yourself in 2026 and jot down all the things you are thankful for, as if they already happened.

It's scary how well this works so be careful what you wish for :)

It’s a simple but powerful visualisation technique that sets a gentle, forward-looking tone for the next year. It helped me personally quite a bit and I found it to be more rewarding and impactful than classic to-do list resolutions.

Now I want to thank all of you Present People reading this and wish you the best year ever. Thank you for following me on my journey. It’s an honour to write for you. May you find focus and clarity to go for what you need, for what makes you feel alive! 

There is no one on this earth like you. Take care of yourself. And keep on doing your thing.

—
pictured above is the great huckmal with a present painting by lordfolter photographed by jeanraclet

10/01/2025

have a present new year

11/12/2024

"things of quality have no fear of time" moodboard on age and action (part 2)

08/12/2024

Katsushika Hokusai spent decades recreating and perfecting his ‘Great Wave’ painting. The last one being in 1831 when he was 72, which is its most iconic version, becoming one of the most notable artworks in history.

19/11/2024

"It’s never too late and rarely too early."
Moodboard on Age and Action (Part 1)

14/11/2024

I BELIEVE IN YOU.

Yes you can. Yes you can.

We live in a world that often tells us to seek validation, to wait for permission, to rely on others to make things happen. Take this as your sign today. Trust in your own ability to create, to build, and to make evrything you dream of real.

02/11/2024

Deep breaths are like little love notes to your body.

Pictured here is Rickson Gracie, sharing his breathing techniques in a dojo in Brazil. There is a great documentary about Rickson, called Choke. It follows the legendary Brazilian fighter, who is considered by many to be the best jiu-jitsu artist in the world, as he prepares to defend his title in Tokyo's Vale Tudo 1995, an early MMA event.

My favorite part is Gracie's fascinating, intense but nevertheless graceful training and preparation: on the beach, in his house and in the forrests of Brasil and Japan, soundtracked with A Garden of Peace by Lonnie Liston-Smith.

Find the video on our video feed on present.zone/stream (link in bio)

30/10/2024

Finish something. Anything. Stop researching, planning, and preparing to do the work and just do the work. It doesn't matter how good or how bad it is.

You don't need to set the world on fire with your first try. You just need to prove to yourself that you have what it takes to produce something.

There are no artists, athletes, entrepreneurs, or scientists who became great by half-finishing their work. Stop debating what you should make and just make something. 🌸

22/10/2024

17/10/2024

OUTSIDE vs WITHIN

The magic happens once you let go of what you simply can't control and shift your focus on what’s truly in your hands: your mindset, your effort, your values, your actions. Believe in yourself and your power. You've got this⚡️

11/10/2024

To the courageous makers.

Here’s to the bold ones.
The dreamers.
The builders.
The ones who dare to make things happen.

They challenge boundaries and themselves.
They strive to become better at their craft every day.

You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, celebrate or criticize them.
But the one thing you can’t do is stop them.

Because they create things.
They forge. They craft. They shape.
They explore. They make. They innovate.
They push the present forward.

Maybe they have to be brave.
How else can you push out of the comfort zone again and again? Or sit in silence and feel the rhythm of something new? Or open an empty file and see endless possibilities?

We create tools and spaces for these kinds of people. While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see brilliance.

Because the people who are courageous enough to think they can create the future, are the ones who do.

••••••••••
For all the courageous makers around the world and our Present People

Edition 1:
David Zilber, Tricia and Terry Jones, Hung La, Hannah Kuhlmann, Bobby Kolade, Intisar Abdul-Kader

Edition 2:
Octavio Barrera, Thao Westphal and Thuy Thu Pham, Sibusiso Vilane, Anna Santangelo, Dalad Kambhu, Ari Sawyers

Edition 3:
Rea Stamatoulakis, Tom Król, Jasmin Truong, Nam Ngyuen, Marina Hoppmann, Authentically Plastic

More to come✨

08/10/2024

Present's in conversation with designer Etienne Diop aka about his hopes for the fashion industry, insigs on his blend of African and European influences, and involving his Marseille family in his projects 🖤 Now online on present.zone with photography by

01/10/2024

Overthinking → Write
Uninspired → Read
Scared → Take A Risk
Stuck → Walk
Tired → Sleep
Confused → Ask
Frustrated → Move
Overwhelmed → Take A Day Off
Impatient → Review Progress
Stressed → Prioritize
Unmotivated → Remember Your Why
Anxious → Deep Breaths

27/09/2024

Legendary mountaineer and fearless adventurer Sibusio Vilane, first Black man to climb Mount Everest, in conversation with PRESENT🏔️www.present.zone

24/09/2024

Hannah Kuhlmann, Artist and Designer in Cologne.
New Dojos online on www.present.zone🧨

Photography by Neven Allgeier

19/09/2024

Legendary Makers: Georgia O'Keeffe about creating despite doubts, worries and fear.

“I've been absolutely terrified every moment of my life – and I've never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do.”

Your art, your voice, your vision matters: don't let your fear silence you. You got this🏜️