Hello friends,
If you haven’t already noticed, Fika (pronounced Fee-kah) is the name of my business and my blog. When deciding on a name that represented who I was and my philosophies, I started googling qualities that embodied what I wanted to portray about myself and my business. I discovered the word Fika, researched the concept behind it, and instantly knew that it was ME.
What is Fika?
Grab a cup of coffee and we’ll dive right in.
It is a culture and phenomenon practiced in Swedish culture that represents the artfully slow, simple, and often spontaneous custom of taking time out of the day to enjoy sipping coffee (or any hot beverage) alone or in the company of others. Who doesn’t love that? I am never too far away from coffee…ever. 🙂
Scandinavian culture is rich with the art of savoring the cozy and refining the relaxed and balanced lifestyle. For example, Ikea is a simplistic and functional furniture company, hygge (hoo-ga) is taking time away from the daily rush to be with people you care about with no agenda and niksen is the Dutch lifestyle concept of doing nothing with the intent of having mindfulness and being present in the moment. Fika is meant as a time to hit the pause button on work and life stresses and enjoy the simple things in life.
Sounds nice right? Fika is the antithesis of the coffee culture Americans are accustomed to. We are all guilty of chugging that triple shot espresso in the car just to survive the craziness of life, from being a kid taxi to working all day or running errands all around town.
For someone who works full-time as a nurse, is a dog mom, and is hustling to run a business and blog, coffee is a necessity. I admit I often drink coffee to survive the day, but I also enjoy a quiet afternoon at home sitting on the couch sipping coffee and reading a good book or scrolling through Pinterest. Coffee inspired many of my early sign designs and are some of the most popular sought-after signs for home and kitchen décor.
How do you Fika?
Brew a pot of coffee, (I like mine strong and black…no jokes here), give yourself permission to hang out with friends, or the grace to sit quietly and revel in the beauty of life.