«Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the story
of that man skilled in all ways of contending,
the wanderer, harried for years on end” 
Homer, The Odyssey

THE VISUAL STORYTELLER

Hanlie Joubert is a photographer and has a great talent for telling stories through her camera lens. Stories that will make you stop, take a break from what ever you're doing and dive into the picture. If you are on Instagram chances are you have felt the same way when her photos appear in your feed under the profile @slowwanderings_hanliejoubert.
"In addition to being my job Slow Wanderings is also my creative outlet.» Hanlie says. " I cannot see myself doing anything else in life. It is also a way for me to connect with individuals from all over the world and I sometimes need this as we are living a very secluded life here on a farm in South Africa."

A NOMADIC LIFE

Naming the business "Slow Wanderings" is no coincidence given she has lived a nomadic life  through a long period of time. When she and her husband married 12 years ago they moved. First to Dublin in Ireland, where Hanlie`s husband worked as an architect and Hanlie studied interior design and styling. After more than four years in Ireland, they spread their wings to the USA where Hanlie opened a small online shop selling vintage treasures. and this is where she developed a deep passion for the art of photography.But they felt an urge to move on, and the little family went back to South Africa. It was a conscious decision to move back, says Hanlie. We wanted to calm down, simplify and live a slower and more meaningful life. A many year long wandering all over the world had come to its end on a secluded farm in South Africa. But Hanlie`s photography is still wandering through beautiful visual narratives. 

THE ROAD AHEAD

My relationship with Hanlie also evolved slowly, starting with likes and small kind comments on each others instagram posts, through progressively more contact, and when Hanlie called for someone who could make her new logo it felt natural to propose, despite the fact that we live on opposite sides of the world.
Many common visual and value-related reference points made it easy to come to consensus on a new identity for Slow Wanderings. It would of course have to be the brave and beautiful Protea flower.
 

THE PROTEA FLOWER

The South African flower Protea got its name from the Greek God Proteus. (Called the "Old man of the Sea» in Homer's Odyssey)  It did so as Proteus would constantly change his shape, and  the Protea flower appears in so many different shapes.
The King Protea is the largest flower in the Protea family. It is widely distributed in the fynbos regions of South Africa. It symbolizes change and transformation. It signifies daring and resourcefulness. A symbol of diversity and courage. It is a very beautiful flower, not at all small and cute, rather it gives the impression of being hardy and persevering.  As it grows wild in the area where Hanlie Joubert lives, it was an obvious symbol when we were creating the new profile of her business "Slow Wanderings".

Food prepared with love from local ingredients and enjoyed together with family and friends around a beautifully set table is soul food to me, Hanlie says. This kind of food nourish more than just the body. 

Therefore, the next step on Hanlie`s journey is to open an online store where she will give us the opportunity to bring a bit of that soul food to our own tables. She will offer photography art, on paperprint and linen and local crafts for the table setting like woodwork and ceramics. She will off course also continue photographing, and through her images you too can see, how the Muse sings in her, telling the story of a Slow Wanderer. 

Copyright and credits photography :Hanlie Joubert. Shared with permission
www.slowwanderings.com
@slowwanderings_hanliejoubert