Dorothea BarthArtist
New York, US. November 12th, 2020
Swedish-born Dorothea Barth Jörgensen has evolved from breakout runway star to world-renown sound-healer and filmmaker. We get her insights into the connections between beauty, diversity and the courage to be vulnerable.
My journey is as an artist who is exploring the frequencies of freedom. Through that lens, I seek to be open to the present moment, almost as a conduit, aware of the redemptive journey of a phoenix: over and over, feeling every step along the way. The blessings and the challenges that come with that are all part of sharing the beautiful path homeward.
I grew up in a small town outside Stockholm. It was the center of the anthroposophical movement in Scandinavia, surrounded by nature and many biodynamic farms. I attended a Waldorf school and was free to simply be a child, to learn and to be in nature without too many distractions – no TV, for example. Such a background helped early on to shape my movement and modes of expression. Simple things – from knitting my own gloves and hats to drawing and painting – all led me to appreciate creativity and the joy that came through creating.
The turning point in my career happened when I had the courage to say no when I needed to, and yes to things that felt aligned and beautiful. For example, when I created a short film with my dear friend, Annemarieke van Drimmelen, a project that went to the Cannes Film Festival in 2018. The process felt real, honest and naked, and I’m really proud of this film. I was new to the process, but I refused to fear any part of it. It worked out magically; it felt like I was following love, simply listening and following this sense of wonder.
The fashion industry also has changed on many levels. It’s waking up to pollution, injustice and racism, and to allowing for a more diverse expression. It feels more inclusive and open. The industry seems to appreciate models and people for their entire personality allowing for diverse expressions, with artists, activists, and healers, featuring people who are engaged in doing good for the planet.
I have learned that the first request any work of art makes upon us is to surrender. We look. We listen. We receive. We get ourselves out of the way. We won’t know if all art deserves such a surrender until we do it, because until we have surrendered, we cannot possibly find out.
My friends and their worlds also inspire me, because it’s like recognizing yourself in another. We merge worlds and create a new one together, and it feels beautiful to combine friendship and creativity. I love collaborating with people with whom I have a deeper connection, someone who is also on a similar life mission. The same is true of wanting to be of service and do well for the planet, other humans, as well as animals and plants. That to me feels inspiring, to walk together and find out what can be created through us.
I stay inspired by moving in the direction of my heart: saying yes to projects, places and people that seem aligned, and which naturally engage my curiosity.
All of this led me to sound healing, which was sparked in a moment of meditation and deep listening. It came to me as more of an invitation. I was open to receive it and to respond in a way that truly felt like following the guidance of my higher self. I didn’t know the shape or form in which it would all unfold, but I believed that choosing love and truth would be a deeply fulfilling journey.
Sound baths emerged from this and have organically grown into their own thing, with the intention to give back and to be of service to humanity and the planet. I look at these sound journeys as a prayer, a container that holds space for people to deepen into their own presence and create more space for their true self and their innate joy.
This work grew from within. I was looking at my own construct, my beliefs of the world and my work in it. Through that I got the hint of this new love as an authentic response; it felt more like a loving embrace from cosmos, like the earth was my temporary home, and I belonged here. The sense of living as a separate being disappeared. It’s been a gradual opening to this higher love, and it’s been exposing a lot around what needs to be released to free the space.
My work today is a reflection of this awareness, especially as it becomes softer and more intuitive. When pain, fear or conditioning comes up, we are able to see it for what it is and not judge others for their behavior or their subconscious manifestations.
Vulnerability also plays an important role in this process. I have to be honest with myself, because it takes courage to be in a state of vulnerability; but once we open up to this, and become more used to it, it feels natural to be in this place. You discover that this openness is our natural state. We learn early on that it’s not safe and that we need to be something other than what we are – but it’s actually the reverse: We are safe when we are vulnerable. We are held by the present moment.
The most important thing I’ve learned is to stay centered in my own being, regardless of what is stirred around or within me, as well as trusting my own voice and my inner guidance. I also learned that we are all humans with our weaknesses and our strengths. If we can go beyond judgment into unconditional love, when we have an inner openness to all beings while also standing our ground and being clear with our own boundaries, then we will have come a long way.
