If you ask us to name a fervent nature lover, Nina Moerdijk is the first one who pops up in our minds — with taking a dip in the ocean as her favorite way to start the day. Nina describes it as the ultimate feeling of freedom where you push your boundaries every time.
T: What is your favourite way to start the day? Do you have any specific habits?
N: My favourite way to start the day is when I take a dip in the ocean first thing when waking up. In summer that is my favourite routine. Another thing I like to do is a short meditation to start the day.
T: What is another trait of you that you value the most about yourself?
N: What I value about myself is my eye for detail and especially that for the beauty of nature.
T: You are a fervent nature lover. What is your ultimate way to become one with nature and what feelings arise afterwards?
N: The ultimate way is by surfing or being surrounded by my bees. When I surf you tune in on the rhythm of the ocean. It doesn’t get more connected than that. You enter the state of flow.
T: What is your most precious reminiscence when you think of your surfing experiences?
N: My most precious memories are surfing in Indonesia. Being under the sun, surrounded by turtles and dolphins. It is the ultimate feeling of freedom and you push your boundaries every time.
T: On your blog SALTNSUN you’ve shared a time where you took a break, aiming for alone time to heal again. What is your creative way to heal again?
N: There are many ways but one of the things is definitely photography. Creating something that wasn’t there before is so satisfying. Meditation, painting, reading and yoga are all great ways to connect back to yourself.
T: What was the most memorable trip of your life and what is the one thing you’ll never forget about it?
N: Our honeymoon in Maui, Hawaii. The lush green, waterfalls, huge turtles and surfing with the locals. It was a very special experience, like a dream.
T: As we’ve mentioned before you are a woman with several passions reaching out to different fields. Recently you’ve shared your photography work for the New Amsterdam Surf Association’s series of ‘Reflections of Amsterdam’. Why did you take part in this concept and how does that reflect your vision as a photographer?
N: I love working on projects that have meaning in addition to beauty. The idea came to me beginning of last year when the black lives matters movement exploded. Patrick Rietveld and I are both surfers of colour. We thought it was time to change something about the stereotypes that are portrayed in mainstream surfing advertising. To show a more accurate reflection of all the different people that enjoy the sport surfing. Paul Zeper from New Amsterdam Surf Association asked me to start the series “Reflections of Amsterdam” by portraying women.
T: What are your mission and vision when it comes to conscious beekeeping?
N: My mission is to make people more aware of the importance of bees and hopefully make them more appreciative instead of being scared to see the beauty of the bees. Almost 70% of our food is pollinated by bees, fruits and vegetables like strawberries, apples, pumpkins etc. That means humans cannot survive without bees. They need all the love and attention we can give.
T: How has your perspective on the world changed over time?
N: I think my perspective over time has changed to wanting to do good in addition to creating beauty. It is so important to care for ourselves by taking care of the planet and its inhabitants.
T: What does courage mean to you and how do you implement this in your actions through life?
N: Courage means doing the things that scare you and following the road less travelled. I think I implement it by challenging myself to learn new skills, travelling to new places and surfing bigger waves.
