Wooden letter tiles spelling the word 'German' on a table, representing the journey where I am improving my German through learning and daily practice.

4 Strong Reasons I’m Improving My German to Move Forward

by with No Comment Personal Reflections

4 Strong Reasons
I’m Improving My German to Move Forward

Every morning, I walk into a classroom, not with my camera, not with a drone, not with my DJ gear, but with a pen, a notebook, and a mindset on improving my German. I am not starting from scratch. I have lived in Switzerland for more than a decade. I know the basics, I understand a lot, and I can manage the essentials. But managing is not enough anymore. Right now, I am working hard to reach the B2 level. It is a solid base I need to get this project off the ground. But of course, this is only the beginning. Further improvement will follow, naturally, as my work grows.

Improving my German is not just a personal challenge. It is a strategic move, an essential part of the creative business I am building. It is not just about integration, though that is undoubtedly part of it. It is about access, credibility, and connection. It is about ensuring that when I present my work or explain my vision, I can do it fluently, precisely, and confidently in the local language.

This is a personal journey, but it is also deeply professional. Here are four fundamental reasons why I chose to improve my German now, and how this decision fits into the bigger picture I am shaping for my future.

1. Because I am building something serious

I am not just trying to survive or make it work. I am preparing to launch something I care deeply about. A creative business rooted in quality, vision, and long-term relationships. It brings together what I have built in recent years: photography, music, and a growing practice in videography, all shaped by a refined sense of storytelling. But I need to communicate appropriately to turn that into a real service that speaks to local clients with confidence.

Improving my German is not about passing a test. It is about being taken seriously when I propose a video for an architecture studio, when I explain the intention behind a photographic concept, or when I plan a DJ set for a museum or cultural space. This project needs a solid foundation. German is part of that foundation.

2. Because language is access

I have lived in Basel for years, and like many people who arrive without fluent German, I got by with English and some local basics. It works. Until it does not. There is a limit to how far you can go professionally without speaking your clients’ language. You start missing out on conversations. You get left out of informal networks. People hesitate to involve you in specific roles because they assume you will not understand the details.

I am improving my German to remove that barrier. I want to be involved. Not tolerated. Not translated. Involved. I want to understand every nuance of a brief, reply to emails without checking every word, and be able to hold a creative meeting without switching to English. That kind of access makes a real difference, especially when your work depends on clarity and trust.

3. Because discipline creates momentum

Studying German while managing everything else in my life is not easy. The course is intense. It takes up every morning and two afternoons per week. It drains energy, and there are days when I wish I could just focus entirely on my creative work. But there is something valuable in this discipline.

Showing up every day, even when I am tired, is building something inside me. A kind of internal rhythm. It reminds me that big things are built step by step. It is the same rhythm I want to apply to my work. Improve a little every day. Refine my skills. Stay sharp. Stay in motion. Improving my German is not a side activity. It is part of my professional momentum.

4. Because this future is mine to build

No one is going to build this for me. I know what I want to offer, how I want to work, and who I want to work with. Local architecture studios. Real estate professionals. Museums. Cultural spaces, just to mention a few examples.

If I want to be part of that world, I need to speak its language. Literally. That is why I am pushing myself now. Because I am not improvising. I am preparing. This is not just about language. It is about building a life and a business that are coherent, solid, and aligned with my values.

And yes, part of this process is also about integration. I have lived in Switzerland for many years, and I want to go deeper. I want to belong, not only professionally but also socially and culturally. Improving my German is part of that, and so is my decision to pursue Swiss citizenship in the future. This country is not just where I live. It is where I want to contribute.

Final thoughts

Improving my German is not a romantic decision. It is a demanding one. It pulls energy away from other areas, forcing me to pause some creative activities I would love to pursue right now. But that pause is strategic. It is part of something bigger.

Because when the moment comes, and I launch this project publicly, I want to be ready. Linguistically, mentally, and professionally. I want to arrive not asking for space, but offering something tangible. Something finished, intentional, and valuable.

Curious to know more about what I am building?


Let us start a conversation in the comments below.

Stay Updated!

Landscape photography showing a blooming tree-lined avenue in Basel, viewed from a drone at sunset, blending spring colors with urban design.

3 Completed Works from a Remarkable Week of Full Commitment

by with No Comment DJingPersonal ReflectionsPhotographyVideography

3 Completed Works
from a Remarkable Week of Full Commitment

Some weeks don’t just pass; they shape you. This one was defined by effort, rhythm, and the quiet discipline required to complete meaningful creative work. The video, the photographs, and the DJ set each took time, care, and a precise kind of engagement. What emerged were three completed works that now stand on their own.

They weren’t rushed, and they weren’t decorative. These completed works are the result of focus, patience, and a need to close the circle. It was a week when things came together, where intentions became visible outcomes.

The Fasnacht Video: A City in Ritual

Three days of shooting. Dozens of hours of editing, color correction, and color grading. The Fasnacht video wasn’t built around spectacle. It was built around presence.

Every frame is grounded in observation. There is no commentary, no overlayed meaning, just light, sound, movement, and the city as it is. The edit became a meditative process. Color correction was about bringing out not just detail but also emotional resonance. As a completed work, this video holds a kind of stillness I couldn’t have predicted at the beginning.

Watch the Fasnacht video on my website

Stepping Back for Clarity: Three Photographs in Dialogue

On Saatchi Art, I’ve gathered three recent images into a collection titled “Stepping Back for Clarity”. All of them were made from above, where the distance of a drone shot allowed me to reframe familiar places with a different awareness.

  • The Line of Passion
  • A Brushstroke of Spring in Gold and Crimson
  • The Blooming Turn

Each image is a way of pausing, of breathing, of reconnecting with what’s underneath the surface. There’s motion and structure, but also the space to feel something. The process of composing and editing these photos was deliberate. These completed works weren’t spontaneous. They were built through attention and choice.

View the full collection on Saatchi Art

Inner Signal: A Sonic Reflection

The DJ set “Inner Signal” was born out of a desire to make space for thought, stillness, and tension held gently. There’s no rush to fill the air. Instead, the mix develops slowly, inviting the listener into a kind of shared tranquillity.

There’s ambient. There’s space. There’s silence. The work wasn’t difficult in a technical sense, but it required time and intention to shape. Of the completed works I finished this week, this was perhaps the one that asked for the quietest kind of attention.

Listen to Inner Signal on my DJing page

Looking Back: What This Week Taught Me

It’s easy to underestimate the energy required to bring something to completion. Not just to start a creative idea, but to carry it throughacross moments of doubt, distraction, or physical fatigue. Each of these completed works didn’t just happen. They were built over days of presence, choice, and attention to rhythm.

The Fasnacht video required a kind of quiet commitment to watching without interfering. The photographs in “Stepping Back for Clarity” pushed me to work with precision, even in moments when intuition led the way. And “Inner Signal” reminded me that slowing down can be its own form of resistance. In very different ways, these projects were about holding a direction without rushing to the end.

There were moments when it would have been easier to pause or leave things unfinished, but I knew the only way forward was to complete them with the deserved care.

I’m not saying these are perfect works. What I’m saying is that they are complete. And in the act of completing them, I also sharpened something in myself.

Completion isn’t just about finishing. It’s about staying with something long enough to let it become what it needs to be. This week was shaped by the effort to do precisely that.

These completed works are more than outcomes. They’re records of a process: staying focused, being present, and letting the work mature without interruption. And in a week like this one, that kind of completion felt more essential than ever.

Thanks for reading.

Alan

Stay Updated!

Asilhouette of a person in fron of a window and a transparent glass with paint strokes of different colors overlaying the image

Emotions or Meaning? A Personal Reflection.

by with No Comment Personal Reflections

Emotions or Meaning?

A Personal Reflection.

I’ve never really thought too much about what inspires me. When I mix music, capture a photo, or shoot a video, I don’t sit down and analyze why I’m doing it. I do it because something at that moment sparks a feeling, an instinct. It’s not about crafting a message or delivering a deep, hidden meaning—it’s about transmitting an emotion.

When I take a picture, it’s because I see something I find visually striking, something that makes me pause and appreciate. I don’t immediately think, “This represents a greater concept.” It’s just an urge to capture something beautiful, intriguing, or unexpected. Sometimes, much later, I look at the photo and realize it could represent something beyond what I initially saw. But that’s an afterthought, not the driving force.

The same applies to my DJ sets. Sure, I mix tracks that I love and fit well together, but the goal isn’t to showcase a message—it’s to create a mood, a space where people can feel what I feel at that moment. That’s why I don’t really resonate with the idea of meticulously planning an overarching theme or concept beforehand. I follow my instincts and emotions and let the result shape organically.

That’s not to say I don’t admire artists who work with deep meaning in mind. Some create incredible works with a straightforward narrative, where every detail is intentional. I just wonder—does meaning always have to be planned? Or can it emerge naturally from emotion?

Maybe some artists work the way I do, and the meaning only becomes apparent after the fact. Or perhaps I’m just someone who documents what moves me without overthinking it. And is that enough? Can something be art simply because it evokes a response, even if the creator wasn’t trying to say something specific?

I’d love to hear different perspectives. When you create—whether it’s music, visuals, or anything else—do you start with a meaning in mind, or do you let emotions guide you and figure out the meaning later?

Let’s talk about it.

Stay Updated!