When movement meets creative wellness
- irisjonsthovel
- Jun 8
- 3 min read
Greetings from the beautiful Lier Valley! Where the sun has been shining for most of May, the birds are making noise, flowers are popping out, and so are my freckles. Last weekend we headed up into the nearby mountains where we went skiing in March, and to now see the landscape full of colour and life was such a strange but fun experience. I feel a bit cringy (and like an old lady!) saying this, but honestly, spring is good for the soul.
When movement meets creative wellness
I wanted to share a little update from my corner of the world, because this year has quietly marked the start of something I’ve been dreaming about for quite a while.
When I founded Alta four years ago, I imagined it as a space for creative wellness, a place where a healthy body and a creative mind go hand in hand. Over the years, that’s taken shape through the Design Your Life toolkits, workshops, and creative coaching. But lately, it’s taken on a new (and very physical) dimension.
Since the start of 2025, I’ve been training to become a certified STOTT Reformer Pilates instructor! This journey began with two weeks of intensive training at Space Pilates Oslo and has continued with a steady pace of practice, studying anatomy and alignment, learning to analyse posture, test-teaching, and preparing for both a theory and practical exam.
If all goes to plan, by July I’ll be fully certified - and teaching!
From designing for adventure to designing for wellbeing
Design and movement have always been connected in my life. I’ve been a sporty human for as long as I can remember, and I originally studied Industrial Design because I wanted to create innovative products for outdoor adventurers, mainly because I loved being active myself. Ten years ago, that dream became real when I landed a design internship with an outdoor brand in Salt Lake City. It was such a great experience. But over time, I realised I wanted to focus more on the creative and physical wellbeing of people - which is what led me to founding Alta.
To be building this bridge between creative practice and physical wellbeing within my own small business feels really exciting. I really believe the two feed each other: my creativity is fuelled when I work out, the endorphins make me feel high on life and I really enjoy getting creative in coming up with work-out programs!
So… here’s what’s in the works: I’m currently dreaming up ways to bring movement and creativity together under the Alta roof - maybe through retreats, classes, or something entirely new. I’m not in a rush, but whatever shape it takes, I’ll share it with you when it’s ready.
100 days of journaling: Rediscovering creativity
On another note, I’ve also been loving my 100-day journaling project, inspired by Suleika Jaouad’s Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life. The idea behind it is to explore how journaling can help you tap into that mystical trait we all have: creativity. The book features 100 essays by 100 writers, artists, and thinkers, each ending with a journaling prompt to get you going.
I’m on day 21 now, and each day I respond to a different prompt - some simple, some strange, all of them reflective. It’s honestly been more insightful than I expected. It’s stirred up old memories, unearthed new questions, and even sparked ideas for (maybe) writing a novel someday.
This daily practice has reminded me that you don’t need a big idea or perfect conditions to start anything, you just need a way in. And a prompt can be the perfect opening. (Something I already figured out while creating my toolkits ;-)
In my last blog post, I left you with a prompt, and some of you told me how much you liked that. So let me share this one prompt I really loved from the Book of Alchemy:
Choose a line from a book, whatever book grabs your attention, whatever intrigues. Use it as the opening sentence of today’s journal entry, and let the words flow from there.
I reckon that's it! Have a beautiful start of the summer.
Warmly,
Iris
♡ Visit my shop to get reflective yourself, with all of the Design Thinking tools available for crafting a life you'll love!
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