Whilst sitting at a riverside café by the Spree, near Berlin’s East Side Gallery, I’ve let go of my music playlist. I absorb the sounds around me — voices, the hiss of coffee machines, the soft steam of frothed milk. It's my last morning in Berlin, and I've come back to my favourite café - one of the Exclusive Coffee. I'm having the best cappuccino in town (trust me, I haven't found better), paired with their wonderful lemon tart.
In truth, I came back here because I wanted to say goodbye to this place. It was the first spot where I’ve found a truly amazing cappuccino, and it was right below the apartment I've called home for these past ten days.
Will I miss this city? Yes, indeed I will. I'm taking home with me experiences, stories, inspiration, and a special fondness for a place that, even with such high expectations as I was, still managed to surprise me. Truthfully, Berlin showed me that I can be myself — that I should embrace my identity and individuality, and to trust my instincts. I've never identified so deeply with a city: in its vastness and wholesomeness, it buzzes with energy and flashes with history, it’s expansive yet without rush. Berlin is organised, calm in the mornings, nostalgic in the evenings. There's love and romance in the small details - the kind of love and romance that only reveals itself when you care to look. Forests stretch throughout the city, cherry blossoms cover the roads in pink, and somehow, there's colour in perfect black and white.
A true bliss, I couldn't have chosen a better city for my first Way Up North — a wedding photography and videography conference. The conference occurred during 3 of my 10 days here. And if Berlin was already inspiring, Way Up North took that inspiration to a whole new level.
On the very first day, I joined a video style shoot at a beautiful palace - Schloss Friedrichsfelde — a place with an evocative classic architecture (I'll leave you with a little sneak peek at the end of the post). However, on that day, I couldn't help but feel like I wanted more — more time with the models, more room to let go, more trust in myself. That was when I got home and looked back at the footage, I realised then: it wasn't bad at all.
It was very much: good enough.
Good Enough happened to be the theme of the whole conference. Over the following days, it resonated deeply. Accepting "good enough" is sometimes the closest we get to perfection. It's about trusting our instincts, our process, and embracing our creative identity without fear, comparisons, nor hesitation. In fact, it's the foundation which allows us to grow.
At Way Up North, I met incredible people — Portuguese photographers who welcomed me like an old friend - even though we'd never met before, and people like Svenja Petersen, whose personal story got a hold on me. Creatives like Samuel Lewis Edwards, whose work became an instant reference. Amie McNee, a writer, whose words helped me see envy, impostor syndrome and being starstruck through a softer, more human lens. People like Jeff Chang and The Caryls shared powerful insights on how to go beyond the expected and turn a transactional service into an emotional connection. In all of them, in spite of wherever they are on their personal or professional journeys, I saw them juggling between self-doubt and confidence - between not feeling "enough" and yet creating from a place of authenticity, trust, and growth.
Way Up North ended, naturally, with a party — at a Berlin club. Honestly, it was the perfect ending, even though I was tired after several days of walking and cycling around this beautiful massive city (yes, there was a day which I cycled for 40km). I almost skipped the party, I’ve got to say, but I ended up putting on my "COLORFUL AF" outfit (the dress code for the Wooden Banana Party) and went.
That night, something clicked. I felt the full sense of belonging, and the real community spirit of Way Up North.
So, this was how I said goodbye to Berlin: with both nostalgia and inspiration. I know that this city, and this experience, will keep bringing me stories and make me grow. As Shari and Mike - the last speakers of the conference — said: every single little victory must be cherished and celebrated!
Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.
- Seneca
Way Up North didn't just show me that I can be myself in Berlin; it showed me I can be myself anywhere in the world!