About

Melanie Weuste

Founder of Måla Livet
Migrated 2018 from Germany to Sweden
Education:
- Bachelor in Business Psychology & - Administration
- Master in Management
- Bachelor in Human Medicine
Passionate about photography, nature, design, networking & the big picture of health
Languages: German, Swedish, English
favorite color: green

Immigrated from Miami to Sweden for love in 2015
Mother of 2 earthly babies and a puppy
Passionate about family, nature, music, writing and swimming
Languages: English, Swedish, Spanish
Favorite color: purple 💜

Alexandra Tanon Olsson

Hi, I'm Melanie, the founder of Måla Livet. I’ve always been passionate about creativity. Growing up, I was the kid who loved spending hours drawing, designing my room and was very interested in my dad's photography. As a teenager I took drawing classes and creativity has always been a part of who I am. At the same time, I’ve been driven to understand more about how the world and the human body work, which led me to study business, business psychology and medicine. After facing a season of chronic stress and burnout, I realized that true healing doesn’t just come from studies, striving or modern medicine but from rest—especially rest in God. This realization changed the direction of my life and my work. Now, I’m passionate about sharing the creative gifts God has given me through photography, drawing, and the products I offer—like calendars filled with Bible verses. I believe creativity is a powerful way to connect with God, to slow down, and to find healing in the midst of our busy lives. Through Måla Livet, I aim to bless others with photography that captures special moments, artwork that inspires peace, and products that encourage rest.

I’m Alexandra and I’m passionate about exploring the gifts and talents our creator gave us.

Growing up with immigrant parents, it was always important to fit in to society and societal norms; it was safe and guaranteed success. In 2015 when I moved from Miami to Sweden to start my own family those “expectations”, that, to be honest, never really left me, came flooding back hard core. I wanted to fit in and be accepted. I wanted to find my home and my place in this new country, but “blending in” wasn’t going to do that if it would cost me losing myself.

During a season of grief and battling with God after a miscarriage and my sister’s sudden health scare, God revealed himself to me in a way I had never experienced. I learned what it means to rest in Him. Growing up christian, I always knew of God. I knew I had a relationship with Him and that He was always with me, protecting me, but I realized that my past hurts never let me draw nearer to Him. I went through a journey of healing, letting go and rebuilding. It was painful at times but it led me home; a place I was searching for my entire life. Sometimes you need to remove the rotten roots in order to flourish and be built back up on a firm foundation.

Everyone has their own unique gifts and talents. Isn’t it beautiful that we all have something to offer each other? My goal is to help you connect with yourself and God on a deeper level, to remove the rotten roots and experience the joy and rest that comes from within.

So if you’re ready to live in freedom and be everything you were created to be, let’s work together. 💜

Måla Livets Story

In 2017, I, Melanie, began my creative journey by painting the city I lived in, Lüneburg, with the intention of turning my artwork into Christmas cards. I hung the original painting in my room, and a friend suggested that I should sell it. I approached local cafés to offer my postcards, but they wanted something different. So, I painted twelve cityscapes and created a calendar, which quickly became a hit. Since then, I’ve continued making these annual calendars, each featuring different cities.

As people admired my drawings, I started offering drawing classes to share my passion for art.

I also developed a website to sell the calendars, which led to opportunities designing websites for various clients, including psychologists, professionals, and a church community, where I also took photos. A couple from the church noticed my camera and asked me to photograph their engagement. They were so pleased with the results that they hired me for their wedding, which led to more referrals. Soon, I was photographing several weddings each year and even families, engagements, babies or pregnancies. It’s been an incredible journey from painting privately to teaching drawing classes and becoming a photographer.

In 2024, Måla Livet evolved in a wonderful new direction when my friend Alexandra joined me. Both of us had been through tough times — my struggles with chronic symptoms and Alexandra’s challenges trying to move back to her home country. During these difficult moments, we grew a lot closer as friends and to God.

One weekend, I visited Alexandra and her husband picked me up from the station. Hearing about my struggles feeling overwhelmed and lost he suggested I take some time to truly rest that weekend, trusting that new ways would open up naturally from a place of peace. This advice resonated with me and that weekend marked a turning point for both me and Alexandra. By letting go and allowing ourselves to rest, new ideas began to flow, and Måla Livet started growing in a fresh direction.

As we reflected, Alexandra and I realized our shared passion for nature, rest, helping others, connection to God and creativity. We decided to work together to create a space that combines our interests and gifts. Alexandra offered to assist me with wedding photography knowing I needed support after my health struggles and I wholeheartedly said yes, especially knowing and trusting in her photography experience.

We also realized how many people all around us are struggling with chronic stress, burn out and a lingering feeling of overwhelm. Thus we saw an opportunity to create a space for others to rest, connect with God and explore their creativity.

With our expanded vision, Måla Livet now focuses on three main areas: coaching, creating, and crafting. Alexandra will offer coaching sessions to help others find rest and draw closer to God. I continue with the creating aspect through photography, capturing life's precious moments. Additionally we will craft products such as postcards, calendars and essential oils that reflect our vision.

Since Alexandras favorite color is purple, and mine is green, lavender was the perfect flower for our logo, especially because it's known for its calming effects. The right colours, the right meaning and not to forget that lavender is mentioned in the Bible several times.

So yes, Måla Livet, *coaching creating crafting* aims to build a space where special moments can be captured, where peace, creativity, and a deeper connection to God can be found; embracing what truly matters most in life.