My name is Lukas Due Saastamoinen-Jakobsen. I’m a sentimental guy carrying with him the dreams of his younger self. So I’m a kid. A 26 year old kid, mind you. I’m born and raised in Denmark, but have lived in the US and Brazil, as part of my exchange semesters during university, and for a short period in Spain. Last year, I finished my master’s degree in business, and now, one year later, and after having been unemployed for a while, I’m working on establishing myself as an artist and entrepreneur.
I express myself in any way that I can. That means writing, film, photography, acting, dancing and so forth. I’m wildly incapable of choosing, and so I choose not to. Within my sphere of expression, I consider myself a writer, and with the distinction that I don’t write in my native language, Danish. I write instead in English, for the simple reason that I’m better at it, and that it’s a playground I derive more joy from. English has always treated my soul well, in ways my native tongue hasn’t quite. If I want to become a great writer, I see it necessary to commit to one language, for now at least. English is then where it lands. I’m also a globalist by virtue of a globally oriented curriculum during my school years and a general curiosity about the world, and so it is important for me to have that imprint from the very beginning. I dream of faring freely in the world, with no limits to how big things can get.
When the opportunity arises, I want to move to the US, to expose myself to an environment that will make me the greatest artist and collaborator that I can become, and hopefully, get the chance to do some cool shit at the epicentre of global culture. A dream like no other, and a necessary step to grow in line with my ambitions. Like I said, I’ve always admired the audacity to go big, and I continue being drawn to the places that allow for such. LA seems like a good place to go. I really do feel the urge to go there and ball the fuck out. The chill and the hustle of a city like that just speaks to my soul. I need it. It’s gonna raise the quality of my work to where I want it to be. It’s all about taking care of my cool, and getting inspired by the art of others. Have it all bounce back out onto the canvas, the SAASTA way. The wicked way. And with the opportunity to meet some great and interesting folks. It’s a realization that I recently came to, that if I truly want to pursue my dreams, I need to leave my life behind in Denmark and establish one in the US. And I can’t wait around for too long. I’m about to turn 27, and while I’m unusually young at heart, and of course still am by fair amount in flesh as well, I’m not a complete rookie in the game of life anymore. I don’t want to go there and be a come-up in my thirties. That’s the time for a kiddo come-up. A new little guy or girl with big dreams. No, I’m a come-up now and I know where I need to go, and so, waiting around for years is not useful. The caveat is that I have attempted to move abroad once, unsuccessfully. My traumas are healed, but my respect for it is still there. So I can’t go there before I’m sure to have respect for the challenge ahead, starting with jotting down a plan.
If you happen to have any sort of connections or advice that you don’t mind extending to me, I would be greatly thankful to you. LA is not a mandatory destination, it’s just the best point of reference I have for a place with the creative flourish I’m looking for. It might be New York. I don’t know. And if you see yourself teaming up for the ride, we can always talk. ASAP Rocky, aka Flacko, aka pretty motherfucker, aka the trilla brag, who bagged the girl with fashion killa swag, doesn’t exist without ASAP Ferg. Hit me up ASAP, if you’re feelin’ it. Let’s ball out and spread some love. And I have all the respect for Ferg, Rocky is just my childhood hero. Until then though, SAASTA is a danish creative establishment, riding soulo, happy to stay in home base being surrounded by good people, occupied with executing a steady stream of activity that brings me, and all the riders out there, a wicked mix of pain and pleasure.
Part of the reason for the whole effort of establishing a platform for myself, besides creating a shared space for all the independent riders out there, is to get myself in the position where I want to be in life. And this is my way of molding the things within my control in such a way that my very specific wishes have the greatest possible chance of becoming true. We can never guarantee their fruition, but we can do everything within the power of our good will to maximize their chances. I’ve learned that it’s okay to ask for help. That we can’t be too proud to ask, especially when our dreams are at stake. If we know ourselves and what we want, we need to go out there and chase it, in any legitimate way possible. That of course implies respect for the basic rules of society, yet a dismissal of those that are not. We have to know which ones to break, because we surely have to break some to get what we want.
Aim high. Aim for the stars, man. Indulge in the thought that it’s possible. I believe you can earn your right to shoot for the stars. If you’ve proven to yourself since you were little that you can achieve anything you put your mind to and work hard for, that you can stay humble in the process and learn from your mistakes, deal with your own personal problems, and not take your privileges for granted, if you have all that evidence behind you, you’ve earned the right to shoot for the stars. That’s a fact. That’s not naivety. You’ve earned it. And if you haven’t, start getting to work and proving to yourself that you can overcome life’s obstacles, with patience, discipline and humility. Whatever you do, just get to work. And down the line, you build that spaceship. This is my spaceship and the throttle I need to reach the stars. It’s been loading on the platform for a while, having received full-service maintenance, and monitoring with manic attention to detail in the firing room, but we are about as ready as we can get for takeoff, financial fuel excluded. Last thing I need to do is save up, mainly to be able to afford it, but to also show myself that I can take care of myself according to society’s basic requirements. Be an adult, basically. That’s the last thing I need to do to have earned my shot. After that, the only thing then left to do is kiss my loved ones a temporary goodbye and initiate the countdown. I’m not going to Miller’s planet in Interstellar and subjecting myself to extreme time dilation, burning off 7 years of Denmark time in 1 hour of US time, so I’ll be home again in due time. And the world is small, so a bit of wilful planning and occasional plane riding can make sure that time with loved ones is not slipping away.
I’d like to round this section off with a few words about what SAASTA is and represents, conveyed in a bit more of a rapid fire sentence structure. I would firstly describe it as my brand and my persona as an artist. One that is going to carry me into any creative endeavour I throw myself into. There is going to be a few of those. It’s a lifetime thing. To describe it more deeply, I would say it’s a radical acceptance of who I’ve always wanted to become and an outlet for my thoughts and emotions. It’s raw, unfiltered and in your face. The common tongue we keep to ourselves. It’s an empowering type of vulnerability. There is going to be honesty and pain, but no self-pity. It’s a business school carve-out, followed by a total transformation and a discovery of new capabilities. Friendly fire is imminent. It’s all love though. It’s contemplation delivered as a hard hit of dopamine. It’ll dilate your eyes. Arouse you. Maybe even make you horny. You do with that what you want. I encourage the embrace of our impulses. We’re going to play wicked games together. We’re going to get fucked up. As a dane, it’s a bit of national treason. I’m a traitor. I still love my country and carry my flag, but I wouldn’t mind a few scratches on it. I think we could benefit from that. It’s a come-up in Copenhagen, coming for the global stage. We gotta be on the global stage. Enough with the modesty. It’s a surrender to nature. Light hidden in the deep darkness of the jungle. A channel to the other side, where you’ll find the fire of life. I’m talking shit now. It’s just fucking cool, to be honest. That’s what SAASTA is.
Keep riding wicked.
