Dear Isabelle, Finn, Olivia, Gertrude, Tilde, Mozes, Anni, Hanna, Loren, Miranda, Klaudia, and Stefi,
Today I’m writing you a letter for each one of you, on the day the map ends — and the blank horizon begins.
Your years here were never a straight line from A to B. You didn’t walk a way of certainty. You took a journey — winding, surprising, with side trails and sudden crossroads, moments of rough terrain and unexpected clearings.
And that, dear ones, takes courage. In a time that loves clarity, numbers, outcomes, and easy answers — you chose the unknown. You chose making. Feeling. Asking. Doubting. Becoming. You chose clay over the stone — soft, living matter that can take any shape but will sometimes resist your hand. Clay that can be gentle and yielding, but also stubborn and unruly. Just like you. Each of you shaped and reshaped yourself in these years — and sometimes the clay shaped you right back.
Being an artist is not a job you learn. It’s a way of being in the world. Of seeing where others don’t look. Of asking questions where others are silent. Of building things no one knew were missing. You didn’t just pack a suitcase full of knowledge here — you learned how to empty it again, to make space for the unexpected, the strange, the real.
And we as teachers? We were not your guides holding the perfect map. We are fellow travelers. Sometimes we could point you to a hidden path, sometimes we simply stood beside you as you looked out across a wide, uncertain valley. Sometimes — deliberately — we let you wander, because it is in getting lost that you find the most precious things.
We laughed at the wrong turns, we stumbled over doubt, we stood silent before the beauty of an idea that finally fit. There were sunny moments of joy and rough weather too — and every part of it shaped you.
And now? Now you stand at the edge — not of an ending, but of a beginning. The future is not drawn like a finished map. It is an untouched canvas, waiting. And you will choose the colors, the shapes, the lines. You will knead the clay and see what wants to emerge.
So stay curious. Keep dreaming stubbornly. Keep searching for wonder. Dare to get lost. Stay sharp-eyed. Play at the edges of the unknown. Persevere in your gentleness. Keep asking. Treasure your doubt. Be brave in your vulnerability — trust the quiet moments, where the true ideas are born.
You are brave travelers. And the world is waiting for your marks, your fingerprints. Be proud of the path you are walking and know you’re always welcome.
Warm Regards
Jonas
images:
Marja Kennis, Simon Pillaud, Sophia Jiaqi Xu, Matija Stojanovic, Javier Mars
