Sander Mölder x Premium: less, but more in-depth

Over the course of his creative journey spanning nearly 20 years, composer and music producer Sander Mölder has explored a wide variety of artistic forms, ranging from pop and folk to ballet. Although curiosity and an openness to new opportunities have been his main driving forces up to now, he now feels an ever-growing desire to explore a smaller number of things in greater depth. The same principle carries over from creative work into his everyday life: it is not a question of doing more of everything, but of doing things more consciously. Sometimes the best solutions work unnoticed in the background.

From curiosity to depth

In the first story, Sander talked about how his journey has been largely shaped by curiosity. Rather than having a clear career plan, he has tried things out, experimented, and left room for wherever the next opportunity might take him. This has brought him a wide variety of creative projects. He has written ballets in collaboration with Timo Steiner, composed pop music, experimented with folk music, and moved between different genres and groups. Now, however, Sander feels that something is changing.

“I feel that at the moment I’m moving more towards depth than volume,” he explains.

Although openness has given him an opportunity to do many different things, he would now like to focus on a narrower field and explore it ‘three steps deeper’. Not to necessarily create more, but to explore in greater depth what a particular idea or direction actually has to offer.

One of the most important lessons Sander has learned in recent years is the realisation that perfection may not be the ultimate goal worth striving for: “Honesty is more important than perfectionism.”

Photo: Silver Mikiver

In music, this means that technical perfection does not outweigh the ability to truly pour his emotions into his creation. That is precisely why, according to him, the most interesting things often happen when things are not polished to the last tiny detail.

“The most interesting things happen when there is room left for the unexpected.”

In that sense, depth is not the same as perfection for Sander. Rather, it means being prepared to spend more time on one thing, to explore it and see where it takes you.

You become a champion through repetition

For Sander, mastery is not a destination you just reach one day. It develops over time, through repetition, focus, and never-ending curiosity.

Music plays such a big part in his daily life that, whenever he has a spare moment, he prefers silence instead. At the same time, his curiosity about music never really switches off. When sitting in a restaurant while travelling, he might notice new music; at a concert, he listens carefully to what is being played and how; and when someone is playing records, he feels the urge to delve deeper.

“Becoming a master is a long-term process, and I feel that to achieve this, you need to keep your curiosity alive at all times,” Sander explains.

If you view a master as a craftsman, things become even simpler according to Sander: mastery comes from repetition. You do it, listen, learn, and do it again. The search for depth inevitably involves making choices.

It isn’t always easy for Sander. He describes himself as a person who is very open to new opportunities. It has brought many unexpected projects and encounters into his life, but sometimes makes it difficult to choose a direction. Sander admits that he sometimes lacks the courage to take a decisive step, to accept something or, conversely, to say no. Openness and decisiveness can become conflicting for him: choosing one path inevitably means that the other one is left aside.

At the moment, however, he feels more and more that a clearer direction might actually give him more courage. If you know where you want to end up, you can make more informed decisions. This is, in a way, the next stage in Sander’s philosophy of ‘I’ll give it a go and see where it takes me’. Curiosity doesn’t go away, but alongside it comes the ability to choose what’s really worth delving into.

A good solution doesn’t need to announce itself constantly

Making more informed decisions is not just about creative work. The more major decisions and responsibilities he has to deal with in life, the more important it becomes for Sander that his day-to-day solutions are simple.

From a bank, he mainly expects two things: day-to-day efficiency and personal contact when it comes to major decisions. “If you’re taking out a large loan or something like that, it’s important to be able to have a proper conversation with someone,” Sander emphasises.

Day-to-day payments, financial affairs of businesses and people, or currency exchange, on the other hand, should be as easy as possible. This sense of ease is particularly important when travelling.

In Sander’s own words, a good bank is almost invisible: “As far as a bank is concerned, I suppose it’s best if it’s invisible, so that nothing catches the eye. Usually, if it does, it means there’s some sort of a problem.”

This is also one of the ideas behind LHV Premium. You don’t have to constantly take care of everything yourself or delve deep into every little detail. Everyday banking services are conveniently at your fingertips, and when it comes to major financial decisions, you can discuss them with a specialist in person.

Because attention is a limited resource. When the practical aspects run smoothly, you can channel your efforts into areas where going deep creates real value.

In Sander’s case, this currently means looking in fewer different directions and focusing more on one thing. Because after years of experimentation, the next great discovery may not be hidden in the next new thing, but in what happens when you take three steps further into something you’re already familiar with.

‘Estonians of Six Cities’ is a portrait series by creative director Silver Mikiver (TRACE Studio) featuring Estonians whose lives and work transcend national borders. The series was shot on Super 8 film, and the photos were captured on 35 mm film.

‘I am moved by craftsmanship and the realisation of potential. With my projects, I wish to inspire and provide an impetus for more people to choose the most authentic and unique path. Walking your own path is not always easy, but for me, it is the only truly rich way to live,’ Silver Mikiver says.