Albert?!

My name is Maximilian Albert Obauer. Albert is my middle name, and for a long time that's all it was: a name in the middle that hardly anyone knew.

Today it stands for something that means a lot to me. For the part of me that didn't give up. And for a place where I make things that helped me through hard times myself.

My life hasn't always been easy. There were dark years, addiction and moments when I didn't know how to go on. And yet I'm still here.

What helped me back then was rarely the big solutions. It was small things: a scent that brought me back, a warm cup, a song at the right time, a card from someone who was thinking of me. That's exactly where ALBERT came from.

I haven't “made it” and I'm not finished either. But I've learned to be good to myself. And that's what I want to pass on.

Self-care doesn't have to be complicated. Often, one moment where you arrive back in yourself is enough. That's why ALBERT has something for every sense.

Smell

A scent takes you somewhere else within seconds. Our candles and room scents are there so you can choose that place yourself: fresh rosemary or resinous Swiss pine, depending on what you feel like.

Taste

Taste is the sense we use most often without paying attention. We eat while looking at our phones, drink on the go and often don't even notice what we're tasting. Yet a single cup can be a little ritual.

Take a few minutes for it. Smell the tea before you drink it, because a large part of taste comes through the nose. Let it cool for a moment, take small sips and notice how the taste changes. No screen, no multitasking, just you and your cup.

That’s why ALBERT has its very own herbal tea: “9 Kräuter”.

Touch

Our skin is our largest organ, and yet we rarely pay attention to what it tells us. A hug, a warm blanket, water on your skin: for me, touch is often a way back to myself when everything in my head is too loud.

Try it on purpose. Hold your hands under warm water for a moment and feel only that. Take a few steps barefoot. Or notice for a second how the fabric feels when you get dressed. It's only a few seconds, but they belong entirely to you.

That's why ALBERT has shirts that feel like a good day. With sayings that don't sugarcoat anything, but give you courage.

Sight

Sight is the sense that never takes a break. All day long we're flooded with images, screens and messages, and yet we rarely really look.

Try it differently. Look at one thing on purpose, a flower, an old photo or the light at the window, and give it a minute. Or write someone a few lines by hand instead of typing a message. Words on paper read differently.

That's why ALBERT has cards with sayings people keep. For yourself, stuck to the mirror, or for someone who needs them right now.

Hearing

My podcast “Neubeginn!”, where I talk openly about the things that often go unsaid.

Five small ways back to yourself. Pick where you want to start today.

For me, mindfulness doesn't mean meditating for hours or always being calm. It means pausing for a moment and really noticing what's happening. How the tea smells before you take the first sip. How the fabric feels on your skin. Which song is playing.

That sounds small, and that's exactly the point. In hard times, this is what helped me: not trying to solve everything at once, but taking one moment at a time.

That's why we think of ALBERT through the five senses. Each sense is a small door back to the here and now. You don't have to achieve anything or do anything right. You're allowed to just be here.

ALBERT is for people who know that life is sometimes complicated, and who keep going anyway. Here you don't have to be strong all the time or positive all the time. Sometimes self-love simply means saying “not today”.

Three things give me strength and are part of everything we make: a bit of sarcasm, lots of cheerfulness and seriousness when it matters. Our sayings don't sugarcoat anything, they give you courage.

Many of our products are handmade. We pour our candles by hand into shimmering glasses, and we pack every parcel ourselves in Werfen.

Hearing may be the quietest of our senses, and sometimes the most powerful. A familiar voice can do you good. A song can take you back to a moment you had almost forgotten. And sometimes it simply feels good to hear that someone else feels exactly the way you do.

That's exactly why I started my podcast “Neubeginn!”. In it, I tell my story and talk to people who have found their own fresh start. About depression, addiction and the courage to get back up again and again. Honest, personal and full of hope. Listen whenever it suits you. (The podcast is in German.)