​

As we know nowadays it has become hard for young people

to stand out of the crowd. Peter Sayn-Wittgenstein, originally

from a village near Koblenz (Germany), has managed to

overcome these obstacles and through his hobbies to get on

the radar.​

Peter Sayn-Wittgenstein, 20, started developing a passion for

photography since an early age. His grandmother, 93, who is a​

photographer and still travels a lot, has served him as great​

inspiration and source of encouragement. ​

 

“All my family is into art. At the age of 5 I came into the possession of my first camera. Photography is my best way to express myself and capture a memory that I can have forever. So from the early age of 6, I always took a camera. I became used to it and now it is an absolute "must-have" when traveling.”​

His passion for photography has pushed him to travel even further, allowing him to immortalize the experience through his pictures. For him travelling encompasses more than soaking in new cultures. It is also about knowing yourself and reflecting upon the importance of things in life.​

His gap year gave him the opportunity to combine photography and travel. Additionally, it allowed him to get a working experience.  He travelled to more than 15 different countries including Peru, India and Hong Kong. In South America, he worked for a NGO, which let him “see the gap between rich and poor” and “helped to open [his] eyes towards a disturbing and potentially dangerous social imbalance.”​

In India, he worked in the real-estate sector, creating different concepts in the Indian Tech & e-Commerce sectors.  Whilst Hong Kong served him with a platform to set up business opportunities and understand the market of the booming economy of China.​

His entrepreneurial spirit has brought him to IE University to study Business Administration. “I always wanted to learn how to start a new business and find my own way to enter my passion: entrepreneurship.”​

Parallel to his studies, Peter has started several projects. These include organizing the participation of IE University at different entrepreneurial events such as IdeaLab! and Euromasters; creating an art brand, which shall connect young artists, musicians and entrepreneurs; and putting together an exhibition with his photographs in India (which hopefully will be shown in several cities throughout Asia).​

By the help of his projects, he does not only intend to achieve success, but also to pay back the tremendous favor he received previously, namely his curiosity to discover unexplored affairs.​

“My parents taught me that all dreams and goals could only be achieved by keeping certain fundamental and timeless values in mind, such as modesty, straightforwardness, honesty and fairness. Self-discipline, diligence and the willingness to take up leadership seem to be further keys to success.”​

His advice to others who have dreams and ideas is to “work hard and live your dreams.” He quoted George Edward Woodberry, who says “defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure”.
It seems challenging but “it is easy to develop good ideas, but getting started is the first step and once you get started hard work is the only way to achieve the desired results!”