My Creative Process

People often ask me; what kind of education do you do exactly? And how did you end up there?
Well to answer that second question, I have to take you back a few years in the history of my life. And from there it is easier to answer the first ;)

I have a diploma to work with disabled kids and a few years back I worked at an after school daycare for disabled children. How much I love to do this work, it appeared to be too heavy for me to do since I have chronic fatigue and I have a weak immune system. My contract didn’t get renewed because of my poor health and I ended up in the social security system. 

After being a year at home, trying to recover from all the years I had functioned above my energy level, I needed something to do. Since money was tight, I ended up at “de opstap”, a place that offers courses for a very low price. One of these courses was curative drawing by Nieske van de Wetering and it would start later that same day! Normally I am not very keen on making spontaneous decisions like that, but I knew that this was what I wanted, so I went that same afternoon in January 2009. I continued doing this for 3 courses. 

While doing the second course, I realized that this was something that really suits me and I was looking for a way to get more out of my life so I asked Nieske about the possibilities regarding an education in this field.

I was lucky that there was a likeminded education close by in one of the neighboring villages and when I read the site, I knew this is where I wanted to go. Now I had to see how I would get the money together for actually doing it. It was and still is a huge obstacle because this education isn’t cheap. But I managed to save enough money to start on the first year in September 2010. 

I now am a student of “vrije academie ‘t Pad”. I am able to do this education because you only have one day of school every fortnight and 5 hours a week of homework.  In the first 2 years of this education you create a base to build on. The first year is all about experimenting. You will get to know yourself through your creative process and it is not required to know anything about drawing at all when you start. The education combines creativity with a Holistic view. I find it a very positive environment to study in since you can’t do anything wrong in your creative process. Everything you create during the year is good as it is. This atmosphere really helps me grow and develop myself, since I can’t deal with pressure of society well. 

It is exactly what I hoped for would happen. I am getting to know myself so much better through this education and I am getting all these ideas for the future. Things I would like to do are giving workshops and open a web shop. But this is probably planned within the next couple of years. For now I just want to keep on experimenting and developing myself. The most valuable lesson I learned so far is that you always have to be true to yourself. I have a lot of limitations in life, but this doesn’t mean I don’t have a lot of possibilities as well. I just have to find the right ways to make it happen!