As many great endeavors in life, it all starts in a bit of a pickle. My artistic Journey was no different….
In my early 30s I had everything, a good education, well paid job, a lovely husband and a house of our own. I had lived up to all of society's expectations and I was utterly miserable. How is that possible? I should be happy! I have all the luck in the world! But underneath my well organized life was a big disappointment in myself. Since I was little I dreamt of a life full of adventures in nature, a career as a professional artists, and saving all the animals on the planet. But like all of us, we grow up and stop believing. I traded my dreams for a safe and steady income, taking the easy way and making safe choices. In the end, that safe and steady comfortzone started to feel like a heavy burden, and I felt like I was a big faillure.
I was in a dark place and the only thought that comforted me was “one day this life will all be over”. But when you find yourself in real darkness, it can become a fruitful situation, as you sometimes suddenly find the courage to jump into the unknown.
And I did, together with my husband. We quit our jobs and went to live in a caravan on the coast of Spain. My husband is a windsurfer so we stayed on a small campsite in Tarifa. For 2 years the sun shined on our faces, the wind blew through our hair and we felt the warm earth underneath our bare feet. Memories, emotions and insights we had managed to suppress in our busy lives suddenly came up. I cried, wrote letters and went through a rainbow of emotions. But after the storm had settled, I started to feel calm and more energized. For the first time in 10 years I actually felt like being social, singing and dancing, and going out. Needless to say, the long period of rest in nature healed me and brought me back to my essence.
Unfortunately, after 2 years the money ran out and we had to drive back to the Netherlands. With renewed life energy and a deep sense of devotion, I knew I had to follow my heart and lifelong dream; I set out to become a professional artist.
