Editing and making videos is something I've been doing for ages. I had a dream to study at the HKU or Dutch Film Academy. However, when I started the preliminary course for audiovisual media at HKU, I discovered that I was missing something! I missed theory, a basis for critical thinking. Something I could gain from the study I had started at the same time at the University of Utrecht: Media and Culture. 

Here I immersed myself in video, but quickly chose the direction "New Media and Digital Culture" with Game Studies and Brains and Bodies as minors. I went for New Media and Game Studies, because I think engagement and interaction are and will be a big part of our society. Brains and Bodies was a minor focused on human cognition and emotions and gave me more understanding about the impact of interactivity on the human brain. 

After college, I traveled for four months, but I still had a passion for the visual. So when I returned, I started working as a multi-media designer at a start-up. Here I immersed myself in the concept of blended learning. When a position became available at Leiden University to guide teachers in creating videos for education, I got very excited about it and started working there as a video specialist. 

I worked there for two years in the role of video coordinator/specialist and my third and last year was completely dedicated as video specialist and producer of a series of interactive lab videos, created as part of a sponsored project by SURF and led by Marjo de GraauwThis project completely aligned with my approach in video, namely that interaction contributes to engagement and makes learning more fun and easier. I brainstormed, gave didactic advice, created a video script template, recorded videos and audio, edited all the video material and made the videos interactive in H5P.

The result was an opensource libary with more than twenty videos, specifically made as lab-preparation for students. It was amazing to see how much impact these videos had on the assistance required in the labs during the labwork and how much more basic knowledge the students had to start their experiments. I absolutely loved to brainstorm and communicate in a team of experts and found it very rewarding to see the impact of our videos.

This project made me want to take the next step: start as an entrepreneur, to be able to continue these kind of projects in other places. 

I was always very attracted to fantasy worlds as a child. I had a huge imagination and always played games based on fantasy series, movies or books I had seen or read. Acting is also something that I have always loved, because it offers the possibility to step into another world for a moment. 

I took my father's camera out a lot. I snapped pictures of my cats, flowers, landscapes, family gatherings, horses, dogs, you name it. I was also fascinated by Photoshop and made lots of horse manipulations. Yes yes, on a horse forum, because what 12-year-old girl isn't into that. Here I was always trying to depict horses in the most magical setting possible. 

With the purchase of my system camera for video, I actually also rediscovered my passion for photography and photo editing. This time not with horses (although those are also on my list), but with people! I really am a people person who enjoys getting to know others immensely, especially being able to make other people happy!

Because I am a perfectionist and I love photography so much, I have put hundreds of hours into watching videos and reading books about posing, light, composition, etc. I also put this into practice by asking everyone around me that I could find to go on a photo shoot with me. Especially my boyfriend. 

Since the part about fantasy and magic is something that has stuck with me through the years, I am always working on making my photographs magical. I do this using light. When I am out and about in the city, I am always drawn to the sidewalk cafes and places with pretty lights. There are also many LED cords hanging in my home. Therefore, I like to photograph in places where there is a lot of natural light or where I can create my own lighting setup, such as in my studio. 

I have struggled with my own self-image and am still working on it. Therefore, I think a good photo shoot in which you can see yourself in a different light is an incredibly beautiful contribution that I can make. I really hope that people can look at themselves and think "Wow, is that me?" It is also important to me that the photo shoot is a great experience and the photos are a way to remember it. Comfort and fun are my top priority. 

Nothing makes me happier than to see someone else happy with the work I have created. I would like to be able to make this a reality for you too!