This blog post is my very first blog post ever. I'd like to share many more blog posts with you.
If you love art, creativity, home decor, helping others, nature, animals, cooking, spirituality and much more, then you'll like my posts. I hope :-)
But first I want to introduce myself properly.
My name is Jody van der Kwaak and I am a multi-passionate creative entrepreneur with a passion for helping others in need.
You read this on the website already.
But now it's time to share a bit more about my background.
I've been a creative professional for over 25 years.
At the age of fifteen, I fell in love with photography. My stepfather gave me his old Practica camera and I started photographing everything that fascinated me. I looked beyond the ordinary and developed an eye for things that people wouldn't normally notice. Being able to capture this on film was so amazing that from that moment I knew I wanted to become a photographer.
That's how my creative journey started.
HOW DID I GET HERE?
Creativity was passed on to me by my mother. She is a very talented craftsperson. I followed into her footsteps and went to fashion school. It was one of the best decisions in my life. Not only being creative but being a creator. I realized this is who I am.
After fashion school, I knew the next step would be the art academy. Becoming a photographer/graphic designer became the dream I had to fulfill.
I was accepted to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in The Hague, the Netherlands, where I studied photography and graphic design. In the following years, I engrossed myself in the world of art; I was taught the ropes of photography and graphic design by renowned experts in these fields.
Despite the ups and downs and side roads I had to take, it brought me closer to my life's purpose.
A valuable lesson I learned was that everybody has his or her own pace in life. Don’t compare yourself with others! Be who you are.
After the art academy, working for a few bosses, it became clear to me I flourished more as an independent. I went out on my own and started freelancing. This bumpy road kept me going and I was getting closer to what I really want in life.
I worked as an independent photographer/graphic designer for 10 years. It was an amazing journey but there was something still missing….
Fast forward to 2018: it was time for a leap of faith. I traded The Netherlands for Canada: the big city for rural life. From city girl to country girl.
And that was the best decision in my life...so far.
Canada is a crazy big, versatile and beautiful. I find my subjects all over the place. It literally starts in the backyard.
Other photos I took on travel. I'm inspired by other cultures, city life and rural life.
The world has so much to offer.
And it's time to share it all with you. It's time to combine art with helping others.