Ever since I can remember, my parents would take me to the Veluwe, a national forest here in the Netherlands. It feels like I grew up in those woods. We would first visit my grandparents there, and later we had our own little cottage by the forest's edge.

My fondest childhood memories were made among those trees—our trees, my trees. Even now, 31 years later, I could wander through them blindly for hours and never feel lost. They are my home.

I believe a significant part of my passion for nature stems from those experiences. Being diagnosed with both Autism and ADHD, my imagination is boundless and ever-active. I used to braid grass and flowers to make crowns or collect small pinecones and acorns to create simple twine necklaces. I've always had a knack for creating, and over time, it has matured.

In 2020, amidst the worst economic conditions, I started my business. The timing may have seemed unfavorable, but I managed to become a vendor at a small historical fair in September. I can't put into words how I felt during that weekend. One of the banknotes from that fair is proudly displayed in a nice picture frame in my atelier.

When you're like me, at some point, you hear people saying, "just do something simple" or "you could never do this/that." I made it my life's mission to prove those people wrong. It has been a challenging journey, but here we are—I did it.