I grew up in the countryside of Drenthe, The Netherlands, with my parents and younger brother. Surrounded by greenery, I developed a passion for nature at a young age. As a child, you could always find me outside: crawling through the grass, playing with mud, chasing deer, or climbing in the woods. I never came home without muddy feet and scraped hands from my daily adventures.

In addition to my love for nature, I also grew up with a passion for art and culture. My creative family exposed me to pencils, markers, and paint from a young age. Drawing and painting became my favorite pastime during primary school.
My grandmother, Heleen Bovenberg, was a great example to me when it came to art. She was a teacher who also created large, abstract artworks that were full of dynamics and color, depicting life through her eyes. She taught me an important lesson: there is beauty to be found everywhere if you just take the time to look.

During my high school years, I researched ‘The importance of Creativity in Education,’ which helped me realize the deeper value of art. This led me to pursue my further education as a Fine Art and Design Teacher at ArtEZ in Zwolle, where I developed myself as an artist and educator over the course of a four-year study. Nature was always the common thread in my creative process, and I even wrote a study on ‘The Link between Art and Nature.’ Through this study, I discovered how art can play a role in raising awareness about the environment and nature.