Vlindertje
My mom gave me a nickname, Vlindertje (butterfly), not for any reason; I was a little dreamer, often wandering off in my thoughts. We lived on a cargo ship and, on summer days, we sat on the stern deck with fishing rods. My sister and mom had to alarm me when I hooked a fish. On the scarce promenades we took ashore, I often got distracted by everything around me, not noticing that my family members were out of sight. More than once, it happened that they had already crossed a street or bridge when the lights turned red, so everybody had to wait for the traffic light to turn green.
Green
Nine months ago, I went through brain surgery, and every day life has changed. Recovering and dealing with the consequences of non-congenital brain damage is a complex and slow process. In a nutshell, in metaphors, my energy battery is broken, and I need to recharge more often. I also have some dead pixels in my sight, and I have limited RAM memory. Ergo Therapy helped me develop strategies to stay balanced and in the green.
Luckily, my personality has not changed a bit. I am still persistent, and my design and sewing skills remain untouched. Managing the symbolic traffic light is an issue I must deal with daily. It slows my life down, but that fits the butterfly in me.
(metaphorical traffic light explained: green, my head is fully charged, orange energy level is low, and red is a dead battery. Read more about NAH, Dutch)
Slow is okay
I am happy I can continue creating, and since ‘slow’ is okay for me, I don’t feel uncomfortable when it takes longer to finish a product or assignment. The main thing is that I deliver quality products that make you happy.
Besides that, I would like to strive to slow down in general because having more patience instead of aiming for instant satisfaction would solve many issues. For the environment and yourself:) You can read my thoughts about our Slow Fashion Policy on the pages About Pepavana and Footprint.
Keep playing
Remember when you were little and how you looked at the world, the grown-ups, and the idea of the future? A lot of it was abstract. Although I could not imagine how life would be as I grew older, I had a loving mom, dad, and sisters to play with in our little world on the ship. After that, I had many little worlds, big enough to manage, allowing me to keep playing.
My dad was my Anker, and even though he passed away when I was a young adult, I kept implementing all his thoughts about relations, values, the quality of materials, and handwork. We did not have much stuff, but every spend was durable.
My lifetime experiences and a little DNA from Dad (a hard worker, thinker, inventor, introspective, and funny) have brought me where I am today: creative and confident but still that child with dreams, living and designing consciously with a splash of humor.
Agenda
- For the time being, the creative workshops and sewing lessons will be on hold until further notice.
- To make things possible, I have the loyal support of friends and family to organize sales events at Rotterdamse Oogst. Next date: June 29 at Heemraadsplein from 10:00-17:00 hours.
- Try & Buy, and Sample Sale at the studio is possible by appointment.
For all funny dads today:
discount in the webshop.
Use coupon code DADS15 for a 15% cart discount
Valid until the end of 2024
