Freelancing From the Ground Up
Work That Grows With Your Life
We’ve all heard the phrase: “Nobody wants to work anymore.” But maybe it’s not that we don’t want to work—it’s that we no longer want to be exploited.
Before I became a Freelance Brand Designer, I spent years working jobs that left me drained, where the return on my energy was barely enough to get by. The promise of stability always felt fragile—if I left, someone else would fill my spot without a second thought. I realised I was giving away my time and spirit for a salary that allowed survival, not growth. And the only way to build something beyond that would be to dive deeper into the rat race. But I wasn’t willing to sell my life for someone else’s success. I didn’t want to work myself into exhaustion so a CEO could have another shiny car or a watch that costs more than most people make in a year.
A Different Kind of Wealth
Because to me, life is not about status or fancy objects.
It’s about quiet, meaningful things—spending time with loved ones, sharing food with friends, helping out your neighbour, being part of a community. It’s about taking only what you need and giving what you can. When you need to earn, you do it with care and purpose. And when you work, you do it in a way that doesn’t steal your time or your values.
This is the mindset that now shapes both my homesteading journey and my approach to purpose-driven design. Whether I’m creating a logo system, brand world, or digital presence, I bring the same sense of care and intention to my work as I do to my life.
There’s a quote from the documentary Carts of Darkness that has stayed with me:
“You don’t need to be greedy about it. If you want to acquire something, you will put a little bit more effort into it. But every time you put effort into work, and you are making a little bit of money—you better have a really good plan of what you are going to do with that money, because you are using up your life.”
It made me stop and think: what exactly am I using up my life for?
Remembering My Roots
I was born and raised in a small village in the Netherlands—just 3,000 people, surrounded by farmland and nature. As a little girl, I loved it. But as I grew older, I became a restless teenager, bored of small-town life and hungry for something else. Like many, I moved to the city to experience more, to learn, to explore. I’ve been living in cities for over a decade now—six of those years in Berlin—and I’ve learned a lot about the world, about people, and about myself.
Somewhere along the way, I started to forget that rural rhythm that raised me. I got caught in the current. I always pictured myself someday with a garden, with chickens—but it began to feel like a distant memory from a past life, or a dream that belonged in some far-off future. I almost got swallowed by corporate life. By deadlines. By screens. By the pressure to perform, grow, produce. And somewhere in all of that noise, I was being fed the wrong story about what matters in life.
A New Kind of Alignment
Now, I see clearly: material things are not what make life meaningful. The dream of a slower, more rooted life wasn’t something to save for “later.” It was a compass pointing me home.
People often talk about the importance of separating work and personal life. But maybe that’s only necessary because so many of us are doing work that doesn’t align with who we are. If your work feels disconnected from your values, no wonder you want to keep it far away from your real life. But I believe that everything in life can be aligned. That you don’t have to spend all your energy building high walls between your personal life and your professional one. When your values are clear and your work reflects them, things start to flow together naturally. Work doesn’t feel like a cage—it becomes part of who you are.
For me, that intention is leading toward a more self-sustaining life. I want to build a homestead. I want to grow food, care for chickens and ducks (yes, for eggs—but also for cuddles), to design and build a home with natural materials. I want to trade with neighbours, spend less in shops, and live more simply.
Design as a Tool for Change
Brand Design is still a deep passion of mine—but now, it’s also a tool. Through thoughtful, intentional design, I can support others on a similar path: small teams, independent makers, those quietly reshaping culture. People who question the direction society is heading in. Who want to create businesses rooted in care, not just profit.
It’s not just about digital design either. I love bringing beauty into the world—in brands, in homes, in everyday objects. I believe the things we surround ourselves with deeply influence us. Whether it’s a carefully crafted visual identity or a handmade bowl on the table—beauty matters. It speaks. It softens. It brings joy.
intentionally true
So I’ll keep working the land to provide what I can for myself. And for what I can’t grow or trade, I’ll continue building my freelance practice—offering design that’s intentional, grounded, and human.
This work supports the life I’m creating—one that doesn’t demand burnout to survive. A life close to the land, close to others, and close to myself.
A life that feels alive.