Creative thinker, photographer, illustrator.
Being creative does not bring home the bacon. Photographers and illustrators, plus a whole new generation of videographers all try to get a piece of the pie. It has been like that for ages.
I came straight out of middle school and they told me to pick a direction for university. I liked arts and crafts. That was until I read this newspaper article stating that the average artist earned like 60 bucks a month (1993). The rest was. if you were lucky, compensated by the government. Sounded like an amazing struggle.
I chose Marketing instead. Had too many boring office jobs, but was quite successful, actually. I started my own company, and became a co-owner and the COO of software development company Yoast (of the WordPress plugin, indeed). Sold my shares in that company in 2020.
Over the past 20 years, I worked with creative human beings in a plethoria of roles. I was able to think creatively, but did not create anything. Nowadays, I am convinced that creatives can achieve so more more than they think, just by having more focus, cooperating with other creatives and that nasty term “commercial thinking”.
A coach at De Baak once said to me: if you’re not going to work with people, that’s a loss for those people. The best compliment, and one I kept in the back of my head all the time.
I’M READY.
Room for creativity
Maybe that’s just it. Maybe now, I have found room for creativity. And more than just the incidental doodle on my other instagram account.
Emphasizing on behind-the-scenes (BTS) and documentary / reportage. Obviously, that does not mean I don’t like shooting business portraits as well (people!). Those are usually for social media or website, and that leads me back “online”.
Check some of my recent projects here, or get in touch to see what I can do for you!
Michiel Heijmans Photography
There’s nothing more thrilling than searching for that one perfect shot. You need photos, I press shutters. Since December 2020, I took a deep dive in the world of photography. Something my heart has been beating for for years – I just never imagined that I would/could make my profession of it. Too busy in the common rat race. Stay away from creativity, as that “won’t bring you anything”. I call bullshit on that.
Ambition is a never ending escalator. I‘m done. Just give me a camera already!
Thanks, Michiel. You’re a true artist!
Rachelle Verhage, on Instagram
Keeping busy!
2022 and still so much to do:
- Workshop See Paris with your Heart by the amazing Valerie Jardin (done)
- Workshop Flash Photography by Evely Duis (done)
- Organizing photowalks in Nijmegen: Fotowolks (every month)
- Hundreds of new followers on Instagram after thumbs up from William Rutten
- Nominee for the 2022 Urban Photo Race
- Workshop Night Photography by Dave Zuuring in Nijmegen (done)
- Workshop Street Photography by Fokko Muller in Rotterdam (done)
- A number of commercial shoots, among others business portraits and conversion specific photoshoots
- Workshop Learn to watch, variantion: better photos with your mobile phone (as a teacher)
I’ll be shooting portraits and street for the second time fOr this year’s edition of BEP magazine!
