Creative thinker, photographer, illustrator.
Being creative is not a dry living. Photographers and illustrators, plus a whole new batch of videographers are trying to grab a slice of the cake. This has been the case for ages.
When I left secondary school, I had to choose a direction for my higher education. Art school seemed like a good fit for me. Until I read in a newspaper article that the average artist earns 60 guilders a month (1993). The rest, if you were lucky, was supplemented by subsidy or benefits.
I went on to study Marketing. And then rolled from one office job to another. That went pretty well, I started for myself, got into software maker Yoast (of the WordPress plugin) and sold my stake in that company in 2020.
Over the past 20 years, I have worked with creative individuals in various roles. I thought only creative, but made nothing. I am now convinced that by focusing, collaborating and still thinking that dirty word commercially, many creatives can do more than they do now.
Room for creativity
Maybe that's it. Maybe I only now have the space for creativity. And then something beyond just an occasional doodle on my other instagram account.
And then with an emphasis on behind-the-scenes (BTS) and documentary/reportage photography. This stems from my passion for street photography. But of course, I also don't mind making a good set of portraits for your website or social media. And that's how you end up with "online" again.
Check out some of my photography projects here, or let me know What I could do for you!
A trainer from The Hook Once said to me: If you're not going to do anything with people, it's a shame for those people. The nicest compliment, and one I have always kept in my back pocket.
Learning street photography yourself
Meanwhile, I consider myself richer than ever. I get to live in my street photography workshops pass on my knowledge. But above all, showing others what I see. That city you have lived in for years, but then differently. I get to do that in hometown Nijmegen, but now also in Amsterdam, Utrecht, Eindhoven and Antwerp. I give workshops to companies - yet another company outing - and lectures to photography clubs, but also in photography shops like CameraNu. My first book came out in 2023.
Michiel Heijmans Photography
Nothing better than looking for the perfect picture together. You need images, I photograph. Since December 2020, I have taken a deep dive into the world of photography. Something my heart has been beating for years - I had just never "really" done anything with it. Too busy in my rat race. Tucking away creativity because "that doesn't get anything done". Nonsense.
You can stay on the road on that endless escalator called career. I need to photograph!
Thank you, Michiel. You're a true artist!
Rachelle Verhage, at Instagram
English (UK)