‘Born in Amsterdam in 1962 in Amsterdam and after a turbulent youth, I came to live in Ruigoord in 1991. There I found my happiness in working with people and all kinds of projects. Music, theatre, dance, the children’s circus and developing the church as a cultural centre. When I had children myself, I started to work with children and when we weren’t allowed to live in Ruigoord anymore we rented our houses as working space. I started to make more music resulting in the band Ruigoord Rebels (2002). We started out as a folk country band and have become more of a blues/ragtime band.’

What does it mean to you to have a studio at Ruigoord? And for your work?

‘Ruigoord means a lot to me. Here I found the inspiration, the peace, and the freedom to create, to make beautiful things together with others. It is more about the quality and content of what you bring to the table rather than being successful and making money. Although all kinds of completely different people work at Ruigoord, we all have that love for freedom and individuality, spirituality with a rough edge. Besides that, I have the space to practice, to store my hundreds of costumes and put on nice shows.’