Creatives of amsterdam
"Creatives of Amsterdam" is the title of Modström's latest portrait series, which focuses on creative women who work with and create art in the heart of Amsterdam. Every season, Modström pays tribute to strong, passionate women and their joy at what they do through the mantra, The Power of Joy. Based on creativity and joy, Modström focuses on 5 cool women, who all have Amsterdam as their creative work base. The women let us - wearing their favorite styles from the latest Modström collection - get close to their work and the joy it brings.
#modströmXamsterdam #creativesofamsterdam #modström
Photo:
Lotte Hesseling / @alotpictures
Vert Creation / @vertcreation
Soraya Gunning - founder & designer of nuoya studios
Tell us what you love about your creativity and your art?
What I really love is that my creativity is something that is my own. Nobody is telling me what to do and nobody telling me if it's good or not good.
It is really something where I can express myself, and all the random thoughts and ideas in my head. Also because my work is such a time consuming craft, it works as a meditation practice as well. It clears my mind and all the worries from the outside world are gone in that moment.
How does art bring you joy?
It brings me joy because it’s the moment where I can be totally myself and totally loose myself, in a good way.
How does Amsterdam inspire you in your work?
I have met so many different people in Amsterdam who are all expressing their creativity in so many different ways. That’s really something I love about Amsterdam. I really feel that my generation and the one after me, are going after what they want to do, not what “society” is telling them to do. Amsterdam is a good place for people like this.
Maryse Ceha - contemporary artist
Tell us what you love about your creativity and your art?
It's like always living in my own bubble. I am a dreamer and since painting is my job I can be in my head seven days a week. I love to visualize, experiment and then create anything that comes to mind.
How does art bring you joy?
Art in any form, whether creating or observing brings me joy. Like the little surprises I experience when I'm mixing new materials or how the outcome of colors can touch me. But especially the responses I get from my customers when they come for their new art piece means everything to me.
How does Amsterdam inspire you in your work?
Amsterdam is full of creativity. I like to walk around after a long day of work to clear my head to pick up new ideas. Amsterdam is the perfect place for this. There are so many galleries, open art studio's, inspiring people, beautiful places and the diversity is huge! I really love to be the fly on the wall sometimes and observe the ‘buzz’ of Amsterdam.
Sarah Neutkens - composer & writer
Tell us what you love about your creativity and your art?
Being free to create in any possible discipline is one of the greatest forms of freedom to me. Writing, drawing, playing… It enables me to express myself in the most honest and raw ways possible. It makes life worth living!
How does art bring you joy?
It’s always a lovely surprise to see how creativity gives shape to thoughts, events and feelings. The outcome is always a little unexpected, which turns art in an amazing adventure that brings so much joy.
How does Amsterdam inspire you in your work?
Amsterdam can both feel like a small village and an international-minded open city: It's ambiguity is precisely what inspires me.
Anneke Krull - founder & curator of the i love illustrations gallery
Tell us what you love about your creativity and your art?
In my work as a freelance Art-Director for fashion magazines and brands I have always collaborated with fashion illustrators around the world.
In September 2020 I started the I love Illustration Gallery, a boutique gallery at De Hallen Amsterdam focusing on contemporary fashion illustration.
Here I organise solo shows and group exhibitions of known and upcoming artists around the world.
How does art bring you joy?
Being a gallerist, my joy is to spot upcoming talents around the world and to support them by giving them a warm place to show their curated works.
Every new exhibition in my boutique gallery gives me joy.
How does Amsterdam inspire you in your work?
The creative community of Amsterdam is very inspiring. I represent a lot of Amsterdam-based fashion artists. The gallery is also exclusively representing the work of the iconic Amsterdam-based fashion illustrator Piet Paris.
Danique Dobbe - interior stylist
Tell us what you love about your creativity and your art?
The nicest thing about my creativity is that it hardly ever stops. I can be inspired by the simplest things such as a beautiful door in Paris, or an object I find in some local store. These things often give me multiple new ideas. I feel blessed that I can work from anywhere because of my creativity and am not tied to being in one place.
How does art bring you joy?
I've always been a collector of interesting objects and can find them anywhere. My apartment is full of them, and I also love to use them professionally when doing styling projects. Often these objects can give a project an extra authentic feeling. Recently I've also been receiving many requests from customers, which made me decide to launch my own collectables shop. Through this, I hope to make other people happy as well with my own curated items.
How does Amsterdam inspire you in your work?
Since I was fourteen years old I was sure I wanted to go to Amsterdam. Coming from a small town, I felt that Amsterdam was the place where everything happened. I love how folks move around and live in the city, for example on Saturdays at the Noordermarkt local market in the Jordaan neighborhood. I could easily spend the day watching people there. Amsterdam also taught me to develop myself and to trust my own style and taste. Just stick to that, don't follow the herd.
