digitalvisualdiary-blog

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BYE BYE, SAN FRANCISCO

I can’t believe May is already coming to an end! I feel like since this is my last week my days have been passing by me so fast. There is just so much happening right now! Don’t get me wrong – I love to keep busy!

On Monday I cycled all day. I took the chance to take my last photos here. I have been getting lots of use out of my bike. But this week I will really have to sell it. I will miss this bike. It took me everywhere!

The other days of the week I spent at the studio. When I got there on Tuesday, there was a birthday card and little present waiting for me… It was a shell filled with lip-gloss all the way from China! I loved it!

I had my last day on Thursday. I can tell you that the feeling was bittersweet. I am happy that I finished my internship. But it feels weird to leave the studio knowing that I might never come back here. I am so happy that I was able to work with such great artists with interests similar to mine. I feel like I lucked out. I have had a great time!

I’m leaving tomorrow, so I spent my Friday finishing up some work, packing, and organising things for my flight back home. So, everything is quite bare, at the moment. My room is almost empty! There was quite a lot that needed to be packed. My suitcase barely closed! But now that I’m all set, I’m ready to go home!

I left really early on Saturday morning because I had to take public transport to the airport. Getting there was an adventure of its own! I spent quit some time in the bus. But I love road trips. I love driving for hours. I just love everything about it! And the stunning scenery made it even better.

When I arrived at the airport I had some time to kill, as my flight was in the afternoon. I was there way too early! Fortunately, SFO it is a very large airport, so after queueing up for bag drops and security I just did a lot of shopping. There were so many fun shops and places to have lunch. This was also my last opportunity to buy some souvenirs!

Now I am on a plane, making my way back home. And I can’t wait to see everyone again

I landed on Sunday morning. My parents and sister were at the airport ready to pick me up with a balloon! On our way back home, we used our time in the car to fill each other in on what has been going on while we were apart. So much happened!

My time is all messed up. But I am trying my best to go back to ‘normal’. I tried to fight the sleep but earlier I gave in. I could not handle the time difference. But I tried!

Now I’m back in Roosendaal, writing this diary. I still cannot believe that it has been three months already! Time goes by way too fast!

As I said, this trip really was an adventure. I’m sure that the memory of the wonderful things I have seen and experienced will stay forever. I’ve completed my goals, which were finishing my amazing internship at the Jim Goldberg Studio, my photography project for school and I started on a project for The Mix.

I’m excited about everything I’ve done, and even more, about the fact that I did it all alone.

Before I leave, I just wanted to say thank you for all the support! This was my first time writing about my daily life. I hope you liked it!

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MY LAST INTERNSHIP DAY

Today’s my last day at my internship. I can tell you that the feeling is bittersweet.

I remember writhing my first blog post after my first day at the Jim Goldberg Studio. After three months it is really over.

Over the past weeks I’ve learned and accomplished a lot. I have made new friends, networked and traveled to places I have never been before. What started off as just an internship turned out to be something a lot more. As my internship ends, and I look back on my time here, I am so happy that I was able to work with such great artists with interests similar to mine. I feel like I lucked out. I have had a great time!

I’ve learned a lot about myself and what I want to pursue in the future. I’ve pushed myself out of my comfort-zone. And I’ve become more confident in myself and my potential.

Thank you Jim, Emily and Eric!

Thank you for being so welcoming, kind and helpful. You have helped me become who I am today. You have taught me so much. 

I am forever grateful for all the memories and experiences I was able to have because of everyone here.

Until next time!

[digitalvisualdiary-blog]

BIRTHDAY WEEK

Now it is really almost over, I have only two weeks left! Can you believe it?! I'm definitely not ready to go home.

On Monday I went out and ended up walking for a few hours. Which I’ve spent snapping some photos. Simply because I don’t want to forget anything. I need the pictures to remember this amazing experience. And hey, I got some photos of this beautiful sunset. I love it when the clouds are pink. The twilight is mesmerizing here.

The other days of the week just went by. My days at the studio are very productive and busy! But I love it! I always leave feeling positive and creative.

Every day when I came back from the studio there were more cards and letters waiting for me. But I am going to wait for Sunday to open them, because I think that they are all birthday cards. And this way I still have a few things to open on my birthday.

On Wednesday Kaylee and I went out for dinner. Tomorrow she will go back to LA to spend her summer holidays at home. So, this was our goodbye. We went to The Tiny Thai. This was such a cute spot and the food was great! We chatted for a while – it was really lovely, and just what we needed.

On Thursday I celebrated my birthday at the studio. I treated Jim and Emily to some Dutch chocolate. And Jim signed my copy of Raised by Wolves!

At the beginning of the weekend I hopped on the train to Petaluma. I went out for a walk to the center where all cool independent shops are situated. I got myself this super cute dress! Which you will probably see soon in my pictures. Oh, it looks so stunning.

And yesterday was my birthday, which happened to fall on a Sunday, giving me the perfect chance to celebrate it! It was actually the first time that I celebrated my birthday all alone and in another country.

I turned 20 years old. Almost old enough to have a drink in America. I’m not sure why I have been looking forward to this age so much, but I’m glad the day came!

For breakfast I made some vegan pancake. I love the American pancakes, so it already put me in a great mood. Also, the weather was incredibly nice!

I treated myself to some unhealthy food. I even got a vegan cake! Sometimes you have to treat yourself and especiallywhen it is your birthday. I spent the afternoon opening all the birthday cards that were sent to me. It made me feel very special and extremely grateful.Thanks for all the birthday wishes!

After reading them all, I went out for a walk to the center of Cotati. The sun was shining and I felt like going out. Cotati is full of cute and historic buildings. It is such an inspiring area.

To end the day, I watched the movie ‘Pulp Fiction’. Seriously, it is so good! It my all-time favorite films so… go watch it!

Overall, it was a relaxing day, and I enjoyed it very much. But honestly, I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday. Most of my days are so busy that it is nice to have some time to relax.

Now I am lying in bed, typing this post. And I am still so happy. Thanks again for all the birthday wishes! 

See you next week!

[digitalvisualdiary-blog]

A NICE WEEK

Here is a new update! … so take a seat and get comfy!

My Mondaystarted slow. I woke up early as usual and was glad to see that the sun was out already. I felt the need to clean and organize my room a bit. You can read all about it in my previous post. After that I went out for a walk and did some homework in the backyard. Overall It was a relaxing day.

On Tuesday I did not have to go to the studio. And to be honest, that worked out really well for me. I could use some extra time for my own projects.I got to catch up on work and edited the pictures I took on Monday. I caught up on everything and that feels great!

I spent the rest of the week at the studio. I just love being there, it is such an inspiring environment, and this happened;

I got to post a collage on Jim’s Instagram! This was a big deal for me because we first came into contact via Instagram. And a lot of talented people will see this. I also think I've never had so many likes before!

I had no plans for this weekend, I just wanted to get lots of work done… little did I know that all my plans would change.

Kaylee and I decided to hang out as much as possible, because next week she will leave! This time we decided to go to SF MOMA. Ever since it first got here, I wanted to go to this museum. We left early in the afternoon, which gave us plenty of time to spent in San Francisco. I And of course I brought my camera to snap some pictures so I could bring you along with me as I have been doing all the other weeks so far.

First, we had lunch together at Split. Which is a lovely little restaurant with some vegan and vegetarian options. Of course, I went with a veggie burger… should I say more? When in America you need to eat a burger.

SF MOMA is a very large museum, it has seven floors! And we saw all of them!  I found it very interesting because there was a lot of photography. We had a great time!

Right after visiting the museum we went shopping. In San Francisco you can find everything you could ever want. How convenient! We started off with Urban Outfitters. I really enjoy browsing through shopsand was able to pick up a few gifts. But unfortunately, I can’t show them. I don’t want to ruin the surprise.

After spending most of our day looking at amazing art pieceswe were tired and quickly gave up on shopping. We ended up watching a movie together. It was the perfect day!

On Sunday we wanted to go to Bodega Bay. But our plans changed. The weather turned bad and it got really cloudy. We were not prepared for the colder weather because the previous day was sunny and warm.So we decided to stay inside where it is, warm and cosy.

But that’s it! It’s dinner time now and I’m going to cook a nice warm meal. 

See you next week!

[digitalvisualdiary-blog]

ROOM TOUR

Since lots of you have been curious about this, and this has been my first time living on my own, in this post you will find some info and photos about my room. You have seen little bits of the house and backyard, but here is a full tour!

I did not decide to make this into a blog post until now. So, I don’t have a proper photo of the before, but you can see how bland and beige this is.

I have a whole (bath)room just for myself. The room was fully furnished. It came with a refrigerators, washer, dryer, bed, desk and chest drawer.

A few people don’t really understand why I would need a bathroom just to myself. And probably I could do without it, but it’s so much easier and it is nice to have some privacy.

This is the before. As you can tell this is a real space for me to work and study in. The quality of this photo up here is clearly bad, but I wanted you to be able to see what the room looked like before.

I moved things around, cleaned and reorganized to make this space feel fresh again. One of my main goals was to be able to use the desk space so that I could actually use it for what it’s meant for; studying. I was able to do that by placing an extra storage unit behind me. I can now keep my laptop and cameras on top the desk and quickly move them without too much trouble. In the drawers I keep photography equipment and crafting items, so that I can have everything accessible depending on what I’m up to. It is so nice to have all the projects you work on in just one space, all together.

And this is the outcome!

Not sure if you can tell from the photos, but this room isn’t that big. And it has a small bathroom attached to it.So, making it feel airy and open was something I wanted, and could be achieved if I played my cards right.

Before, it was a rather bland space. It’s a squire room with beige walls. This space, was not inviting at all. But now the room is filled with stuff you guys sent me! It is my own little museum full of things that motivate me. 

The room it is at the front of the house and gets sunlight during most of the day. But I can make it quite dark throughout the day so that it stays cool. That that is a really good thing since the rest of the house gets super warm!

It may not seem like the pretties (bath)room, still, but if you take a look at the ‘before’ pictures of it, you can easily tell how much the space has improved.

But I honestly couldn’t be happier with it. The location is great! It is about 2 blocks from the train station, 2 blocks from bus stop and again 2 blocks from shopping mall. And it is about an hour’s drive to San Francisco and a shorter drive to the Sonoma Coast or the Redwoods.

Before I forget, our backyard is beautiful! It has apple, pear, plum, peach and cherry trees and rose bushes. I love spending time here!

So this is my room! What do you think? See you soon!

[digitalvisualdiary-blog]

THE FIRST WEEK OF MAY

Let’s all take a moment to celebrate the fact that a new month has begun. This post marks the first week of May, my last month! Time flies by so fast!

Last weekend Kaylee and I went to Petaluma. I immediately fell in love with this town, it is just so incredibly unique. So, on Monday I hopped on the train to go back! It was a lovely day with lots of sun and not a cloud in the sky. Of course, I brought my camera. I spent the entire day taking pictures and meeting lots of new people.

And then Thursday came. Every day at the studio is a little adventure, and I am learning so many different things. It’s such a busy, lively place to by– Not a single day is the same and that makes the internship even more enjoyable. We are trying to juggle so many things at once! The internship days just fly by.

I had no plans for this weekend, since I want to get lots of work done.

Saturday was a promising day, I woke up early and the sun came out. It looked stunning. But I’ve spent the entire day behind my desk. The good news is; I got a lot of work done! I worked on my projects for my art academy back home, so nothing new there! I’ve been really focusing on making my projects come to life. I ended up finishing my work late. But that was fine because after I finished up, I rushed to have diner in the evening sun. Having it outdoor, whilst the sun was setting, was so nice and probably made it taste better!

Lately, I have been doing a bit more work than usual – I do a lot of work for school, take pictures and edit almost every day and then I prepare to shoot some more… all because this is my last month. At this point, I feel like I need to do as much work as I can while being here in America.

Today is Sunday, which means it’s time to get back outside. Usually that’s the day I go grocery shopping, but I was not sure what to do: instead, I decided to ride my bike around Cotati and Rohnert Park. I ended up at another Target and decided to get some food from there. They had so many vegan options!

Anyway, when I got home I had a package waiting for me: it was from my best friend. She put together a lovely (and huge) package for me! What a nice surprise!

After opening the package, I took this chance to relax and stay outside. I decided to go for a picnic by myself and ended up staying outside for the entire day. For the first time in a few weeks, I was able to fully ‘chill out’. I spent my afternoon sitting in the backyard writing and working on my projects while enjoying the sun.

I am going to watch a movie now, to end the day. See you soon!

[digitalvisualdiary-blog]

HALFWAY THERE

Are you ready for a new update? Let’s go!

April – so far – has been a great month. The past few days have been feeling like summer, with clear skies and high temperatures.

That resulted in the perfect time to explore some more – just about 1 hour away form where I live is a Walmart. Ever since I got here I wanted to go. It is an American classic after all.

But getting to Walmart was a challenge. In the end it all paid off when I got inside and looked at all fascinating things it had to offer. I just love browsing through the shelves and looking for interesting things. Of course, I snapped a few pictures. It’s a very large store so I believe I spent quite a lot of time in there.

After spending my Monday morning exploring Walmart, I went back into the main area of Rohnert Park and stopped by Oliver’s Market for a snack. It was such a warm day that in order to feel cool again, I got some vegan ice cream. It was delicious!

I spent the rest of the week at the Jim Goldberg Studio. The internship days go by way to fast!I am officially done with half the internship! Can you believe I am already halfway?!I can’t! I’m super excited about everything I’ve learned so far! You can read all about it in my previous post ‘Study Update’. Check it out! So I’ve simply been working and studying and dealing with things for school during most days of the week.

Friday was overall a calm day, I took a long walk to take some pictures. The weather is just so nice here, so I am trying to enjoy it while I can. And I just love strolling around all the streets full of charming buildings and nice people.

Oh! I almost forgot!This incredible drive thru was suggested, and so I went on a 45 minute bike ride to grab some lunch. Amy’s Drive Thru is offers classic American fast food. But there is a twist, it is vegan! I had an organic burger with fries and a chocolate milkshake. It was the best vegan junk food I have ever had! If you are ever in the San Francisco Bay Area, and you are into this sort of stuff, I highly recommend stopping by! I will be back for sure!

On Saturday I took this chance to relax and stay outside. I spent the afternoon drawing and writing.  Luckily, it was a sunny day, although the wind was stronger than usual. Still, I’ve spent the entire day outside until the sun got covered by the clouds so I felt like it was the right time to go back inside.And now it’s time for some Netflix.

This Sunday, Kaylee and I had the idea of driving to Petaluma, a town not too far from where we live, to get some fresh air, do some shopping and eat brunch. So we had some fun activities planned! It was a spontaneous decision, so at 11am we drove up.

We treated ourselves to some unhealthy food at Wishbone. If you are looking for something young and unique, Wishbone has an amazing decor taste, is pretty artsy and the food is great. Both Kaylee and I loved it. With our bellies stuffed, we headed down to the center.The city center is a cute little area full of shops and restaurants. We walked for hours. Late in the afternoon we made our way back home. We spent such a fun, relaxing day together!

I feel like since it is April, my days have been passing by so fast. There is just so much happening right now, and so many projects I’m working on.

I think this is all I wanted to say for now. Hope your beginning of the week is going well! See you soon!

[digitalvisualdiary-blog]

STUDY UPDATE

So many of you have been supportive about me being in America to study and asked for an update, so here is one! Right now, I'm exactly halfway. I still have a month and a half to go!  Time is going by way too fast!

First of all, everything is going really well. I am extremely interested in what I’m learning and I find every day at the studio to be a ‘fun challenge’.

Back in January, I started thinking about what kind of internship I wanted to do. Before then, I followed Jim Goldberg on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. I just love his work! Sometimes he even liked my pictures. I kept coming across beautiful post from Jim and started to wonder if he takes on interns. I never heard of his studio and when he posted a picture of it I was instantly intrigued. I decided to send him a message and got accepted!

Then I started to research all the things I had to arrange for an internship abroad. I quickly realized it required quite a lot of pre-planning. It was kind of overwhelming when I got started but this did not put me off. Almost 4 months of planning and researching went by but I did it! And now I am here at the Jim Goldberg Studio!

There are so many different things happening in the studio. Not a single day is the same as the one before. My daily tasks include basic studio upkeep, archive management, scanning and prepping work, exhibition planning as well as more creative tasks. So it is a mix of more administrative/technical tasks and creative problem solving. There is just so much to do and learn! It is a real fast-based artist/photographer’s studio.

One of the most important things we are working on is the China book. Seeing this book come together is very special. Seeing Jim work is so incredibly interesting and truly fascinating. He is just so creative. I am being exposed to so many different art techniques that he uses, it is very educational. I just love it! And I am trying to take everything in.

I’m not sure I can say much about the book. And I can imagine how annoying that must be, as I don’t mean to tease you. As usual, many art-projects take months to make and so does this book. But if I’m allowed to talk about it some more, maybe when it is further along, I will for sure fill you in!

Something I also learned from a lot is his book ‘Raised by Wolves’. We went in depth on his most famous work, this book. I learned a lot about how to tell a story using a lot of different types of media. I’m extremely excited about this in particular because it is something I have been struggling with for some time.  And ‘Raised by Wolves’ is my favorite photography book of all time!

On some days I also have time to work on my own projects. And I get to discuss them with everybody in the studio. This is just amazing! Every day I leave the studio full of new inspiration.

So here is where I am at. Absolutely loving the internship and learning a lot every day.

Can you believe I am already halfway?! I can’t! Anyway, this is all I’ve got so far. I will try to update you later on, but for now, since many of you were curious, this my short study update! Either way, I’m super excited about everything I’ve done so far!

Thanks for stopping by!

[digitalvisualdiary-blog]

BACK TO NORMAL

Another week went by! So that means a new post!

I haven’t been that active in the past week because we have been experiencing some amazing weather. So I was busy enjoying every second of it. I took the chance to go out wearing some cute summer-dresses and short-shorts to show my pale – at the time – legs.

But the week started with a rainy Monday, and so I spent the day doing some work for my art-academy back home.

Tuesday just went by. It was the first day in the studio, after Jim and Emily came back from China – that we spent together. It was amazing to hear all their stories!

The following days went by fast, Wednesday and Thursday were also full days at the studio. Now that Jim and Emily back it is very busy. With all the organizing, unpacking, and the sun shining, we felt like going out and treating ourselves to a nice lunch.

The place we chose wasOliver’s Market. We usually come here during our lunchbreak because they offer a lot of vegan and vegetarian options and they have a little outdoor space where you can eat in the sun.

On Friday I had to work on some stuff, one of which is printing my pictures. I use these prints to put my project together. Currently I am so busy with my own project and all the work in the studio! But I don’t mind it at all! I just know that my time goes by so fast! When I look away from whatever I’m doing, the sun has gone down, and it’s time for dinner.

Commonly, on Saturday and Sunday afternoon, I stroll up and down the center of Rohnert Park and Cotati to take pictures. But on Saturday I adventured a bit further with my bike and found this nice street with lovely houses and flowers. I can’t believe I’ve never explored this area before, but it was so fun to look at all it had to offer! And ofcourse the fact that the sun was shining made everything better.

I rode my bike all afternoon . I even went so far that I got out of town. Here I found one huge mall after the other. So I decided to do a little shopping at Target. I think I spent quite some time in there because the store was huge! All the people I met were surprised to see me all the way out here. They almost never see someone riding a bike!

When I got back home from my adventure, there was a package waiting for me. Having a new package from home to unbox made my already amazing day so much more exciting! I really enjoyed reading the letter. It made me feel amazing! 

There was almost no time to relax this week, until today. After pampering ourselves, Kaylee and I decided to go to the movies in the evening. We are both love the work of Wes Anderson, so we went to see Isle of Dogs. And it was amazing! We had a great time! I’m really glad I went to a cinema in America, they are so different from the European ones.

Alright. That’s all for this week. I can’t wait to post a new update soon!

[digitalvisualdiary-blog]

SOME TIME FOR MYSELF

The weather has been so amazing this past weeks here in California. I’ve been leaving my desk at every opportunity I’ve had. It occurred to me that all I want to do on free days is go on walks, take pictures and watch a good movie or documentary.

During this week I’ve been really focusing on making my projects come to life. I’ve been working on so many things over the last month! So many of you have been supportive about me being in America to study and it is really motivating to get letters form The Netherlands. They just make my day! Thanks to everyone that send me something!

Wednesday and Thursday were full working days. They went by so fast! Eric and I worked in the archive and on the new book. I also had some time to work on my own project at the studio. These last days I learned a lot about the stages a book goes trough before it’s ready for the printers.

On Thursday morning I decided to go to the hairdressers. It was a bit of a spur of the moment thing, and I just went with it. Getting your hair cut by a local stylist is a great way to meet new locals! But getting a haircut in another country – in a foreign language – is a pretty nerve-wracking experience. But fortunately, everything went well and I could just sit back and enjoy the American haircut experience. Not that much has changed and I am really happy with the cut and color.

The Cotati center has quickly become one of my favorite places to be. It’s extremely tranquil and the birds are always singing! There are also a lot of colorful flowers! I spend most of my free time here just walking around and taking pictures.

In the weekend I took some time to go on long walks and sit in the sun with a good book. I don’t think I’ve ever walked this much before in just two days! I woke up in this morning, my legs all sore. That’s why I’m in bed writing this.

After this lovely week, I’ve made it my mission to take time out like this every so often. Sometimes you just need some time for yourself. And this was just what I needed. It’s good to have a bit of a pamper and a recharge day.

Anyway, this is all I’ve got so far. See you next week!

[digitalvisualdiary-blog]

THE FIRST WEEK OF APRIL

It is the first week of April, my second month in America. Time goes by so fast!

I started off the month by celebrating Easter in San Francisco. You can read all about it in my previous blog-post!

But let’s move on to Monday. I started the week off thinking I would snap some pictures since I was doing a lot of things for school. I try to go for a walk every day. The weather is so nice, I have no reason to stay inside.

This Tuesday I had a Skype-call with my school in the Netherlands. It was so motivating to talk about my project with my teachers.

This week I don’t have to go to the studio that often. Jim Goldberg is in China for the book and a commercial photoshoot. I don’t mind it at all. This is a nice moment to work extra hard on my own project.

But on Thursday evening my stomach began to hurt out of nowhere, it went form mild, to very painful and the fever got higher and higher. I have been resting for the past 2 days, whilst doing some minor work from home.

Moving on to Saturday, I felt well enough to go on a little trip. There are still some places that I wanted to visit in Cotati and Rohnert Park. So for today is selected the Sonoma State University Art Gallery. Currently there was an annual show open to all currently enrolled student art majors and non-majors alike. So other art-school students! I had no reason not to go!

But getting there was a challenge and I got lost a few times. In the end it all paid of when I got inside and looked at all the art pieces and other fascinating things it had to offer. Of course, I snapped a few pictures. It’s not a very large gallery, but I really enjoyed it.I believe I spent quite a lot of time in there.

I decided to spend part of my Saturday in the center of Cotati. Just walking around, meeting new people and taking pictures. Also, the weather was incredibly nice, no wind, which was a good change for me!It was the perfect day!

Currently for me it’s late evening, gonna go watch a movie now, to end the week. 

You will hear from me soon!

[digitalvisualdiary-blog]

A SUMMER DAY IN SAN FRANCISCO

My friend Kaylee and decided to go on a quick trip. Thinking of destinations was easy, San Francisco is just around the corner! Getting to San Francisco from Cotati took us around 1 hours, but we took the chance to play some music on the way, and the scenery was absolutely stunning.

I’ve been wanting to revisit San Francisco ever since I was there a few years ago. I had great memories of this city, and going back again, did not leave me disappointed.

We left in the morning, which gave us plenty of time to look around. Of course, I brought my camera and took some photos.

First, we went to Glossier. This is a cult makeup brand that had a pop-up store in Rhea’s Café. After looking around and of course testing all the makeup, we decided to sit down for a drink. The café was so cute!

We went to San Francisco to simply walk around and have a nice time: the weather was on our side, and the sun came out. We strolled around to get some lunch and ended up in China Town.

With our bellies stuffed, it was time to go to Fisherman’s Warf. But we took the tourist route. We walked across Union Square, explored North Beach and looked at the cable cars.  

We kept on walking, admiring the buildings, checking out some shops, and reached Pier 39. Here we visited Bubba Gump Shirmp, saw Alcatraz and of course the Sea Lions.

But the highlight of the day was definitely seeing the Golden Gate Bridge again. It is just so beautiful with the seascape of the San Francisco Bay. We drove over the bridge on our way home.  

This pretty much concludes our trip to San Francisco!

Today was surprisingly warm, not only sunny, and although the wind never really stops, it was the greatest summer day we had so far. Kaylee and I had a great time, as there was so much to do and lots of chances to take photos. San Francisco we will be back!

[digitalvisualdiary-blog]

HERE COMES THE SUN

They always say that time goes by way too fast. I’ve never noticed it as much as in these last few weeks.Time flies!

The past couple of days, finally, the heat and sun came. Nothing too warm, but warm enough to wear a t-shirt and have a good time outdoors.

So that's exactly what I did on Monday.As I was wandering around I finally found a shop that sells plants!

In America everything has to be fast and easy. Taking care of a plant takes too much time. So, most of the plants are plastic here. And that is not what I was looking for. But now I have a real one!

On Tuesday I got some great news.The project that I'm working on right now got selected by; The Mix.

The Mix is a photo-assignment in which a new Dutch photographer is inspired by existing photographic work from a private or museum collection.

The combined work of both photographers can be uses for all kinds of things such as exhibitions and publications. (http://www.demixfotoprojecten.nl/index.html)

I am so exited!

I spent the rest of the week at the Jim Goldberg Studio. The internship days go by very quickly! I am extremely interested in what I’m learning.

My assignments have been going great! And I’m putting lots of effort into everything I am learning.There is so much happening in the studio. Not a single day is the same!

In the weekend, I kept myself busy with my project, yet told myself it was okay to take time to relax (in the sun of course).

But my days are getting busier and busier. I don’t really know how it happens as I try my best to stay as organised as possible but there is always something new adding up.     So, I am very busy, but that is great! I am just having an amazing time!

[digitalvisualdiary-blog]

A WEEK FULL OF SURPRISES

It is a new week! Which means a new blog-post! So here I am, catching you up!

On Monday I hopped on the train to spend my day in Santa Rosa. The weather was so nice that I had no reason to stay inside. It was a lovely spring day, with lots of sun and not a cloud in the sky! I ended up speaking to lots of people and had little time to take pictures and walk around. But that is fine. It’s nice to meet new people! In the afternoon I sat in the backyard writing and enjoying the evening sun.

I have been loving to write lately. I can’t stop taking notes. I am not sure what started this, but I always go through periods, sometimes it’s drawing, filming, taking pictures and now it happens to be writing.

 Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were full working days. They went by so fast, as I was in the studio and worked on my project for school.

But when I got home on Tuesday night, there was a little surprise waiting for me! A package I was looking forward to receive! I wasn’t sure what was going to be inside. But when I opened it up, I saw the sweetest card from my parents and sister. It instantly made me happy! The box was full of treats! It also had one of my favorite magazines in it. What a nice thing to come home to after a long day at the studio!

And then Friday came. I was being very productive, as I woke up feeling very positive and creative: I always come back from the studio full of new inspiration! I set up my bullet journal for the next weeks, caught up with e-mails and took some pictures.

Saturday was overall a calm day, other than writing and editing my pictures, I took a long walk trough Cotati.

Here we are to today. It’s a lovely day outside, slightly chilly but with a gorgeous sun shining. I woke up early for a run and noticed how quit it was outside. It’s always so peaceful here. When I got back home there was another surprise. But this one was not so nice. The washing machine in the house broke!

Doing the laundry suddenly became an adventure! The search for a laundromat began. Fortunately, there was not that far away. Going to the laundromat was actually a nice experience. I met a lot of nice people!

Anyway, that’s about it for this week. The vast majority of my time went into my internship and the different projects I’m working on. Everything is going great and I am enjoying my time here! But for now, that is all I wanted to say. Have a lovely week!

[digitalvisualdiary-blog]

A Week Went By.

March 17

I have wanted to do it for so long, but was too afraid because I know nothing about blogging. But I’m going to try!

After spending hours to figure out what to write about I decided to start at the beginning.

I arrived on a Saturday afternoon. The weather was beautiful!  When I arrived at my room I had to unpack everything, and had layers of dust to remove.  This room had been sitting there for so long, but it felt so good to move things around and clean up. With all the cleaning and unpacking, and the sun shining, I felt like going out and explore my new neighborhood. Cotati is so cute! I will be living here for the next three months.

Anyway, now that things are being put in place, the room is a little bit less of a mess and everything is cleaner, I feel like my mind is more organized. I am so excited to be here!

On my first morning here, I decided to look for a bicycle. This was difficult, because hardly anyone is cycling in America. Fortunately, I found one!  It is a second-hand, baby blue, mountain bike. When I left the bike shop, the sun was shining, which made me very happy. 

The next thing I wanted to do was  groceries-shopping.  The supermarkets are so big here! But they have everything.  So after one store, I was done already!

On Tuesday, I took a bunch of photos, and start on a project for school.

Wednesday was the big day: my first day at the Jim Goldberg Studio! I am going to do an internship at this studio fort the next three months. 

I honestly had a great time, as there was so much to do, and I had lots of chances to ask questions. Of course, I couldn’t pass this opportunity. I even met Jim Goldberg! He is one of my all-time favorite photographers! 

On Thursday I had another day at the studio. Which was equally as fun as the first one. 

On Friday I had a pretty uneventful day: buying groceries, replying to emails and doing some homework. Nothing too exciting.

Saturday just went by, I took pictures all day. Time flies when you are having fun. 

For the first time, on Sunday, I was able to fully ‘chill out’ in my room, wearing sweatpants, cleaning up, and putting the last things away. It felt good to have some alone time in my room, as it’s now starting to come together.

This first week was not very exciting, but I am sure that some really cool things will happen. I’ve set myself some goals for the coming months. There is a lot I have to see!

I simply wanted to say that it is wonderful here. I am loving it! 

Anyway, this is just a quick post to say thank you for stopping by, and announcing that I will be writing about my adventure on here!

[digitalvisualdiary-blog]

Let’s Pack

March 9

As you might have guessed, I’m about to leave. And this time for a trip I’ve been looking forward to for such a long time! I’m going to America! I’m leaving tomorrow, so today I spent the day packing, and organising things for my trip. Now that I’m all set, I’m ready to go!