Tell Us a bit About Yourself?
I am a multi-creative with too many passions for this lifetime. It’s my greatest strength and pitfall at the same time. I (modern) dance, play the cello and illustrate. I already did so many different beautiful things that my CV is like a big fat book. I feel the richness in all this experiencing, and it fits me as movement marks my life. I’m endlessly curious, but overwhelm is always there, luring at the flipside of the coin.
What Do You Do for Work?
I worked as an editor for several glossy magazines like Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire for more than 11 years after art-school. When I craved more freedom, I started freelancing. I wrote books, created a series of slow travel guides, worked as a freelance copywriter, content manager, and coordinating editor for several big brands, magazines, and online-oriented companies.
I finished a 5-year education as a holistic therapist on the side. Today all I did in the past came together within the lifestyle brand I’m building: The Barefoot Diaries, a community, and playground for freedom seekers and creatives. It is a space where you can connect and where you find inspiration on how to live. And also how to integrate a little more of that “free barefoot lifestyle,” no matter how you live your life at this moment.
What’s your fantasy version of your older self?
Living a more simple and rustic life at a place where we have lots of space to play outside and be a little more connected to nature. I see a large kitchen garden and an atelier with a small gallery for our art. A place where we can share our creativity with others. With a buzzing city within driving distance as I need that too every now and then. Hopefully, this is more of my future vision than my fantasy version but still… ;).
What are you Most Proud Of?
All the inner work I did in the past years to live more of the whole rainbow of my potential. That resulted in the courage to move with life more instead of fears holding me back, and so the last years, I lived in and worked from several places abroad like Bali and Spain. It was a fruitful time to create and get clear on my brand, The Barefoot Diaries.
Tell us something surprising about yourself.
I started my career designing prints for neckties!
Last great book you read?
I re-read ‘My heart wanders,’ a unique, inspiring book of one of my creative mentors Pia Jane Bijkerk. We met when she was in Amsterdam, but she lives in Sydney.
What makes you happy?
The simple life. Happiness to me is in the small things. The joy of a beautiful flower, a ray of warm sunshine on my skin, a lazy Sunday with the people I love…
We got so lost in the whole system of consumerism. Although I love some luxury and nourishing beauty as well, in the last years, I let go of the need to have and hold on to more stuff, a bigger house, a more fabulous car, etc. I want to live a life where experiences and quality time are more important than possessions. My environment absolutely needs to be inspiring and nourishing, but I stopped the mindless shopping altogether.
Secret aspiration?
I’m building The Barefoot Diaries now as an online space with beautiful products, books, online workshops, and portraits of remarkable people living a creative and free barefoot lifestyle. But I would love for it to grow into physical space as well. I like to think of an inspiring place full of art, music, inspiration, and connection where I can host events and workshops together with the inspiring women of the creative collective that I work with.
What’s the one thing you most hope for personally in the coming year?
That I will be able to keep hugging the people I love in these crazy virus times! We need LOVE most to stay healthy.
What’s your current age, and how old do you feel?
I’m 44, and I love it! My energy is young and playful; I always connect easily with people more youthful than myself. Part of me feels time flies so fast: 44; when did that happen?!! The other part of me is a wise older woman that loves her age. My experiences strengthen this wisdom. I feel I have the best of both worlds within me.
You can find Michèle on her website www.thebarefootdiaries.com
Makeup by Eshter van Maanen
Hair by Mark van Westerop
Styling by Dayenne Bekker
