Today a lovely portrait of Trudy. Last year I wrote in one of my posts that I was (and still am) looking for women for my project.
At that moment, I was looking explicitly for ladies in their 80s and older because they are the hardest to find. Trudy then sent me a message about her mother Herma, who I portrayed shortly after. Herma is 91 and a remarkable woman, whom I captured with great pleasure, just like her daughter Trudy this time.
Tell us what you’d like us to know about yourself.
I am Trudy, 61-year-old and mother of two lovely sons, they are 25 and 20 years old. I divorced their father in 2014 and have previously to that marriage been married to a French-speaking man. I am currently single, I love my life, and I have fabulous people around me. I am grateful for everything that comes in my life and on my path. I live in Oegstgeest, a lovely village near the Dutch coast and close to larger cities. As an adolescent, I wanted to quit high school and become a silversmith. I had finally convinced my father, but then a murder was committed in Schoonhoven among a student from that school. The opportunity was lost. It turned out that there was a high level of drug use among the students. My father thought I was too influenceable, something I totally disagreed with at that time, of course. 🙂
After that, I wanted to go to Israel to the kibbutz. That plan was also swept off the table, after which I went to the Sorbonne in Paris. Long story short: I had wild ideas for my future, but I went to nursing school, “a profession where you can always earn your living with.” I have worked in health care for over 25 years, in various positions but mostly as a dialysis nurse. The social aspect really appealed to me, I love people. I love to work in a team and work together. Assisting someone in difficult times but also mitigating the suffering by radiating and propagating positivity.
Helping others is part of who I am. I have always worked with great pleasure, but I also had neglected the creative side of me. On the advice of a neighbor, I started following my creative heart in 2006. I was always busy with my interior, and then I started my company in interior design step by step. After that, styling advice was added and now also the making of intuitively painted portraits. What I loved to do as a child has come back into my life, and I don’t regret it for a day.
What would you say is the strangest thing about becoming an older woman?
In the mirror, I see a face and body with wrinkles and scars and other imperfections; in my mind, I am still a young woman. That development continues to fascinate me. My body is getting older, but my mind remains young. I also experience more mildness. Everything has a reason, and nothing is what it seems.
Knowing yourself now, what would you tell your 80-year-old self?
Live, jump into the deep, trust yourself, and forget about those bears and lions on the road! Be sure to follow your heart, regardless of anyone else’s opinion or expectation. You are good enough. Don’t worry about trifles.
What’s Your Career Now?
I help people design their interior and to create a home that makes them happy. An authentic interior that really suits them and that ignores trends and do’s and don’ts. It is so beautiful to see that people are satisfied with my advice. Some customers have become lifelong friends because I get an insight into their personal life. It often goes beyond just advice.
I also help clients with the sale of their home and facilitate furniture rental for vacant homes for sale. This is the opposite of personal interior design advice because it must, above all, be not personalized. Here too, customers are happy if their home is sold quickly and at a high price. I also paint portraits intuitively and now also sell my art. I started a challenge in January 2020, “50 Shades of Faces”. Every Tuesday, I post an intuitively painted portrait on social media. With this, I challenge myself to develop in the field of painting and find my own style. It is beneficial to experience, and I get to know new people from all over the world.
What Would You Tweet to Your Younger Self?
Stay close to yourself, you are right the way you are. To believe in yourself is your greatest strength.
Favorite thing to do when no one is around?
Eat chocolate until I am sick. I talk to myself when no one is around. I love to sing along songs to the radio in my car. And I paint when I am alone.
What makes you happy?
I am happy when I feel well and healthy. When my sons are doing fine, and I can take them in my arms. Meeting with friends makes me happy too. A walk through the forest or along the beach. A beautiful cappuccino or glass wine on a terrace. A beautiful song. The daily calls to my 91-year-old mother. I love to visit my mom, I always leave feeling happy because of her positivity and enthusiasm. And the hope of great love for the rest of my life makes me happy too.
What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done?
It is difficult to choose because two things were tough. The first is the choice to leave the father of my children. Especially since I have been divorced before. I am someone who follows decisions. I have long seen it as a failure, but nowadays, I see it differently. I have tried very hard to make both my marriages a success even at my own expense. I lost myself entirely, and that was wrong of me. Staying true to yourself is much more important, however difficult it may be.
The second hardest thing was going through the long and arduous treatments when I got breast cancer. I had breast cancer when I was in the middle of my divorce. Despite my dear family and friends’ help, I had to go through this alone without a partner by my side. An uncertain future lay ahead of me with adolescent sons. They needed me badly because their father had also been seriously ill. We had been through so much as a family. I would have loved to spare them so much. Unfortunately, life is often unpredictable and you cannot protect your children from grief.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Working in France as a dialysis nurse, leading a specialized technical department in which I had no experience, with my “high school level French.” With a French dictionary in my pocket and perseverance, I have had great years there. It made me realize that you are capable of much more than you think. I am also proud that I was able to turn my passion into my work.
How old are you?
I am 61-years-old.
You can admire Trudy’s work at: www.tlinteriors.nl and www.dehuizenzuster.nl
Credits: sweater and pants by Uniqlo, blazer by &Other Stories.
Hair and makeup: Esther van Maanen
Styling: Dayenne Bekker
