my name is Vief
My name is Vief, and I love going on adventures whilst trying to find my place in this world.
I’ve kept diaries since I could write and my photos are often like little personal diary entries. My love for taking photos was probably inherited from my mother who bought me my first camera when I was still young. But the difference between photos taken by me and my mother is that she almost never shows up in the photos. She died when I was ten and the realisation that there are so very few photos of her made me sad. Maybe that’s why I take so many photos of myself, so the memories that I hoard have a face they belong to.
I was born in the Netherlands, discovered a few languages and many passions while growing up before eventually moving to Belgium. I spent three years at the Royal Academy of Arts with a dream to do more with photography. That adventure didn’t end in the form of a photography degree or career, but that is alright with me! I learned a lot and continue to love photography.
After figuring out that professional photography was not the path for me, I decided to go on a different adventure: to pursue academics. I ended up in Leeds, where I studied Linguistics & Phonetics and had such an amazing time. Sadly I had to leave the UK, and spent a little bit of time in the Netherlands trying to figure out if I could continue in academics. It didn’t really work out, the Netherlands is just not where I’m meant to be. I do not regret coming back however, I did so many awesome things during those years. Most importantly I learned a lot about myself.
I’m currently back in Belgium, where I live together with my spouse and an ever growing collection of houseplants. Living in Belgium for the second time is turning out to be pretty great. Who knows if I’ll stay here, and where exactly, or for how long. But isn’t that the beauty of life? Nothing is a given, and it’s hard work to make the best of things.
So here I am, often taking the longer path to get to where I need to be. I move around because I can’t stand missing my friends. I spend my days as a space mernicorn, daydreaming about swimming with [whale] sharks, manta rays and jellyfish. I’m battling over a decade of sadness, trauma, thinking about how I can do better and be better. I believe my mission is to inspire and motivate others, and to find my strengths and improve skills to do this to the best of my ability.
I enjoy spending time with my loved ones, wearing Lolita fashion, drinking tea, caring for my plantbabies, playing the harp, crafting things, taking baths after running or skating, as well as eating ALL the vegan food. I am working hard to reach my goals, big or small. I’m an ENFP: a campaigner who thinks we should all take the steps we can to create better versions of ourselves and this world.
I’m a hoarder, but I’m trying to hoard memories rather than stuff. This is what I am using this blog for, and I hope you like it! For a more organised list of things I’m doing and want to do, check my impossible list~
{photos by Rosalynn}