Helena
I believe that everyone has creativity within them
During my job as a support worker in education, I saw how creativity and self-expression are often stifled by expectations from parenting, school, work, education and society in general. It is my mission to bring this hidden creativity to the surface, to give it space and allow it to blossom. So that my participants can get closer to themselves again, feel, decide and live according to what is truly important and valuable to them. So that they can lead a more creative life that is more fulfilling and contributes to a beautiful diversity within our society.
Ever since I was a child, I have found nature fascinating and enjoyed being creative.
This faded into the background during my teenage years; does that sound familiar? Performing well at school was more important with a view to getting a university degree. Looking back, I realised that my dad had imposed this on us, but he didn't like going to school himself...
I understand where it came from and that it was certainly well-intentioned, but as a result, I slowly grew away from my talents and interests. My passion was not “sitting behind a desk”. I am a naturally active person who loves to move and be creative with my hands.
In my job as a support worker, I encountered the following. I worked with children with learning difficulties and learning disabilities and often discovered beautiful, sometimes very creative talents in them. But these talents were undervalued because the focus was on language and maths, sitting still at their desks... I saw them struggling with the material to the point of frustration, both the students and their parents and teachers... Do we all have to follow the same path and be good at the same things? Perform? Is that the basis for success in life? Our school system leaves too little room for us to develop our own interests and unique talents.
I felt an increasing need to do something meaningful with my own creativity and to stimulate that of others. My turning point came when I turned 50. I quit my job in education and moved with Jan to the Binkermolen, a quiet place in Belgian Limburg, with lots of space in a green environment.
I now live a creative life in which I follow my heart and draw energy from all the beautiful nature around me. Here I found the ideal base to do what I stand for:
Bringing out the best in the participants of my workshops: well-being is number one. When you feel good about yourself, you do the things you enjoy, you feel recognised, you are happier and you achieve much more, without much effort, struggle or sacrifice of time and energy. It's not about everyone suddenly taking up pottery, that's not necessary. It may be a gateway to discovering how you can be creative in other areas of your life and see more possibilities, giving you more freedom of choice and a greater awareness of what is really important to you.
What characterises my way of working
During my ceramics training at the Hagelandse Academie, my teacher said the following: ‘For many people, this is therapy, and that is not the intention here.’ That statement struck a chord with me. If people feel better by doing something with their hands, by coming into contact with this beautiful earthly material, then isn't that fantastic? I decided to do something beautiful with it: I introduce people to the various techniques, after which they can develop their own creativity in the way that suits them best. Is it therapy? It certainly can be. Do you prefer the technical side? That's fine too, as long as it feels right for my participants. Because I work in small groups, I can give everyone sufficient guidance in their process. What's more, people who feel more comfortable with one-to-one guidance are also welcome to come to me.
From my own experience, I know how important it is to follow your talents. It's not about bending or bowing to what others think you should do. I did that once, with a lot of frustration as a result. Fortunately, I learned from negative experiences and learned to set boundaries, which has allowed me to remain resilient in life. Based on that experience, I also help others to draw positive strength from what they encounter on their path through life. During my job as a physiotherapist in special education, I gained a lot of experience in psychomotor functioning, social-emotional skills, writing motor skills, autism spectrum, dyspraxia, ADHD, etc. I helped various children discover what they are good at and believe in themselves. This is really important! Because if you develop a lack of self-confidence as a child, how are you going to deal with it as an adult? It takes an unnecessary amount of time and energy to get those negative experiences out of your system. I am all for focusing on your talents from the cradle.
Because I found the approach to the human body in my training as a physiotherapist too one-sided, I followed a three-year shiatsu course at Iyashi. There, I gained a very holistic view of us as human beings. I no longer give shiatsu massages, but the training gave me a broad and fascinating insight into how we function as human beings, and I still draw inspiration from it today. To give an example, I pay attention to the breathing of people who take courses here, which is sometimes incorrect, causing them to build up too much tension. They are often not even aware of this. With a small but important tip, they immediately feel better.
I gave shape to my love of nature and an ecological lifestyle thanks to the permaculture course at Yggdrasil, the herbalist training course at the European Academy, the top nature experience animator course at Natuurpunt and nature coaching at the Oost West Centrum... We live here surrounded by nature and in our own permaculture-inspired garden, the children at the camps harvest our home-grown organic vegetables themselves. They really enjoy doing this and are very enthusiastic. The vegetables taste even better as a result, and picking potatoes feels like hunting for Easter eggs =D. I regularly pick edible plants in my garden, where we do not use pesticides, insecticides or artificial fertilisers out of respect for life.
Jan
A passion for nature since childhood
I was 11 years old when I spotted my first lapwing through binoculars during a nature walk in what was then the Eigenbilzen residential area. It sparked an interest that has never left me. You won't find me in nature without my binoculars, and birds have always been a passion of mine. However, it didn't stop with birds. I soon joined the Youth Association for Nature and the Environment (JNM) and learned a lot about animals, plants, amphibians and reptiles, mushrooms, etc. I quickly became branch chairman and my commitment to the nature association grew. After my “retirement” from JNM, this seamlessly transitioned into voluntary work for Natuurreservaten, now Natuurpunt. I was involved in setting up the current Southeast Limburg branch, where I am still branch chairman. Within the department, we now also manage several reserves, the best known of which is the Munsterbos. This reserve has many similarities with De Luysen and the Stamprooierbroek.
A passion for wood
I come from a family of foresters and woodcutters. Professionally, I couldn't escape my roots and ended up in professional woodworking. I spent my entire career at 3 Eiken, a company that processed native oak from tree in the forest to door or staircase in the customer's home. I started as a clerk and wood salesman for the sawmill, and after a takeover, I became production manager for both the sawmill and the joinery. However, the company was in difficulty, so in 2007 I took matters into my own hands. I took over the company and became an entrepreneur. Unfortunately, the financial crisis followed shortly afterwards. I managed to keep the company afloat, but after about 10 years it became increasingly clear that only a heavy financial injection to modernise the production equipment could offer the company security for the future. Due to the lack of succession and the high risk involved, the painful decision to close the company was inevitable. Entrepreneurship has taught me a great deal. I have been involved in virtually every aspect of the business and know what it takes to run a company.
Woodworking is still in my blood and I still have a few old machines to do my own work, but professionally I was looking for a new challenge.
A turbulent period
In 2019, I found myself in stormy waters. In addition to the necessary but painful closure of the company, I also went through a divorce. My whole world seemed to be falling apart.
As an entrepreneur, I had learned not to give up. Once I had recovered from the initial shock of the divorce, I took control of my life again. I decided to take some time to reflect and walk the Camino from my home to Santiago de Compostela. During this period, I also met Helena, who spontaneously joined me for part of the journey. It was a journey that gave me many new insights and brought me back to my old passion, my love of nature. I became coordinator at the Limburg Environmental Umbrella Organisation, an umbrella organisation that works within sustainable development to improve the quality of the living environment and biodiversity in Limburg.
New challenges
Our relationship with Helena brought us to the beautiful Binkermolen, located in the middle of the Abeekvallei nature reserve. Helena threw herself into her ceramics and nature experiences, and then suddenly a new opportunity came our way. A concession on the Luysmolen house allowed us to develop the LeefJeNatuur concept.
In order to make people aware that by protecting nature we are protecting ourselves, it is necessary to restore contact with nature as much as possible. I am therefore convinced that an association such as LeefJeNatuur can make a valuable and positive contribution to this.
