About me

About my skills, why I do what I do and some fun facts

I’m Robien

I am a web designer, but also a nature lover, mother, animal friend, and much more. I don't like pigeonholes ;-) but I do like creativity, open-mindedness, and freedom.

Web designer skills

I earned my bachelor's degree at the Institute of Fashion, Management & Design. To be honest, I spent a lot of the time I should have been there studying, travelling instead. But nevertheless, those years gave me the opportunity to explore and develop my design skills. They even taught us how to make websites; what a struggle it was back then. After I graduated, I moved to New Zealand. Going straight from school into real work life was not even an option for me. But after a few years there, I started missing certain things, so I came back to the Netherlands. I then rolled into a marketing job that allowed me to travel a lot. Perfect for my wanderlust, while also doing something useful ;-). It was at that time when more and more started happening online. I was there from the beginning and watched it develop. My job naturally became online marketer and I worked with (designing and building) websites from the very beginning. I love how easy it is now, compared to then. What isn’t so easy now, is attracting visitors. There was hardly any competition back then. At this point, you really need some SEO skills if you want people to find you. 

The online world is constantly changing. I have done many online marketing courses, with Marie Forleo, Laura Roeder, Nathalie Lussier, and Amy Porterfield and I will continue to do so, I love it. Right now, I am doing a refresher Graphic Design course to improve my skills with Creative Cloud (or a similar program). 

“Action is the Foundational Key to Success”

Pablo Picasso

Why me?

In addition to the experience I have and described above, I am good at creating order out of piles of information, which can come in handy when creating websites: to bring structure into pages and the site itself. I really see and appreciate beauty and therefore, I see how things can be improved, both on a design, but also structural level. I can empathize with other people, I love to really understand what you do and think about what’s needed for success.
Once I have an idea of who you are, your business, the purpose of your website, and your wishes in terms of design, I go out into the woods with my dog Jack and there the ideas come naturally. 

Why am I loving
& doing this?

There are many people who are very good at something, but the world will never know because they are not represented properly, or not in an easy-to-find or attractive way. I love helping with that. I have clients who now get most of their clientele through their own websites!

Fun facts

  • My hobby is practicing animal communication. Animals are my spiritual teachers. My retired New Forest pony O'Neill and Australian Shepherd Jack are great training material :-).

  • I feel at home in Amsterdam and Wanaka (NZ). But I no longer want to live in Amsterdam (too crowded) and I don’t want to go back to Wanaka yet (too far from loved ones). Which means I never really feel at home where I live. I hope that’ll change one day.

  • I live in the countryside, but love city trips with my girlfriends. Shopping, chatting in cafes for hours, and walking around all day. Part of me would love to live in a city. But the truth is, I feel happier in nature, so that’s what we chose.

  • When I was four, I was already creating magazines, brochures, and memberships for girlfriends. Looking back, it wasn’t much, but the passion for creating things was definitely there.

  • Socializing with people makes me very happy, but I recharge when I am alone.

  • I love working from coffee shops with my laptop. For some reason, I always have great focus there, even when it is crowded and there is a lot of noise.

  • I grew up in Hoorn and although I thought our house was the most beautiful house in the world when I was really little, I didn't like the place much for the rest of my childhood. It didn’t have that real city vibe, but there wasn’t much nature either. I thought, why not choose, between a proper city (Amsterdam) or actual nature (the forests of Drenthe)?

  • I am quite spiritual and also a big believer in spirit guides. My power animal, an eagle, let me fly on his back over the Netherlands and as a result I found out that the energy in Schoorl, where we now live, felt just right for our little family at this time.