From Netherlands  |  Based in Lisbon & Abroad

Currently freelance photographer

Your song on repeat? Strangers, Wesley Joseph

Favorite place in Lisbon? Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara

Favorite time of day? Night. When everyone goes home, there is a subtle quietness and suddenly I can let go of everything. Time stands still and I find I’m the most creative at this free place of doing whatever you wish.

“People define place. People make a place.”

Julie and I met in passing from one meeting to the next with a common connection, Hazel. We are both creative souls with a similar mindset: collaborate with everyone you can. We had both reached out to Yon, our coliving company about doing some creative projects together. But the sad thing was that Julie just arrived and I was leaving in a few days. Passing each other yet missing each other at the same time. However, we made the most of it and met up for a little walk, talk, and photoshoot. Classic.

Over lunch, we got more into the inner workings of what makes us tick, how we see the world, and the experiences we’ve had. Julie is beyond her years in wisdom and her outlook on life. Very much like me, she always had a creative heart, liked to dance to feel free, and wanted to find a community she could truly thrive in. After graduating from university all her friends had the normal nine to five jobs and didn’t quite relate to Julie. This is a lonely feeling. So she made a very deliberate decision to go to Mexico to attend a digital nomad retreat, to see what this whole “nomad” thing was all about. It was something that had always sparked her attention and the only way to see if it’s the right path is to go try it out.  When she arrived, she had found her people. She discovered what it means to truly BE IN community. To have people that are living the same lifestyle, learning together and growing together. Life long friends were made. There was a system of support and learning in photography, marketing yourself as a freelancer, and an entrepreneirual spirit balanced with personal growth. You don’t discover this unless you go out on a whim to find it.

“I realized no matter what I seek, there is always a community of people that exists out there that are seeking for same thing. I saw the power of community and it opened eyes my eyes to the possibilites.”

Since then, Julie has been a digital nomad while freelancing full time, co-hositng retreats, and finding new networks of friends everywhere she goes.

Home is constantly changing. People define place and people make a place. You feel at home when you’ve stayed in a place for a while to create routines and friendships. It’s a created life.