I am a designer.
And a storyteller, explorer and wanderer. (Partly physically, but mainly my mind.)
Also, I am a mother, a wife, oldest sibling of four -or second oldest of six, actually, taking my whole family system into consideration.
I am German, which feels like an incomplete statement. Yes, I was born and raised in Germany, but also am living in The Netherlands since 2009 and having Dutch roots too (“one fourth Dutch“, as my father used to say; his mother was Dutch).
Once upon a time I was the oldest art school student in my class, I turned 30 in my second year. Also, I am an art school quitter. Not by heart, though; due to practical and circumstantial reasons.
I am an ocean lover and sun seeker. Quite dualistically I am also fully embracing the coziness of the Christmas period. And I love winter(sport) holidays!
I am a passionate runner, though not a fast one, my strength lies in endurance and discipline. Body Balance (a yoga, pilates, tai chi fusion) connects me to myself, makes me feel strong and peaceful. So does paddle boarding.
Designer, Maker, User. How do you define yourself? Professionally. But also personally.
If I know one thing for sure, it is an ongoing process.
I am Patricia
and I am living in Leiden (NL), which I call 'little Amsterdam'.
Originally I am from Dreieich (lit. translated 'Three Oaks'), a lovely city close to Frankfurt am Main, Germany. My passion for design (back then Quark Xpress) started 2002 with an internship at Rhein Main Media, (Frankfurt, GER) and was the spark that jumped for my (3 years) apprenticeship as Media Designer for Digital- and Print Media at KEIM GmbH. A great combination of a fulltime job, supported by the theoretical input of the Berufsschule (professional college). After my apprenticeship I stayed working at KEIM as a Packaging Artworker.
I left my hometown in 2008, when I took off for Australia. Having met my Dutch husband in Sydney in March 2009, I relocated to The Netherlands by September '09. We were living in Amsterdam until May 2012, when I took off to enjoy a language stay in Donostia, Spain. Followed by an adventurous summer backpacking through Southern Africa. We returned engaged :)
By mid of September 2012 we arrived in London, where I enjoyed living next to the Cutty Sark, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, "where time starts" until August 2013. During that year in London I embraced a fulltime Graphic Design portfolio course, lots of museum visits, art education and working at London Art Portfolio.
Once relocated to The Netherlands I started my Graphic Design (ba) study at the AKV|St.Joost (School of Fine Art and Design) in Breda while living in Leiden and working part time as a freelance Graphic Designer.
So, what's more?
I am not going on adventures alone anymore:
We have two children, James (2016) and Ivy (2017). I love to explore the world together and explain the world to them.
Playful & precise
Twee opleidingen, die het grafische vak tegenovergesteld benaderen: opgeleid in een ‘hands-on’ bedrijf, met drukmachines, vouwmachines en filmbelichter in huis; aangevuld met het onderzoekende en speelse van de kunstacademie.
Conceptueel & technisch sterk
20 jaar ervaring in grafisch ontwerp: 5 jaar DTP-er bij een lithograaf, aan de slag bij verschillende (ontwerp) bureaus, werkzaam als freelancer of in-house-ontwerper aangevuld met eigen projecten. Inmiddels 7 jaar eigenaar van Zielsveel Design.
Zelf-gedreven & teamplayer
Werkervaring als zzp’er en werknemer: concepten van begin tot einde bedenken en uitwerken net zoals onderdeel uitmaken van award winning design teams - uiteindelijk telt het resultaat.
What shapes me.
Travelling is a huge passion of mine. Since 2009 together with my husband and since 2016 with our children; recently to Morocco, Thailand, skiing in Austria or camping in France.
Our last 'childless' trip was a backpacking trip through Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua during the summer of 2015, with some highlights as spending time on Little Corn Island.
In the summer of 2012 we backpacked through six beautiful countries of Southern Africa, which was and still is quite an inspiring experience to me. In 2008 and in 2009 I was on a Work & Travel Visa in Australia for 8 months in total.
I am quite social but I recharge best while I am running (first half marathon in 2019), talking long walks and with Yoga (currently mainly Body Balance and Athletic Flow).
Generally I love spending quality time with family & friends, dancing, surfing, cooking, art, musea, a good movie or book -or all the fun stuff that comes with two little kids.
Fusion of my love for
typography, colour, pattern,
art & travel.
-
Picture taken at Let’s Be in
Tamraght, Morocco.
June 2019
Zielsveel.
Zielsveel. My favourite Dutch word. Literally you would translate it as soul much. Officially it translates 'devotedly'. In German you would translate it to 'innig', 'von ganzem Herzen' oder aber wortwoertlich uebersetzt als seelenviel. So it came quite naturally that I chose "Zielsveel Design" to label what I do.
Personal, dedicated and driven by my love for design, zielsveel therefore.
—
Much love,
Patricia
