Daydream - Part 1

Let us take you on this three-part journey about why & how "van Doesburg Creative Works" came about.

This first part is about a......Daydream.

This is a story of a dream that became a reality.

For any of us, "fitting in" and feeling like "I belong" is essential in growing up. At one point in our lives, we have all felt different or like we don't belong. Someone telling us that feeling different is just fine makes a huge difference.

With our stories, we want to create a space where differences can be shared and celebrated.

Feeling different is probably one of the "non-different" feelings we all have felt. It's one of the most common feelings we all feel. And yet why was it then, as a child, we were made to feel that feeling different was not right? Or was it just that we were not confident in our feelings of "feeling different"?

As I write these few words, I daydream of returning to tell the 8-year-old Sandra that it was okay to feel different. Feeling different for being biracial, feeling different for having to wear glasses, feeling different for being the middle child, feeling different for not knowing Nepali too well or feeling different for having a crush on a boy......all these feelings were normal, and not so different after all.

When van Doesburg Creative Works was started, the fundamental wish was that with our stories, we wanted to make children feel comfortable with being different.

Understanding that this "feeling different" is needed as this helps to shape our unique personality.

We want to encourage children to embrace the differences and similarities they have with one another so that they know this is one of the ways to make their life experiences genuine and special.