I grew up in slowness. After school, my cup of tea was already waiting for me, and I was given the space to talk about my day. My mother listened, and afterwards we would paint together in complete tranquility. My father would put his work aside the moment I walked into his workspace. There was attention, time, and room to simply be.

Later, I entered a world that moved faster and faster. There was always something that needed to be done, always something to work towards, and I noticed that I began to miss that sense of slowing down. Again and again, my gaze returned to the horizon. It gives me a familiar feeling. The sunset does exactly what those moments from my childhood did. It asks nothing of me. It simply exists. It is a moment in which you only need to be present, where you can let go, but also find yourself again.

Even though, as humans, we often seem to want to control everything around us, this process unfolds day after day without our influence. In my work, I return that control to nature. I work with natural light and allow nature to determine how an image comes into being.

In a time when our attention is often drawn towards speed, achievement, and everything that goes wrong, I believe that beauty is not a way of looking away. It is precisely through slowing down, embracing wonder, and giving attention to what is already there. That space emerges to reconnect with ourselves and the world around us.

• Dutch fine art photographer.
• Born in the Netherlands in 1996.
• Studied at the art academy: St. Joost School of Art & Design. Netherlands.