SMEurope 2014 event Berlin

For me being in Berlin is very special. I never went here before, why not I am now asking myself. I was pleasantly suprised by its atmosphere. I knew there's a lot of things going on in Germany, e.g. that they do a very good job in EU and also their unity struck me. The pride they feel about being one Germany again since the wall fell in 1989, wow!

I was a student at the Graphic Design School Sint Lucas (1988-1992) at that time and now I am wondering, why didn't we do something with the fact that the wall fell? I remember the news on tv, but that's about it. Being an art & design school, we should've used this remarkable moment in German/European history.

When walking from Alexanderplatz (former East Berlin) to the Brandenburger Tor and the government building Bundestag I noticed a sign saying there's a multimedia show at the Bundestag each day this summer, until October 3. So I waited for it to get dark and watched it and I am very impressed about the recent German history. I know we need to learn about the Dutch history, but the Germans... man they do so well economic wise, they almost are the EU (in $ numbers) by itself. How come we do not teach Dutch kids about the German history more? Ofcourse mixed with Dutch history, but looking to the nearby future, I think Dutch kids should focus on Germany more than on e.g. USA or UK for that matter. Sorry Brits!

I am in favour of the Krauts now, and not just because of the great atmosphere of Berlin. Traveling to NYC two weeks ago made me hate the Big Apple. Hate, me??? I, who always wanted to live in NYC (for a while). Yes, me. I hate it. (and yes, there's a very thin line between love and hate)

It was noisy, dirty, and loud! How on earth can people live there and do not go mad. The noise of cars and trains... a true hell to me. Maybe this is because I am a highly sensitive person, but I noticed after a few visits the glorious feeling of being in NYC fades very fast. I do love NewYorkers, so it's just about the feeling you get by the noise when you walk through this amazing city with all its high buildings and more.

Landing in Berling I was struck by its... Europeaness (is that a word). I flew in at Tegel airport, which looked so very small. You see a lot of green (trees) and the East German flats. Then it hit me, O right, Berlin was divided after the war and this must be the East part. You feel the history when you touch down. Then getting into the airport, small, oldish, but there's also a more vibrant lower level with shops and a very helpful tourist information desk.

I had to take a bus to Hauptbahnhof (Central Station) and was told in English where to go for the next leg, two stops to the hotel by S-train. I used my secondary school German and was very surprised I could easily adapt to German, as being outside Germany speaking to a German I always toss with German and English words. So well done Berlin, I got back to my German 'roots'. As a child we lived in the Eastern part of the Netherlands, and before cable we could only watch 2 Dutch tv channels...and 3 German ones and 2 Belgium ones. So we watched Der Sendung mit der Maus, yes, in German.

My kids are missing out on this! Spoiled brats ;) Keywords of this Online Marketing, Mobile & Social Media in Travel summit Europe 2014: personalisation is the future. Engage guests, use their content. In the afternoon there were also a lot of presentations about apps in travel, but you have to ask yourself, if the average uses only books a holiday once, twice a week, why would he or she download the app? Even the KLM app has bugs still, when checking in I again use the mobile website instead of the app.

Can't wait to go out to explore some more of Berlin tomorrow. It's a city that is German, but also very Dutch/North-European. Or maybe the Germans are. As the city has a long history, going back ages. The Bundestag multi-media only showed the democratic part of German history, which was very interesting as well. Frein Wahl. Wir Sind Deutschland.

I immediately had to think, why doesn't Germany use this as a hashtag also outside football? #wirsinddeutschland All I've been listening to in New York's summit was that if you campaign a good # you can create a lot of traffic and brand awareness. Deutschland, your country is so worth it. You have green woods, hills, cities, Autobahnen, and very hard working people. They are so proud of Germany being one, it's almost sweet. It's appealing and gives you a feeling of joy.

The Millenials seem like the right people to me to do so. They also know the English language well, so as a country you should use that. Frau Merkel, bitte, use your people to present this new, modern Germany. We need to get rid of the old, rusty image of this beautiful country. I will be more than happily walking around in the city of Berlin tomorrow, taking in all its beauty and peace. In these days of age, we need mindfulness and peace. I think in Berlin you can experience that and still go to Starbucks ;)

No noise of trains and cars (no high-ways, I think that's the main problem in NYC, all the high train tracks and highways spreading their noise all over the city) Berlin is so old and new at the same time, I love that. (that also might be the missing part in NYC, as USA is the new world, nothing is really old-old) There's a lot of cranes in the centre at the moment, Berlin is one big building site as well, and it will become even more beautiful. Can't wait to be back!

Team IHG winner of the mobile travel app 2014

Social Media Week Rotterdam 2014

This week it's Social Media Week in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. I offered to tutor my Mindfulness with Photography Workshop, so I did yesterday and will do tomorrow again. It was a lot of fun!

The key word for social media now seems te be 'ambassador', as this is what your clients / fans / reposters / likers are.

Isabel Mosk of Think! spoke about destination marketing and how to use your (city) ambassadors, have them create stories. Storytelling was another key word of the #smw14 

To look at someone's travel pics makes you want to go to that destination, did you know the most stories on Facebook are about travel (stories) and that people admit when seeing a friend's holiday pictures it inspires them to go to that destination.

The Destination Experience - like Bristol's taxis were hospitality trained and now also function as tourist info points.

When she showed the video Canada explored by Canadians I immediately thought that even though residents (amateurs) created all footage, you really need a team editing those shots into one flashing, cool video. Professional image makers know how to.

Remarkable stories are shared. Make sharing accessible - cities who provide free wifi have more online (free) content - I immediately had to think of my own city Breda. A few years ago there was a city marketing campaign, but now not so much. Breda Next only just started ('city making') and I thought why not think of a good # for Breda and free wifi will do the rest.

We are the city of image culture, and I learned at MOTI image culture is all around us. Breda should be remarkable. Rovaniemi, Lapland - home of Santa -  does a really good job! Use passionate niches.

Two of my photos on the wall

Michele Boccamazzo talked about Philips' Instagram campain: 

people who follow you want to know about your experience. Again: storytelling. 

Q: How can Philips design an experience on Instagram? As a start they just reposted content, not creating new content. Then the #led story of a lady going to work in city was introduced - as street lights change the city - from yellow to white. People started a conversation online when noticing the difference.

Latest campaign #lightislife is slightly different, Philips took the concept light as start - Philips being the light company - but also without light there is no photography and 'light is also hope'. Philips wants to inspire people in another way instead of selling the product. Inspiration by storytelling but not only by photographs. 

Influencers are not photographers, it's not just about pictures.

Now I ask myself: What do we need to be then? We ARE image makers, making image culture. But: 

A photo says more than a 1000 words. We must never forget - as #beeldinflatie (image inflation) is here now.

How do you to choose the right content?? By hiring an image maker as advisor, not so much as content creator, more like an editor!

Blind

Blind - 1995

As my final thesis topic at the Academy of Art, I chose 'Blind'. I followed Gladys, a blind woman, for a few months, trying to get under her skin, attempting to see what she 'saw'.

The above image is taken from our appartment building, where the fake glass (plastic) windows of the hall way were so damaged that this weird sun appeared. I feel van Gogh in this image, his quest for perfect light.

It's a troubling image too, as it's not right. The sun is there, but is not. It feels like outdoors, but it's not. In 'Blind' I showed it together with this image - Gladys at the Doctor's office having an eye examination - as Gladys only could see very bright light, as a blurry spot, no contours though or anything else for that matter.

Impressed by impressionism

Claude Monet - Sunrise - Soleil Levant 1872

My love for photography wasn't always so. My 'creative career' started as highschool student at the Peelland College in Deurne (the Netherlands) with drawing (2D), music and 3D as subjects. In 3rd grade I chose to go to HAVO and was allowed to keep one of the above creative subjects as one of my 6 dissertation subjects.

Drawing/2D, as I found out I was a good designer and painter, mostly aquarel. The art history lessons were my favorite. [I wasn't allowed to choose a seventh subject, which would've been history]

Being only 16 when I passed my exams in June 1988, I figured to go study at an Art Academy and become a graphic designer of some sort. But both the academies I applied to thought I was too young and therefor I had to think of a 'temporary' solution; Graphic Design School Sint Lucas, which would take me 4 years with graduating at MBO level.

In the end these four years turned out to be an advantage, as it gave me four extra years of art education. I was introduced to photography here and after graduation MBO Graphic Design, I started my art education at the highest level, HBO, at the St. Joost Academy in Breda, main subject: photography.

Art history times three and never bored, even though there was some repetition of periods of time by different teachers of the three schools. During college I was introduced to Monet by my Dutch language teacher Vierhout, I think that was the moment I fell in love with Impressionism.

Looking back my love of the Impressionism is quite logical, being a photographer capturing the moment. I chose photography over graphic design and painting/drawing. But my love for Vincent (van Gogh) and Claude (Monet) never faded. In 2015 it's 125 years ago that Vincent died.

Wheatfield with Crows - Vincent van Gogh 1890

See like Vincent - Palms, Australia - analog photograph, 1998

SEE like van Gogh

In the spring and summer of 2015 we will offer photography workshops in the spirit of van Gogh: See like Vincent.

Photography in (Post-)Impressionism style, using nature and (sun)light. Photowalks in our Keukenhof and in our Brabant, the state where Vincent grew up. Beautiful Brabant will inspire you too!

See like Vincent. Light and inspiration in the open air. It won't be easy, but you'll have a lot of fun and you'll learn to love natural light like Vincent did.

Flowers & History - Paris, France - Vincent van Gogh tribute

Keukenhof workshop: 4, 11, 25 April 2015, time: 13.30-15.30, € 35,- p.p.

Brabant workshop: 9 May 2015, time: 13.30-15.30, € 35,- p.p.

Booking info HERE.

Book a workshop for two and you'll get a discount of 10 euro p.p. and pay only € 25,- p.p. Fee does not include travel and Keukenhof ticket.

From 5-6 persons we can put together a See van Gogh workshop in France, summer and fall 2015.

"Sometimes I long so much to do landscape, just as one would for a long walk to refresh oneself, and in all of nature, in trees for instance, I see expression and a soul, as it were" - to his brother Theo, from The Hague City, 1882

Vincent moved to Paris in February 1886, but after two years of hard work, he grew tired of the city. He went to live in the small town of Arles in the south of France, in search of light and peace. [source: van Gogh Museum] Vincent van Gogh died 125 years ago; 29 July 1890, after shooting himself in the chest two days before...

Vincent van Gogh - Korenvelden 

Miksang Paris France

Photos of last time's mindful photography workshop in Paris, France

Miksang Contemplative Photography

4 October 2014 we're back in Paris, France to lead a mindful photography walk, feel free to join us. We're gathering at the steps of the Sacré-Coeur Church 11 AM. 2x 2 Hours workshop in English and Dutch, € 75,- p.p. to be paid on the spot.

A happy photo walk, and you can already participate with your mobile phone.

You don't need a fancy camera to take Miksang photos. Photos with the good, pure eye ('Miksang' in Tibetan) are to be seen mostly. Walk with an empty, unbiased mind and see beautiful images, guided by photographer Melanie E. Rijkers.

More Miksang: www.Artstudio23.com or follow our Pinterest or Miksang Academy Facebook page. We lead #Eyespiration photo walks in Paris, London, San Francisco and many other places in the world.

Walking with Pure Eyes - Miksang

New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles ... I love them all. You can check out my street photography, landscape and city scape pics via Flickr and Google+.