Maud van der Linden

In my excitement I tent to skip the face of testing. So I made 3 ways of adding this pink to the wall, only to realize I don’t like how the glazing turned out. Nevertheless quite happy with the result :)

In my excitement I tent to skip the face of testing. So I made 3 ways of adding this pink to the wall, only to realize I don’t like how the glazing turned out. Nevertheless quite happy with the result :)

At the time when I was making this beading artwork, I was working in the biggest prison in NL as a designer.�Besides making practical designs, I felt into the energetics of our justice system. Which is our collective agreement, to deal with severe pain. We judge, we punish, we hide, we lock away.

Pain happens to everyone, it’s inevitable. When we experience pain, we tend to fall into roles. We drown in pain and feel like a victim, we act upon pain and behave like a perpetrator or we take away someone’s pain and present ourselves as the hero.

But above all we want to get away from the pain. We are looking for ways to make the pain go away. We reach out to caregivers for advice, ask the judiciary for justice and share the pain with our loved ones.
And often or sometimes, as those in need of help; we wait for some form of a hero who will save us.

Isn’t it up to us to integrate the pain? I am not Christian, but what if Christ showed us how to embrace pain. To look at darkness, instead of resisting it. Engage with it, instead of running away from it.
Pain is here for a reason and it propells us further.

Christ taught us to not run away from our enemy

He showed; embracing pain

Hero - Victim - Perpetrator △
Caregiver - Justice - Relatives ▽

At the time when I was making this beading artwork, I was working in the biggest prison in NL as a designer.
Besides making practical designs, I felt into the energetics of our justice system. Which is our collective agreement, to deal with severe pain. We judge, we punish, we hide, we lock away. Pain happens to everyone, it’s inevitable. When we experience pain, we tend to fall into roles. We drown in pain and feel like a victim, we act upon pain and behave like a perpetrator or we take away someone’s pain and present ourselves as the hero. But above all we want to get away from the pain. We are looking for ways to make the pain go away. We reach out to caregivers for advice, ask the judiciary for justice and share the pain with our loved ones. And often or sometimes, as those in need of help; we wait for some form of a hero who will save us. Isn’t it up to us to integrate the pain? I am not Christian, but what if Christ showed us how to embrace pain. To look at darkness, instead of resisting it. Engage with it, instead of running away from it. Pain is here for a reason and it propells us further. Christ taught us to not run away from our enemy He showed; embracing pain Hero - Victim - Perpetrator △ Caregiver - Justice - Relatives ▽

Grey vase with stone beads

📸

Grey vase with stone beads 📸 @lauraknipsael

Good morning!
I’ve got something nice to share. A realization that was quite profound.

Since I’ve bin uploading older works and projects and seeing how much I’ve created over the years, completely bashed the thoughts of “I don’t have enough”.

I could feel some deeper love for the variety of works that I created and it made me realize under which believe I’ve bin working recently: “I am not enough”.

Well this ‘big fish’ of a believe will not be gone in a whim, but I appreciate every layer that I shed that brings me closer to my essence.

Good morning! I’ve got something nice to share. A realization that was quite profound. Since I’ve bin uploading older works and projects and seeing how much I’ve created over the years, completely bashed the thoughts of “I don’t have enough”. I could feel some deeper love for the variety of works that I created and it made me realize under which believe I’ve bin working recently: “I am not enough”. Well this ‘big fish’ of a believe will not be gone in a whim, but I appreciate every layer that I shed that brings me closer to my essence.

Athens is one of my favorite cities.

While visiting Athens for an academy project, I made a Laurel Wreath from crumbling pieces of wall.

The old walls of Athens are covered with graffiti. It emanates rebellious and anarchistic believes in a colorful way. Of course it’s also a tragic story of a government failing to protect a certain wealth when the banks fell in 2008.

Athens being the place/origin of our western civilization, it’s amazing how much history, fallen glory and change there is to experience in this city! I am forever in awe.

Speaking of cities, Athens is one of my favorite ones. While visiting Athens for an academy project, I made a Laurel Wreath from crumbling pieces of wall. The old walls of Athens are covered with graffiti. It emanates rebellious and anarchistic believes in a colorful way. Of course it’s also a tragic story of a government failing to protect a certain wealth when the banks fell in 2008. Athens being the place/origin of our western civilization, it’s amazing how much history, fallen glory and change there is to experience in this city! I am forever in awe.

Sometimes I feel that we call it ART only if it exudes a certain quality. I don’t think that that’s true.

When I started making art I was afraid of being called a hobbyist.
I realize now, writing this post, that the only one who ever called me a hobbyist, was me.

I was having a bad connotation with hobbyism, because then “your art is not taken serious” or something?
But hobbyism is fun! It’s following your passions for the sake of joy.

Now, while making art, I find it sometimes hard to find back the fun in my practice, because I make it way to serious.

So,, looking for the right amount of balance between seriousness and joy.

Because I absolutely think that being a creator is one of the most amazing “jobs”!

Sometimes I feel that we call it ART only if it exudes a certain quality. I don’t think that that’s true. When I started making art I was afraid of being called a hobbyist. I realize now, writing this post, that the only one who ever called me a hobbyist, was me. I was having a bad connotation with hobbyism, because then “your art is not taken serious” or something? But hobbyism is fun! It’s following your passions for the sake of joy. Now, while making art, I find it sometimes hard to find back the fun in my practice, because I make it way to serious. So,, looking for the right amount of balance between seriousness and joy. Because I absolutely think that being a creator is one of the most amazing “jobs”! Who can relate?

Couch; on which I cry during the day, and some watch action movies at night

I am fascinated about the amount of romanticized aggression, destruction, manipulation and just cold blooded murder there is to see on screen. And how many of us look at it.
As a sensitive person, I feel all of that, and it’s simply to much to handle

Why I feel shame when I cry on the couch but it’s normal to watch action movies at night?

Couch; on which I cry during the day, and some watch action movies at night I am fascinated about the amount of romanticized aggression, destruction, manipulation and just cold blooded murder there is to see on screen. And how many of us look at it. As a sensitive person, I feel all of that, and it’s simply to much to handle Why I feel shame when I cry on the couch but it’s normal to watch action movies at night?

When someone is acting out, when I get swamped by worries or when I see injustice.
There is always a reason why it occurs or when someone behaves like that. We can stop there and reject. Or we look behind the situation and find compassion.

It doesn’t mean I am always compassionate, but I remind myself to search for it. And also, when I lack compassion it’s because I am frustrated myself and not because the external situation, which may seem that way.

When someone is acting out, when I get swamped by worries or when I see injustice. There is always a reason why it occurs or when someone behaves like that. We can stop there and reject. Or we look behind the situation and find compassion. It doesn’t mean I am always compassionate, but I remind myself to search for it. And also, when I lack compassion it’s because I am frustrated myself and not because the external situation, which may seem that way

Picking up new ‘Door Tiles’.
The tiles I make at home in my studio, but since my kiln is still in NL, I glaze and bake sometimes at . It’s a really lovely place to go

Picking up new ‘Door Tiles’. The tiles I make at home in my studio, but since my kiln is still in NL, I glaze and bake sometimes at @clayatelier. It’s a really lovely place to go

My intuition told me to make babies, I didn’t knew exactly why.
But as soon as I held the first prototype, a ‘BABY born’ covered in clay, I felt it.
I felt “needed” in life and I felt a sense of “I am important”

I was shocked and questioned myself “these are not the reasons why I want children, right?!?”. These are deep feelings that I need to work on for myself.

Since then I felt super clear (what I already knew somewhere): I need to feel my own importance and I need to feel seen, by myself

I can’t really wrap my head around this one, but it feels like ‘contemporary art’ and ‘commercial’ don’t fit in the same sentence.
And to be honest, I caught myself in thinking that commercial art is somehow lesser than.. other art forms?
Less interesting or valuable ..

This couldn’t be further from the truth
And I don’t think that this was a thought that I truely believed, more so my susceptibility towards a certain “scale of importance”

If there is someone knowing more about this topic, please let me know, I would love to understand more about it!

I’ll be organizing Energetic Art Workshops in Paris 🤍

Making art has bin a grounding method, a moment of full connection to my heart and a moment of stillness to my brain. And I would love to experience this together with you! While you’ll be making art (expressing your soul), in a small group of people, I help you to experience the clarity and hear the guidance that is available in this moment.
It’s with this information that you know what steps to take in you’re daily life 🌝🌚

The first workshop is this Sunday, May 26th.
From 15:30 until 18:00
At 19 Rue de la Mare 75020

Send me a DM if you’d like to join.