Marije: connecting with the motherland

It’s been a year since I moved to The Netherlands and a year since I have been behind the lens, capturing the essence and natural beauty of women surrounded by nature. Moving back to the motherland has been a whole journey, something I thought I’d never do, but here I am, one year later, finally ready to stop resisting and embracing the fact that this is home, that it’s okay to grow my roots here, in the soil I came from.

I remember the first time I felt the urge to leave the life I had created in Bali, a very free life, with an abundance of sun and beaches and inspiration, for a colder and greyer climate, where people live very different lives - fast-paced, often stressed and from my perspective: very disconnected from their own nature and the land they live on. As long as I can remember I have always felt great resentment to being born in The Netherlands, this small country with more people than trees, with so little wild nature and no ancestral stories or rituals about living in harmony with the more-than-human world.

Yet it was the land that called me back. A whisper from a small island in the North of the country, who told me it was time to come home. It felt needed, almost urgent, like there was something for me to do here. And truth be told, as much as I have resisted this feeling, as much as I dislike the grey and cold and (many of) the societal norms and standards, I have completely, head over heals fallen in love with nature here. I can’t comprehend how I wasn’t able to see the abundance of life, the immense beauty and the uniqueness of my motherland before.

This new way of seeing the land where my ancestors come from, where my very blood and bones come from, made me feel excited again to capture women, this time not on white sand beaches, but in typical Dutch nature. I think it’s important that we find our way back to the connection we have with the land we come from and this shoot is an attempt to open that door even wider, for me and my muses, to offer our love and energy and open heart to the spirit of this land, and start co-creating together. It’s the land that will guide us into creating positive changes in this turbulent time, we simply have to learn(/remember) to listen again.

So, here are the images of my first shoot in the motherland, with Marije, who shares my value and passion for all things beauty, nature connection and living in harmony with our ancestral land. You can follow her on Instagram here or read one of her blogs about ancestral wisdom in The Netherlands here. Marije also has a beautiful jewellery brand, where she creates unique pieces made of real, ethically sourced butterfly wings. The dresses in the images are from Minggu The Label and Butterflies Never Die.

I hope you enjoy watching the images. It was a magical afternoon exploring and wondering around, where Marije showed me her favourite spots and trees and we let our creativity and inspiration guide us. Let me know what you think in the comments :)

With love,

Suus