2012 beginnen wir mit Erfahrungsberichten, wechseln allerdings die Sprache. Wir stellen Ihnen heute Sonja ter Heijden vor. Eine ganz außergewöhnliche Karriere.
Das Redaktionsteam von Mentoring4u wünscht Ihnen viel Spaß bei der Lektüre.


Mentoring4u: Wie kam es dazu, dass Sie sich für einen ganz neuen Lebensweg entschieden?

Sonja ter Heijden: I am going to tell you about my career as a painter,which was a long hard road. First I have to tell you a little about my first career which was to raise my children. When I was young I thought life was fun and easy, but life isn´t easy at all. When I had 3 children and the youngest was nearly 6 years, I divorced. Two years later I was surprised to be pregnant again and I wasn´t in a steady relation. I was single when my fourth one was born and living from welfare. It was not easy for my children, we did not have always potato chips and Coca Cola but we had a lot of love. Now my children are grown up and they have good jobs, my youngest is 16 years now and still at school and living with me.

Mentoring4u: Sie sind Mutter von vier prachtvollen Kindern. Das war doch nicht einfach für Sie. Wie schaffen Sie das alles?

Sonja ter Heijden: About 7 years ago, my second child left the house for living on his own. That moment I realized there would be a day they all would be gone and my house should be empty. I wasn’t happy with that conclusion….I taught many life lessons to  my children, one of that was: if you want something, if you desire something, when it is in your heart and mind, you have to go for it, you have to do everything to reach your goal.

Then I was wondered; What if I reached my goal…..raising my children till they were adults. Where, what and who was Sonja? At that moment I became tired of being only a mother. I did not work, because of my health, it wasn’t possible to have a fulltime job and I was still living from welfare. Because of that I was used to read the advertisement flyers every week to seek for cheap shoppings. Somewhere in November of 2005 I saw „paint and brushes“ in a flyer and I was thinking, should it be possible for me to paint?

Mentoring4u: Paint and brushes?

Sonja ter Heijden: When there was no euro in Europe, the Dutch had guldens. My father once gave me  100 guldens to spent for myself. I was not allowed to spent it on my children, he told me to save it for the moment I really wanted to spent it for something special. So I put it in a vase for years, the Euro came and I made from 100 guldens 50 Euro.The paint in the flyer was cheap and I was thinking, if I wanted to sell my paintings I should buy good paint and good brushes. Not the most expensive paint but  good paint, cause first of all I had to find out IF I could paint.When I was a child I liked to draw. At the school of my children I was creative with a lot of things. So a little plan came into my mind and I bought acryl paint, Canvas and cheap brushes. That’s the moment my painting career started.

Mentoring4u: Womit haben Sie angefangen?

Sonja ter Heijden: I started with big flowers and simple still lifes, it was nice to see but not special. If I wanted to be an exceptional painter I had to make more beautiful paintings and the acryl paint did not work in combination with my mind and hand. I asked for help from painters on the internet.  I sent many emails, just one answered back to me. A painter does not tell secrets about his paintings I suppose…. So after one year of painting with acrylic paint, I decided to buy oil paint. The Masters of the 17th century painted with oil paint and I love their paintings.

When I begun with oilpaint I had to know what I wanted, I had to have a style figure in my paintings, so it would be recognizable for the viewers. If you see a Picasso, you know it is a Picasso so I had to find out what I loved. I was born in Delft, a city well known for its Delft Blue Pottery and as a child I liked that at my grandmothers house. My other interest that time was the oriental life of the Middle East, I decided to paint Delft Blue Pottery with harem woman ; ) Strange combination, but nice to see and because of that combination it could be the eyecatcher I was hoping for. After a few paintings and the comment of my family and friends I understand that it was not a good combination. Also it did not gave me the satisfaction I wanted, so I begun with a portrait of my grandchild.

Mentoring4u: Spielt Internet für Sie eine Rolle?

Sonja ter Heijden: Using the internet I found out, some painters used Masonite to paint on.The structure of the canvas was holding me to make more detailed work. I went to several shops but could not find it and I forgot it. At the beginning of 2007 I met a painter in Delft who used Masonite and I saw his paintings, he explained me the positive features of the material and I started to paint on Masonite when I found a shop who could ordered it for me.

Mentoring4u: Wann begannen Sie sich an Wettbewerben zu beteiligen?

Sonja ter Heijden: In 2007 I won the second prize in a contest from 100 Artists, organized by a garage. I had a little exhibition but did not sell anything ; ) Because I did not know how everything works in the art scene ( I am still learning) and I did not know anything about art and artists, I knew  I had to paint more beautiful. I decided to paint just stilllifes with Delft Blue Pottery and because I love nature I had to make designs that way. I did not want to make copies of the old Masters of the 17th century I had to find a way to make my own originals. When I was 15 years old I liked the paintings of Carl Willink and the painter in Delft, Johan Hermsen made beautiful magical paintings, so my idea was to make a combination for myself; Magic, nature, Delft Blue Pottery with a wink to the old Masters..Then I discovered the world wide meaning of The Delft Blue pottery. From the far East ;China came at the beginning of the 17th century the Porcelain to delft, to the West. So for me, in the Delft Blue Pottery the East and West, the blue color of Heaven and the clay of the earth become integrated through craftmanship.I wanted to make an icon of the Delft Blue Pottery. When I was painting  the Blue Mask, a painting you can see on my website, I accidentally found the meaning of my paintings I call it : The Blue Secret.

I begun with very little paintings, just a vase, a flower or some fruit. The use of pure red sable brushes in combination with the Masonite was great. My paintings became bigger, my ideas were sometimes overwhelming for myself. I did not know what happened in my mind but I enjoyed it. Even all the times when the paint did not do what I wanted, even when I was crying in front of my easel and thinking it was not possible for me to learn it, I was enjoying painting. Day after day I learned more about making a painting, how much paint I had to do on my brush, the thickness in combination with linseed oil, to draw a design. It is hard working to make a beautiful oilpainting. It was such a fight but also a victory when I was thinking the painting was finished.

Mentoring4u: Sie sind eine Kämpfernatur. Wie ging es weiter?

Sonja ter Heijden: In the summer of 2010 I was making a design on a big panel,  it was a very emotional design I gave it the title „I never promised you a rose garden“ For 3 weeks I was all day drawing, also at that summer evening. It was half past ten and the darkness came, I had to stop with drawing. I put my pencil down and walked two steps backwards to see what my drawing looked liked….. I looked and suddenly tears ran down my cheeks. I could not understand how it was possible for me to drawn what was in my mind, by my arm,hand and pencil came on the panel. I was overwhelmed by emotions cause now I understood; if I could paint this like it was in my mind : I was somebody, I could do something. I was not only a mother, I was really an artist. It was my biggest panel so far and for me like a rebirth and I knew, painting this panel was my door to the future.

Mentoring4u: Wie haben Sie Partner für eine Ausstellung gefunden?

Sonja ter Heijden: In February 2011 I sent an email to the Museum The Prinsenhof in Delft with the question if it was possible to have an exhibition. A miracle happened, for 2 months I had an exhibition in the Museum, all the media were interested and even National television. I have to go on and have to learn so many things about being a painter and selling my paintings. After all the heavy years of taking care for my four children, the struggle to live with little money and all the problemes I had to solve by my own, I found my destiny. I had to prove myself that I excist. I am so happy I can paint, painting is my breath, my life, I enjoy, I live! I think I will never reach my border, the most beautiful paintings aren’t paint yet!

Sonja ter Heijden, vielen Dank für Ihren interessanten und vielseitigen Erfahrungsbericht. Toll, dass Sie durchgehalten haben. Es war ganz bestimmt nicht einfach. Unser Tipp: Dran bleiben und nicht aufgeben. Dieser Bericht hat uns wieder gezeigt, wie wichtig es ist, nicht auf zu geben. Lassen Sie sich nicht unterkriegen!

Die Redaktion von Mentoring4u beglückwünscht Sonja ter Heijden zu dieser außergewöhnlichen Karriere und wünscht Ihr weiterhin viel Erfolg.

Weitere Erfahrungsberichte finden Sie hier: Bulgarien,  Ärzte für die Dritte Welt,  Medizinstudentin, Einzelhandelskauffrau ,  Lesecoach oder einfach im Suchfeld „Erfahrungsbericht“ eingeben.

(Autor: Sonja ter Heijden  /  Bildbearbeitung: M. Weiss  /  Quelle:  www.sonjaterheijden.com)