Vrije Vogel, Bange Beer
'Vrije Vogel, Bange Beer' (Free Bird, Scared Bear) is a project about the feeling of anxiety. The oppressive, hopeless feeling grew steadily larger during my early twenties. By depicting these emotions with colors and patterns, inspired by the Impressionist art movement, I felt less powerless. Research into anxiety startled me, because according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS, 2024), the number of people struggling with anxiety increases every year. This led to the creation of my children's book, for ages 9 to 12.
In the book, I portrayed myself as the character Scared Bear, to share the weight of emotions without getting too close to my own. Free Bird is the likeness of my grandmother, who passed away in 2018. She was an example to me, a kind, creative woman with great courage and little fear. In the book, Scared Bear is helped by Free Bird to think differently and to reframe anxious thoughts.
By combining the analogue monotype technique with digital illustration techniques, I depicted a world where the inner world becomes the outer world. My wish with this project is for people to feel supported and to know that they are allowed to ask for help.
