10 QUESTIONS WITHFLOORTJE ROEPER
Meet Floortje, founder of floortje.louise, as she delves deep into her affinity of nature, the main inspiration for her creative studio centred around content creation, styling, graphic design, and photography.
Interview by:
New Norm Magazine
Photography by:
Floortje Roeper
Social:
"Just as the earth experiences spring, then summer, then fall, and finally winter — your own life cycle also has its seasons."
1. Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
Floortje: My name is Floortje Roeper. I am 33 years old and I was born and raised on Texel - an island in the northern part of the Netherlands. I grew up surrounded by nature and that is where my love for its beauty was born.
I am the owner of floortje.louise - a creative studio focused on creating content, specialised in styling, photography and graphic design.
2. What is the story behind your profession and passion? What prompted you to start your own studio?
F: I look at the details of my environment everywhere I go which enables me to experience beauty on a deep level. I’ve always known I wanted to share this way of seeing things with the world. This idea of sharing my vision with the world became a reality after I graduated from the Styling academy: it was then it was when I started my own studio.
It started with trying to make the translation of my own inner world through new creative ways like for example my art prints from ‘a hymn to nature’, and nowadays I’m also helping company’s with visualising the essence of their brand with styling, photography and graphic design. I love to create this magic.
3. What is the vision or philosophy behind your studio? What made you gravitate towards photography as a medium for creative expression?
F: I’m aesthetically driven by the simplicity of nature, it has everything and I believe it is the essence of all beauty. I try to approach this natural beauty as much as possible by only using natural elements in my work.
The reason I gravitated towards photography is that it allows me to both emphasis the hidden stories nature can tell us, and to eternalize them.
4. How would you describe your process when working on a new project? Who or what inspires you?
F: Most inspiration comes from my inner world, it’s just a feeling. At the same time I think it’s fuelled on a subconscious level with inspirations like reading magazines, songs I hear, by people I’m surrounded with and walking in nature. Mostly the last one; it’s undefined and pure, it just inspires my creativity to develop itself.
5. Could you tell us more about your series, a hymm to nature? What was the idea behind this project?
F: The philosophy behind the art prints of ‘a hymn to nature’ is the cycle of all four seasons. These art prints express the details from this cycle in an abstract way. If you look hard enough you see the whole cycle in every, even tiniest element of nature.
With ‘a hymn to nature’ I want to inspire people to look at their own natural cycle. Just as the earth experiences spring, then summer, then fall, and finally winter — your own life cycle also has its seasons.
The nature knows a cycle from growth and nourishment in spring-time, to excitement and abundance in summer-time, to releasing and letting go in autumn-time, to the time of turning inward and silence in winter-time.
The trees let go of their leaves in autumn because you can't have unlimited growth, they have to make room for next year's growth in spring-time.
In mostly the western world, it's always high summer-time and that's why we seriously deplete our resources. With 'a hymn to nature' I want to inspire to see nature as a mirror and let go of our leaves just on time.
7. There seems to be a strong emphasis on light and shadow in your photographs. How important do you think these elements are as part of your creative expression?
F: Oh yes I love the play of light and shadow. It’s like magic: it allows me to turn something really ‘accessible’ into a real jewel.
Like I mentioned above I try to approach natural beauty, including light and shadow. I love the natural light produced by the sun, which changes constantly throughout the day, altering its direction, colour and brightness. The characteristics of natural light changes dramatically from season to season, which is really interesting to play with. And of course the element of surprise; it’s never the same. A real gift from nature.
"I look at the details of my environment everywhere I go which enables me to experience beauty on a deep level. "
8. Are you working on any new projects at the moment?
F: Beside all the beautiful collaborations with inspiring creatives and creating content, there will be a ’new chapter’ with ‘a hymn to nature’. I can shed a little light on it: it’s a collection of the bestsellers, it’s poetic and perfect as a gift ;-).
For more: keep an eye on my Instagram and website.
