“I have become freer in my expression”
At the time Jared Meijer began the four-year higher vocational (HBO) course Creative Writing at ArtEZ Creative Writing at ArtEZ in Arnhem, he cleaved to the idea of him being a writer of poetry. “The modules in the course forced me to explore and use other genres,” Jared reminisces. “Initially, this made me feel very insecure. I thought, ‘I don’t have the ability to do this, I have never done this before.’ However, gradually I got better at it. My writing became smoother, my pace faster. Looking back, I have become freer in my expression because of the course.”
In 2020, Jared completed the Creative Writing course, which is the first HBO art course for aspiring writers to evolve into proficient authors in the Netherlands. Guided by some of the most distinguished writers, poets, and other professionals from the literary field, students enjoy the freedom to explore the various creative paths they can take, leading to self-realisation as to their individual talents, ambitions, possibilities, and writing styles. To achieve this self-realisation, students design their own curriculum from the second year of the course onwards.
In Jared’s case, this led to a novella as his final literary work as a student at ArtEZ. Mistland (“fog country”) showcases Jared’s extensive range of writing styles. Jared: “Mistland is about the loss of a chronically ill little sister and the ensuing search for something that is genuine in life to bind yourself to… What happens when a life spent together ends?” As for his next work, Jared remains reticent. “If I now say what it is about, I am setting it in stone while the story might take me in a completely different direction later. And I want it to be experimental and different. I like that.”
Watch Jared’s entire story here:
More about Jared and his work
- Jared has already received his first writing award: the story Ze ligt hier niet (“she’s not lying here”) won him the first prize in the Write Now! Nijmegen 2020 contest. The story is available for a read here.
- Read more about Jared and his work on his website. Also consider checking out his LinkedIn and Instagram page.
