Simon de Wilde: “I felt straight away that this course was right for me”
- Design
One of the first students in the part-time Graphic Design course at ArtEZ Academy of Art & Design Zwolle, Simon de Wilde (32) is in Venice at the time of his interview. Along with his classmates, he is attending the Biennale Arte 2024. “We have been visiting all the exhibits together,” he reports. What has surprised him during the course, and what are his thoughts on his studies during the first few months? “I view the world differently now.”
For years, Simon thought that the path of a primary school teacher was the best choice for him. Creativity was something he reserved for his spare time. However, that just wasn’t right for him. “Looking back on it, I would have been much better off going to art school straight away.” Simon spent years looking for ways to unite his passion for art and creativity with his work. He attended several open days at various schools and even went to Belgium to see about completing a part-time course there. “A four-year, full-time course wasn’t feasible for me to do along with work. I had almost given up, until I found the part-time Graphic Design course at ArtEZ. I immediately thought, ‘this is my chance!’”
Since I started, we’ve focused on exploring the question of what image communicates. If I walk down the street now, for instance while I’m here in Venice, I notice certain details I never saw before.”
A broader perspective
The course was a perfect fit. Simon hasn’t once regretted taking it: “This is exactly what I was hoping for. Oftentimes in recent years, I’ve been uncertain about which direction to take, but with this course, I felt straight away that it was the right choice for me.” Simon found that taking subjects like art history and philosophy was most valuable. “With these subjects, you broaden your perspective and gain much deeper insight into the world around you. That was another reason I wanted to go to art school.” Though he initially had doubts about the small-scale nature of the course, he sees it now as a major advantage. “We are a tight-knit group and share a lot with each other. Our teachers are very committed and involved. They are also all active in the professional field, which makes it very informative and interesting for us.”
Seeing the world differently
Reflecting on his first months in the course, Simon finds that more than anything, he has started to see the world in a different way. “Since I started, we’ve focused on exploring the question of what image communicates. If I walk down the street now, for instance while I’m here in Venice, I notice certain details I never saw before.” As a second example, he recalls a holiday in Georgia the previous summer. Laughing, he says “The drainpipes are very beautiful there. My eye automatically focuses now on things like that, something visually striking or different from the Netherlands. It’s amazing to notice.”
Studying and working at the same time
No longer working in primary education, Simon now works in educational publishing. “If you say that you want to do something creative enough times, the world has a way of making that happen for you,” he says. “That’s how I got started in the publishing world. First I developed teaching methods for learning Frisian for a few years, and now I’ve been a project manager [at that publishing company] for the past two years.”
The combination of working and studying is a challenge, he admits. “I work four days a week and outside of that, spend a lot of time on my studies. Because of that, I’m also currently looking into ways to reduce my workload. On top of the course’s contact hours, which are consistent, I’m also quite busy with homework and assignments. Plus, you can’t plan when the creative urge will strike. It often happens when you least expect it, which takes some flexibility.”
Create first, plan later
It’s no surprise then, that Simon has such a deeply intrinsic motivation to take this part-time course. Simon: “My classmates and I are all remarkably driven. I’m noticing that once more here in Venice. Even though I have less time for other things, I would still do it all over again. I looked for a course like this for so long.”
Looking forward to the upcoming years, Simon anticipates a welcome boost in his creativity. “I’ve noticed that it can sometimes be difficult for me to start creating. In my work as a project manager, I learned that that it’s best to consider and construct a plan first before beginning something. Here at an art school, I’ve discovered that actually, you should just start creating and from there, things will happen that you couldn’t have imagined before.”
As far as future ambitions are concerned, Simon says, teaching still fascinates him. “In addition to that, in publishing, both content and design play a large role, so I think it would be nice to combine those two worlds in the future.”
More info about the Graphic Design part-time course
