Early 2024, I found myself at a crossroads.
I felt empty, blocked, disconnected from the things that once sparked my curiosity and joy. It was as if the little fire inside me had gone out. And the worst part? I had no idea where to find my matches.

So I decided to turn things around. No half measures—just a full reset. I left my job, a place where I had learned so much and had genuinely enjoyed working, to return to the basics. To myself.

I started volunteering at a therapeutic farm, took a cleaning job in a theater, and spent more time with horses. No grand plan, just one goal: to create space to feel what truly ignited me again.

And then it happened. After months of trying, adjusting, getting my hands in the mud, and simply following what felt right… I found my spark again. I wanted to paint.

At the back of the garden, a small studio had been sitting unused for a year. I often looked at it but never touched it. Until the itch came. First cautiously, with a few lines and some experimenting with a multitool my boyfriend had given me a year before (still in its packaging—oops). Before I knew it, I was elbows-deep in paint again. Not because I had to, but because it moved me. The spark had returned.

When I started Van Hanne, I realized that others also appreciated what I was creating. Messages, orders, people wanting my paintings and engraved bottles—it all grew naturally. What began as something for myself had become something I could share with others.

It turns out my matches were there all along, right in that little studio.