Creative and travel-loving photographer

My name is Nanda Bussers and I was born in the Netherlands. From early on I liked being creative. I can remember very well (for example) drawing and painting with my aunt who was an artist with her own gallery and studio. When I was 6 years old, I got a camera from that same uncle and aunt to try. I was really fascinated and amazed by this alternative way of looking at the world. From that time on my parents’ four cats were willing photography victims. In high school I took classes in (among others) drawing and art history.

After high school I got the opportunity to visit Canada. This was my first time flying. I stayed for about 6 weeks with a very warm and loving host family. It was a life changing experience. After more than 20 years we still keep in touch. Since then I’ve travelled around the world as much as possible. For example backpacking in Australia, New Zealand, South America and Asia as well as trips to Mongolia, Seychelles and the Southern part of Africa. One of my dreams is to discover all the countries of the world.

Turning point

I graduated from University in 2004 in Human Resource Management and I started working in big business companies and hospitals. Even though creativity and art are in my blood, I didn’t do anything with them until 2013. When my parents passed away within a few years of each other, I went through the most difficult time of my life. During this time I rediscovered photography. Taking photos helped me escape from reality and changed my focus somewhat. I began going into the fields, in order to capture the beauty of nature. Especially those little things that other people often pass by so quickly. Nature is my biggest source of inspiration. 

Circle of Life

In 2017 I took a photography course to develop my own photographic style. During that course I was inspired by a poem of Paolo Coelho about the Circle of Life. I created a series of 6 images which are characterized by a dreamy and mysterious atmosphere. The image with the pink colors was one of the most important depictions of that year, and also the beginning of my more poetic, symbolic and abstract photos. Since then life and death have also became a recurring theme in my photo art. 

Transformation

An image is successful for me when there is a certain depth and universal layer in it. You keep looking at the image and discover new things all the time. Just like a fantasy world in which you can continue to dream away and fantasize. Presenting a truthful representation of reality is not what I strive for. For me photography is all about expressing a certain feeling. In the sense that the observation transcends reality to a point where it becomes solely an expression. Usually you don’t get to see the actual subjects I photograph but they always come from the natural world. In particular, I have a fascination for water and ice because of its continuous transformation. Just like life, it’s always moving and taking on different shapes and colors. 

Stardust

My latest project Stardust is about a journey through time and space. I have just finished this project after lovingly working on it for more than a year. The result is a photographic poem of 38 abstract images that allows you to feel emotions inside. You will find some images on my webpage Stardust. My work has been featured in some International Art guides and Magazines, I have also exhibited my work at Art Fairs, in Health Centers and offices. Abstract art can bring inspiration, improve performance, physical wellbeing and unlock creativity.

Comfort Art & Healing Art

With my images, I hope to give comfort and warmth in the more difficult times, as well as to create a positive moment (of time) in the person’s life. I realized that sometimes it’s very difficult to find a suitable gift for certain moments of life, where you just want to let somebody know you are thinking about them. A comforting gift for illness, for Covid-19, loneliness, for a surgery or a burn-out, a separation, miscarriage, or loss of a loved one. There are so many moments where you can let your heart speak. With this in mind I started my company Comfort Art (in Dutch: Troostkunst) and that’s the reason I also developed candles and postcards with my own images. In the upcoming week I will be starting with a new photo project. I hope to create a photo series about Healing Art that can be used in hospitals, for example.

Nanda Bussers