About me
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by nature. I loved observing things and figuring out how it worked. Hours would pass with me just looking and observing. I also imagined my life and all I would do. I would study, move into my grandparents’ home in the Betuwe, and do amazing things as a paraveterinary. Whilst working towards this goal I discovered microscopic life. I continued towards a Masters’ in Molecular medicine and ended up in Norway. This was the place for me! Inspiring, challenging, renewing, and always something new to discover and study!
After two accidents, resulting in acquired brain injury, my life is different than I imagined as a child. It left me in deep, dark places, without a lot of support to help me back towards the light. In june of 2021 I discovered through my mom I inherited a family talent. I could paint?!
With this newly discovered talent I had extra tools to process the things I learned and discovered in therapy. Theoretic knowledge became visual representation. Helping me to remember certain concepts at the glance of an eye.
Step by step I discover my personal painting style and develop my skills. This is the next step: Sharing my new found talent and my story with the world.
Welcome to my story, welcome to CoCo Creatief!
Cornelia G. Dam
Artist
Inspiration & Mission
My love for nature has been a constant in my life. Ever since I was young I’ve spend my life with animals of all kind. Except spiders… Very useful, but just as Ron Weasley I think the way they move can be very unnerving. I always thought I would work with animals, caring and advocating for their needs and taking good care of the Earth. To walk in the footsteps of my many ancestors who were teachers was something I didn’t aspire to. It just kept happening naturally wherever I went.
After the car accident of 2016 I thought I lost everything I was. But I was still here. So in the words of my late grandma “I’m still here so there must still be something I have to do”. The discovery of yet another family talent, that of painting, helped me to digest the news I got in 2022: that I will have to live with the effects of my brain injury. Taking things at a slower pace and treading more carefully with my boundaries than I would have liked. The fact of the matter is, that I was stripped back to the core of who I was after the car accident. I still loved animals, growing things and helping people with the knowledge I had. I just had to learn to do it within the new limitations of my physical energy and mental bandwidth.
That was the start of learning to how to live as “Corrie 2.0”. As I’ve slowly expanded my world I learned I could still make progress. I’ve been able to drive further and spend more time in busy surroundings. But I also have “off” days where I feel like I don’t have energy to do anything. Having “painting” in my talent tool kit has changed my life for the better. It has made me connect to the people around me on a different level as my art moves them. “Corrie 2.0”, so I’ve discovered, is in part Cornelia the artist who wishes to make this world a better place one painting at a time.
By starting CoCo Creatief I wish to share some of my love for our planet and all that can be found there, to inspire, and give you hope by telling my story.
Past Initiatives & Exhibitions
Auction and Market in Wely by the Baptist church Middenbetuwe for crowdfunding for Zinia who would like to be able to complete her medical studies.
Exhibition “Connecting and meeting” in NAH Café Overbetuwe and Huiskamer Heteren. An exhibition about and by people with brain injuries.
Decorated shoe boxes for Action shoe box. An initiative for underprivileged children who receive a gift in this way: A decorated box full of things for school, to wash themselves and also something fun to play with. https://schoenendoosactie.nl
TAAF Brain, body & soul fest.
A virtual reality event to raise awareness and funds for people with brain injuries.
