Incredible people

Looking back at my 15+ years as an entrepreneur, art director and brand artist, I can say this without hesitation: I love working with incredible people.

People who don’t quite fit.
People who think sideways.
People who arrive with sharp minds, open hands and a willingness to play.

Over the years, I learned how to form teams that match the exact blueprint of an assignment — not just in skill, but in spirit. Every project asks for its own constellation. Its own chemistry. I did this for years in the Netherlands. And later, far from home, I realized something else: I don’t just find these people. I attract them.

After a break of more than two years, I wondered if that instinct was still alive. Rusty, maybe. Or quietly waiting.

For the creation of Studio Niki, I stepped out from behind the curtain. For the first time, I was not only the art director — I was also the subject. The model. The material.

It was deeply uncomfortable.
On the morning of the shoot, I cried.
Fear took the wheel. Fear of failing. Fear of being seen. I couldn’t move.

Luckily, I wasn’t alone.
Around me stood an extraordinary team: the Guardarrama brothers — one behind the camera, the other shaping and producing — stylist Cata, and a brilliant hair and makeup artist who knew exactly when to step in and when to step back. They held the space until I could step into it myself.

And then something shifted.
With the right people.
The right place.

A clear vision — and room to breathe — improvisation took over.
Improvisation is what happens when the plan loosens its grip.
When logic takes off its shoes.
When intelligence stops asking permission and starts listening with the whole body.

It often begins as a mistake. A pause too long. A move unplanned. And suddenly a hidden door appears. Improvisation rewards those who dare to step through without knowing where it leads. Chaos, it turns out, is often highly intelligent.

This is where incredible people thrive.

They are rarely comfortable. They notice too much. Feel too deeply. Carry strange ideas and forget rules on purpose. They refuse to stay their proper size — growing, shrinking, wandering, returning with something unexpectedly true.

They don’t wait to be chosen.
They are already moving.
Incredible people are not extraordinary because they are better.
They are extraordinary because they stay open.

That day, in front of the camera, I felt it clearly: this is what I want to do.
Work with incredible people.
Improvise in unfamiliar places.
Create something alive, together — anywhere in the world.

Team

Studio Niki is a house for incredible people.

Writers.
Designers.
Poets.
Painters.
Photographers.
Videomakers.
Illustrators.
Gamifiers.
Thinkers.

Each assignment asks for a different constellation.
Each person carries their own brilliance.

Want to join?

I’d love to meet you.

🖤
Niki