In 1987, after art school, I started my own advertising agency in my hometown Oss, together with friends. Four years later, I began working as a freelance designer for Dutch magazines, and for World Press Photo and Amnesty International. In 1997 my partner Sandra started to help me on small layout projects. In 1998 we hired our first employee, which spelled the beginning of our own design agency. We called it Heijdens Karwei, a reference to my surname. In Dutch, a ‘Heidens karwei’ (which is pronounced like my name) means ‘a hell of a job’. In 1998 my design for the World Press Photo yearbook won a competition, and I have laid out the book ever since. Initially, Heijdens Karwei grew fast, and in 1999 we moved the office to Amsterdam. We worked on all sorts of graphic design projects and also started to design websites. Within two years we moved three times, the last time to a big office on Leidsestraat in Amsterdam’s city center.

Together with my friend Martijn van de Griendt I edited Brood, a photo book on a Dutch rock star and artist who ended his life by jumping off the roof of the Hilton Hotel in Amsterdam. I discovered I love editing, and that I’m good at it. Six months later I curated an exhibition on the Chechen War, which was shown at the Verzetsmuseum (Resistance Museum) in Amsterdam. Because I wanted to work more with photography, I offered my services to the Fotofestival Naarden as a volunteer. By this time I had started wondering about the future of Heijdens Karwei, because I didn’t really enjoy managing the company. What I loved doing were the photography projects I was involved in.

After 9/11 we had a rough year. I decided to take a positive approach to the situation and started focusing more on photography. In 2004 Kadir van Lohuizen asked me to do a photo project with him. The resulting book, Diamond Matters, brought both Kadir and me much attention and success. Sandra and I are currently working from a studio that is attached to our home at Oosterpark in Amsterdam.

In 1988 I started working for a bank, because I had discovered that studying and working as a psychiatric nurse was not for me. I held several positions and became the boss’s secretary. In 1994 I started helping Teun with small layout projects. He designed book covers at the time, and I took care of the typesetting of the text. A year later, Teun was asked to redesign Wordt Vervolgd, Amnesty International’s Dutch magazine. Together we laid out the magazine every month. When Heijdens Karwei kicked off and Teun needed more and more time to manage it, I focused on the magazine. By then I worked half time for the bank and half time for Heijdens Karwei.

In 1996 our eldest daughter Alex was born, and I divided my time between my work for the studio and being a mother. I resigned from the bank. In 1999, a year after our second daughter Julia was born, we moved to Amsterdam. Wordt Vervolgd provided regular work, and if necessary I helped out at the studio. Teun and I share both the work and our private lives. Although I now feel this is an ideal combination, it was not easy in the beginning. At the moment I am responsible for three magazines produced by Heijdens Karwei for Amnesty International. I also design World Press Photo’s Review and a newsletter for Eyecare Worldwide. Some of the work on these publications is done by freelancers who work under my supervision. In addition, I help Teun with the design, typesetting and desktop publishing of photo books and exhibitions.