Raul Jimenez van Hoorn

Having been fascinated about everything creative and digital since a young age, I enrolled in the Bachelor of Multimedia Technology and Design at the University of Kent (UK). This course taught me practical skills of a whole range of creative activities (such as photography, videography, animation, 3D art, video game design, and more) but it was website design and marketing that really sparked my interest. Knowing the basics of website design and development, I set out to improve my skills over the next decade through continuous self-study, working at five different digital agencies, and making websites for freelance clients. At the same time, intrigued by the notions behind marketing, branding, and advertising, I acquired a Master of Advertising and Design at the University of Leeds (UK), a postgraduate degree from Thomas Moore’s Belgian Advertising, and a Master of Communications and New Media at the Budapest Metropolitan University (Hungary). By combining these two strains of study, I strife to deliver thought-through website solutions that not only work and look good but are also strategically sound and effective in meeting objectives.

I’m sustainable

Being not wasteful has been hammered into me, courtesy of my parents. Consumerism and unnecessary luxury were always frowned upon, and as a result I hardly buy anything new. I wear my clothes until they practically fall apart, and most are second-hand. When something does break, I try to repair it myself to avoid throwing it away. I never owned a car, and I care a lot more about immaterial experiences rooted in nature than material gains.

The future I want

I was 10 when I told my parents I wanted to become a fully self-sufficient farmer living exclusively from the produce of my own garden. Lucky for them, I ended up instead getting skills to pay the bills, but this dream of self-sufficiency surrounded by greenery and chickens has resurfaced since lockdown. Having my own fruits and vegetables garden, solar panels, rainwater tanks, etc, I look forward to minimising my footprint and going to the supermarket as little as possible.