Growing up I was exposed to a lot of American pop culture through movies, TV, music and magazines. Seeing a lot of American stories telling me about the big city and ‘making it there’. As long as I’d get there, I’d become a success. My life would be perfect. I’m what they call a millennial and a lot of people from my generation grew up with this idea that you could become anything, as long as you set your mind to it. This idea puts so much pressure on us, because if you don’t succeed in what you’re doing, you’re just not trying hard enough. It’s your own fault you didn’t get the ideal dream they showed you all those years to be available for you.

Under Pressure is a series about chasing the American Dream and realizing it’s not a real thing. I’ve always dreamt of going to Los Angeles. Everything I’ve seen about Los Angeles on TV showed me this place with a lot of sunshine, with smiley happy people. I’ve been very depressed, and I thought well, no wonder, because I’m still stuck in The Netherlands, where it rains almost daily. Once I get to LA, I’ll be happy too. So I booked my ticket and went… And it rained.

It’s a series about not achieving the American Dream, about reality for my generation. It’s not about the fake happy instagram worlds we’ve grown accustomed too. It’s ok to not get the happy ending they told you about, it’s alright to cry and be angry and show feelings other than happiness. It’s about being authentic, or at least trying to be, in a growingly fake world.

More of the project can be found on my website.