De Praktijk Studio
Develop your practice. Strengthen the meaning of your work.
De Praktijk Studio is a personal development programme for contemporary artists and product designers who want to build a strong, distinctive and sustainable professional practice. Many makers feel that the quality and potential of their work are not yet fully reflected in the way their practice is presented, understood and valued today. Not because the work itself falls short, but because a strong practice requires more than creating outstanding work.
A professional practice develops when the work, its positioning, presentation, communication and future direction evolve in relation to one another. This requires conscious choices, clear direction and a strong foundation. De Praktijk Studio helps you develop that coherence. Not by changing your work, but by strengthening the professional practice that surrounds it.
Four pillars for a sustainable professional practice
A strong practice does not emerge by chance. It develops through the interaction of four fundamental pillars that together form the foundation for long-term artistic, professional and economic development.
Positioning
What does your work stand for?
Positioning is about the place your work occupies within the wider cultural and professional landscape. Together we explore what distinguishes your work, what it represents and why it matters. A clear position creates recognition, confidence and direction.
Value & Communication
How does the value of your work become visible?
Outstanding work deserves to be understood. That is why we develop the way your work is presented, communicated and appreciated. Not through marketing techniques or sales tactics, but by making the artistic, cultural and economic value of your work clear and credible. This creates a stronger foundation for recognition, meaningful connections, collaborations and sales.
Practice Development
How does your practice function as a whole?
A professional practice consists of far more than individual works. It grows through the relationship between your portfolio, presentation, communication and the choices you make as a maker. Together we create greater structure, focus and coherence, allowing your practice to develop with greater clarity and purpose.
Career Development
Where do you want your practice to go?
A sustainable career is not built by pursuing isolated opportunities. It develops through consciously shaping the future direction of your practice. Together we explore opportunities, establish priorities and make decisions that contribute to long-term recognition, relevance and economic value.
How we work
De Praktijk Studio follows a clear methodology, while the guidance is always tailored to your practice, ambitions and development questions. Every professional practice is different and deserves a personal approach. For that reason, De Praktijk Studio is an individual development programme. Each maker follows a personal trajectory, with intensive one-to-one guidance throughout the process. To ensure the quality of that guidance, we work with only a limited number of makers each year. Throughout the programme we combine:
- individual development sessions
- reflection and collaborative analysis
- feedback on your portfolio
- positioning and presentation
- conversations about choices, direction and professional development.
Sometimes this means refining. Sometimes simplifying. Sometimes restructuring or letting go. Always with the goal of creating greater clarity, coherence and direction.
From vision to practice
The four pillars form the foundation of De Praktijk Studio. Throughout the programme, we translate these principles into your own professional practice, step by step. This process unfolds in two consecutive phases.
Phase 1 – Developing your Makers Merkgids
The first phase takes approximately eight weeks and establishes the strategic foundation of your practice. Together, we develop your personal Makers Merkgids—the strategic guide for the development of your professional practice. It brings together the identity, positioning, future direction and value development of your practice. The Makers Merkgids is built around seven interconnected building blocks that provide direction for the continued development of your practice:
- Practice Diagnosis & Understanding
- Brand Essence & Practice Identity
- Positioning within the Professional Field
- Audience & Context
- Portfolio & Curation
- Storytelling & Presentation
- Value Development & Pricing Strategy
During the development of the Makers Merkgids, we translate the key insights directly into a personalised Communication Plan & Content Strategy. This provides a practical framework for the presentation, communication and visibility of your practice, firmly rooted in the identity, positioning and development of your work. The Makers Merkgids is both a strategic and practical document that supports future decisions, communication and professional development.
Equally valuable is the development process itself. Through conversations, reflection and collaborative analysis, new insights often emerge about your work, your practice and the direction in which you want to develop as an artist or designer.
The decision point
Once the Makers Merkgids has been completed, you will have a solid strategic foundation from which you can continue developing your practice independently. Some makers choose to implement the Makers Merkgids themselves. Others decide to continue working with Dutch Luxury Design in the next phase. Both paths are entirely valid. Together, we determine which next step best fits your practice, ambitions and preferred way of working.
Phase 2 – Implementation & Further practice development
If you would like continued guidance, we continue our collaboration in the second phase. During this stage we support both the implementation of your Communication Plan & Content Strategy and the ongoing development of your professional practice. Depending on your ambitions and circumstances, this may include:
- implementing your Communication Plan & Content Strategy
- further strengthening your positioning
- presentation and visibility
- guidance for exhibitions, collaborations and professional opportunities
- periodic evaluation and strategic refinement.
In this way, not only does the visibility of your work continue to grow, but the professional practice surrounding it develops alongside it.
What you will gain
By the end of the programme, you will have a practice that is better organised, more clearly positioned and better prepared for sustainable development. You will have developed:
- a clear and distinctive positioning
- coherence between your work, portfolio and presentation
- structure, focus and direction within your practice
- clarity about the meaning and value of your work
- consistent presentation and communication
- stronger connections with collectors, commissioners, galleries and other relevant professional contexts
- a solid foundation for long-term recognition, professional development and economic value.
The result is a professional practice that not only reflects the quality of your work, but actively supports and strengthens it.
Who it is for
De Praktijk Studio is intended for contemporary artists and product designers who:
- want to develop their professional practice consciously and strategically
- feel that their work has greater potential than is currently being recognised
- are looking for greater focus, coherence and direction
- want to strengthen their visibility within relevant professional contexts
- are prepared to look critically at their own practice
- want to build a sustainable professional career.
Selection & participation
De Praktijk Studio is a personal development programme. Every participant follows an individual trajectory, fully tailored to their own practice, ambitions and development questions. To ensure the quality of this personal guidance, we work with only a limited number of makers each year. This allows sufficient time for intensive one-to-one guidance, reflection and in-depth development throughout the programme.
Participation begins with an introductory conversation. Together we discuss your practice, your ambitions, the potential of your positioning and whether De Praktijk Studio is the right next step in the development of your professional practice.