When I tell people about my studies, they most frequently respond with, “Oh, if only there had been a Double Degree in my time!” or “If I had known, I would have for sure done it as well!” I have always been able to count on a bit of luck in life, and I was lucky that the RASL Double Degree Programme launched precisely when I started my studies. I am currently in my third year of the programme where I combine a major in Illustration at the Willem de Kooning Academy with a major in Arts, Culture and Society at Erasmus University College.
As a Double Degree student, I feel completely satisfied; after a day of burying my head in books, to come home to an evening of drawing feels like a relief. Likewise, after a day of creating and producing at the art academy, to dive into literature feels like a breath of fresh air. As a humanities student, I acquire the theoretical foundation upon which I can soundly base my artistic choices. As an illustrator, I gain the practical experience necessary for a full understanding of visual storytelling. Ultimately, I aspire to become the creative director of a contemporary art museum.
Since “if only I had known about RASL” just won’t do (and to share a bit of my luck), as the RASL Student Assistant, I want to spread the word of the Double Degree Programme with as many people as possible. In interviewing a few of my fellow RASL students below, I hope to show the versatility of the programme and how remarkable the programme and its students are.
Meet Eveline
Eveline van der Duim combines Graphic Design at the Willem de Kooning Academy with Arts and Culture Studies at Erasmus University Rotterdam. She will be the first to graduate in 2021 with this unique combination. “Arts and Culture Studies provides the theory to research a problem. With graphic design, I look at how to tackle this problem and how to communicate it to a broader audience,” says Eveline.
Rather than being just creative Eveline or academic Eveline, she calls herself an academic designer. “There is so much that I find interesting, and sometimes this makes it super difficult to come to a final product. It creates chaos in my head, but at the same time it’s also really nice because of the chaos—there are so many topics to fall back on.” Although Eveline still has more than three years of studying ahead of her, she doesn’t hesitate when looking into the future. “I want to start my own studio and come to solutions collaboratively with people who have their own unique qualities. And I want to work on projects for commercial companies, especially on projects that include socially relevant themes.” Until then, she will bustle from academy to university with her trademark blue faux fur coat, and perhaps in the near future, in another country on exchange where she hopes to learn more about the different approaches to graphic design.
Meet Meliange
When I meet Meliange Comenencia on an early summer Monday afternoon, the clouds have parted for yet another heat wave to strike Rotterdam, so we decide to sit on the rooftop terrace of the Willem de Kooning Academy. Decked with bright-coloured furniture and sunshine, it feels like a stress-free zone in the last school week of the art academy hustle. I ask Meliange to look back on her first year as a RASL Double Degree student and she gives me a cheeky smile, knowing that she still has class until Friday before she is really finished. “I jumped in the deep end when I applied for this programme!” As she reflects on her experiences though, it is clear that she has grown tremendously from when she first dove into Arts & Culture Studies and Fashion Design.
She jestingly says she looks like a twelve-year-old in a playground, as I photograph Meliange sitting on a bright blue skippy ball chair. But when discussing her struggles as a RASL student, she demonstrates wisdom beyond her years. “I received feedback not to strive for perfection. Although it is something I want, I don’t need it, because I’m here to learn. It doesn’t have to be perfect in one go.” This is also her advice to the new RASL cohort, “Don’t strive for perfection and learn from your mistakes. Dare to make mistakes in the first place! And ask for help from those around you.” At the Fabric Station, I see a different Meliange take over. She is clearly in her element. Wearing a vintage denim jacket with colourful bands across the sleeves and pockets, she tells me denim is her trademark—a love she shares with her mother. Calm and collected with a focused gaze, she constructs an ensemble within minutes using loose pieces of fabric.
She looks forward to her second year. After a year of combining two majors, two schools and two timetables, she can plan better and work more efficiently towards deadlines. She adds, “I expect to take more responsibility for myself and others. I want to show them: this is how I did it and how you can do it too!” I cannot imagine a worthier RASL mentor to guide the overwhelmed first years into a smooth landing as they start their studies.
Meet Lucas
One thing you can count on if you ever run into Lucas Vermeer: he will unfailingly dress to impress. With coolness and composure, he seems ready to take on his third year at Codarts and Erasmus University College, where he studies Pop Music and Liberal Arts and Sciences. When Lucas was offered the chance to apply for the Double Degree Programme, he decided it was now or never. The Double Degree satisfies all his interests–from piano to psychology. Throughout his studies, his future ambitions have changed. He tells me he wants to become a music writer for others, working behind the scenes and perhaps on stage. Next to his Double Degree, he conducts a choir and plays in cover bands and stand-in gigs and writes his own music.
The University College will form the foundation of his knowledge as he heads into the music business. His psychology major has made him aware of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and he is eager to learn how to apply his psychological knowledge in the future to help musicians perform better and to target his songs specifically to his audience. “Oh, and I forgot to mention, I would also like to become the head of a music school or a concept creator for bands.”
Creative, collected and charismatic, Lucas is also aware of the bigger picture, “Education and creativity stand opposite from each other in some instances, but your goal should be to combine them. The teachers are there to open doors you didn’t know existed, and it’s up to you how you use this to your advantage.”
