In breaking a little with the format of our site, I (Tim) am writing a blog about my experience in Eindhoven, interning at a stop motion studio in Eindhoven, Netherlands!
As I’m sure many of you know, the creative small business/freelance experience is a tough one. “Hustle culture” is baked in. You need to be networking, posting, commenting, sharing, blogging, and, tragically… active on LinkedIn…
Even when we’re crazy busy, Jess and I are always on the lookout for new people to work with. Many of our overseas clients are concentrated in the UK and Europe, because of our personal connections there and the convenient time zone overlap, and our search for new work (freelance or permanent) is often focused there. Aside from the timezone benefits, many cities in the EU are hubs for the design, animation and sustainability. All work we want to do, so we’ll often fire off an application for a contract or job posting that feels like a moonshot but is often just too interesting to resist.
One such opportunity arrived. Niels Hoebers, an artist and stop motion animator, offered a three month internship to assist on stop motion animation in Eindhoven. So, while many jokes were cracked at the idea of a 36 year old unpaid intern with a 9000 km commute, it was an experience too cool to resist. Knowing my situation, Niels gave me the chance to network and explore while in the area, a concession I managed to take some advantage of (my six hour round trip for an interview in Belgium is its own story).
As opportunities go, Niels’s studio specialising in stop motion was an exciting one. What creative professional doesn’t have hobbies that are basically work too? My hobbies all involve 3D printing, power tools and building things with my hands, but I seldom have the chance to integrate that kind of work into my digital animation “day job”. Why not do my hobbies as a job for a while?
Niels has several ongoing art projects (both static and in-motion) to complement his commercial work. While I was there I got to get hands-on with his Adaptations project, as well as the intern task of making crates for his FRAGILE, Handle with care [1] [2] series, a chance for me and Niels’ other intern to play with some power tools. I also worked on set construction for some commercial work, an insightful glimpse into the differences between digital production and stop motion.
It became very clear very quickly that in this workshop and studio space, Niels has an eye for perfection. Every fraction of a millimetre counted on the bandsaw, every bit of sanding on a multi-part 3D print left a fit that was too snug or too loose, and if you can feel an imperfection on a prop with your fingers, the camera was going to enhance it tenfold.
So workshop and studio life was a great experience. Moving between Blender for 3D modelling, the resin printer and the assorted tools and then back to After Effects was a fascinating workflow that had me on my feet working with my hands more often than not. And there was always something to be assembled, painted, airbrushed, cut to size, repaired, sealed, printed or modelled.
And if there wasn’t something that needed doing right now, the workshop could always do with a tidy and a vacuum.
A stop motion animation created at keukenconfessies in Strijp-S. The animation workshop had attendees recreate Dutch artworks with plants provided by the venue. This was an attempt create The Laughing Cavalier by Frans Hals by Tim and his teammate Valentina.
I also had the opportunity to explore Dutch Design Week. Niels Studio is situated in Sectie-C, east of the city center, and one of the satellite locations of the event that spreads across all of Eindhoven. So when I wasn’t doing my best to explain stop motion to the local Dutch population, I had the opportunity to visit other sites, including Peet Hein Eek, Strijp S and Eindhoven Centraal. Even outside the event it is clear that design is held in high regard in The Netherlands, and Design Week was a real celebration of that.
Even beyond our direct neighbours and former interns, I encountered Design Academy Eindhoven graduates and creatives that worked on everything from metal work, climbing holds, art installations, food, events and hosting. Beyond the label of designer or artist, the technical universities in the city and individual residents, it was clear: Eindhoven as a city and the Netherlands overall seem to value design and art in a way I had not experienced before.
To close out my internship I had a great time assisting on the creation of Niels’s 2024 Christmas card for social media. Niels had a vision, and the rollout had the studio experimenting with scratch building with styrene, custom designing and printing parts, painting and watching Niels working his magic with various LED’s across the set (electronics continue to elude me). It felt like a great way to cap off a trip, combining all the various methods I’d picked up during my time there.
As such it was bittersweet to come home. Working on such tactile projects is such a satisfying process. It felt nice to hold an item in your hand, and then put it down in a set and watch it come to life in Dragonframe. Even editing and compositing footage of toy cars and 3D prints feels more fun. And in this age of GenAI slop proliferating every corner of the internet, playing with toys and 3D printers feels so much more human than the contrived add-ons tech companies insist on cramming into our tools, seemingly insistent on taking the humanity out of creativity.
Jess and I often talk about “holiday brain”, a phenomenon in which it’s so easy to feel creatively inspired when you’re away from your usual environment and responsibilities, but then how quickly that enthusiasm can evaporate, if you’re not careful, when you return to your routine. I hope I can hold onto the enjoyment of spending real time and focus on getting things just right, as I had to in stop motion, and inject that feeling into my 2025 projects. After this trip I kinda wish everyone had the opportunity to commute to work on Dutch bike lanes, play with some power tools and toys, and make a little movie. A lot of me is thinking it’s where I want to be going forward. Anyone want a little movie made?
Just the most huge thanks to Niels and his neighbours in Sectie-C for making me feel at home, I had the most amazing time.
