Hi! I’m Ramona van Bakkum, the BIG BOSS of De Kunstmug. 😅
Okay okay… I’m not that big of a boss — but I do feel like one 💪🏻 because I created my very own dream job.

Ever since I was little, I loved drawing, crafting, and spending hours tinkering in my room. I never dared to go to the local youth center, even though I probably would’ve loved it — I was way too scared they’d be strict, or that I’d “do it wrong”…

I worked in childcare for nearly 20 years, and when our three kids got a bit older and I had more free time, I picked up my pencils again. Soon, illustration jobs started rolling in — including several children’s books! One example: “Mijn beschermende brein” (My Bodyguard Brain), which I created with Kitty Rumping. Our brand-new book “Emotieheld” will be published on June 6th, 2025 — check it out at www.emotieheld.nl. And there’s also my very own picture book www.doortrekkenmaar.nl, for toddlers who are nervous about using the toilet!

One day, my 10-year-old neighbor asked, “Can you teach me how to draw?”
So we started — just her and a few friends around my kitchen table on Wednesday afternoons. I thought it would be nice, but honestly… it was AMAZING. Everything I had ever learned and loved — graphic design, activity guidance, working with children, illustrating, creating — it all came together!

For the first few years, I combined this with my job at a daycare. Eventually, I dropped to one day a week and started teaching after-school drawing lessons at local schools, including De Hoeksteen in Velserbroek and the Optimist International School in Hoofddorp.

In 2020, I got the chance to rent a fantastic space in the old Nova College on the Planetenlaan. I could walk there, and soon over 100 children were walking in each week too!
Because that location was temporary, I kept looking — and in January 2023, I found my own permanent creative hideout at Generaal Spoorlaan 136, next to the Marsmanplein.

Now, I teach drawing classes every weekday and host creative workshops, birthday parties, and “messy toddler mornings” on weekends.

The vibe at De Kunstmug is simple: nothing is required, but anything is possible.
What’s your idea? Try it out — sounds fun!
Experiencing is more important than perfection. Everyone’s welcome. I love seeing how at ease the children feel here, and I do my best to be the kindest, most patient teacher I can be.

De Kunstmug is now the place I wish had existed when I was little. 😊