My name is Ana María, I’m from Spain, and I come from a background in Fine Arts and Design. I’m currently developing NEVA, a multidisciplinary visual studio offering services such as photography, design, video and visual branding. I discovered the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs program through my university and decided to apply because I wanted to see how creative businesses operate in real environments outside Spain. More than just gaining professional skills, I hoped to understand different work cultures, strengthen my business foundations, and gain perspective before officially launching my project. My Host is an entrepreneur in the Netherlands, and I chose this match with the expectation of combining practical collaboration with entrepreneurial learning.
During my stay, I supported my Host by creating visual content such as posters, flyers, photos and short videos for online communication. I also assisted in brainstorming ideas for marketing and improving the visual consistency of his platforms. The collaboration was fluid and informal, allowing me to apply my creative skills freely while observing how day-to-day decisions are made in a small business setting. In parallel, I dedicated structured time to my own project: building a professional portfolio, outlining an action plan, and analysing which steps are essential to officially start operating as NEVA.
This experience has helped me clarify what my business needs—not just in theory, but in practical terms. I gained confidence in working directly with entrepreneurs, improved my ability to adapt my creativity to real business needs, and strengthened my communication and client-oriented mindset. Living and working abroad also gave me exposure to different working styles, inspiring new ideas for how I want my future studio to operate. Even if our collaboration may not continue formally, the experience opened doors to potential future partnerships and freelance work within the Host’s network.
No map is perfect. Sometimes you just have to walk and trust the direction will reveal itself