Artists – 50|50 Art

For our September socks, we travelled to 50|50 Art in Hilversum. An art studio surrounded by greenery, where making art matters, but where it is just as much about connecting with others, finding structure, having fun and having a place where you can simply walk through the door.

The studio is part of the Salvation Army’s 50|50 initiative and is located on the Trompendaal grounds in Hilversum. Mariëlle works there as a supervisor and was there at the very beginning. After previously working at the 50|50 Store in Utrecht, the idea arose to create a dedicated art studio. They started small, but it soon became clear just how much a place like this was needed.

A day at 50|50 Art follows a familiar rhythm. Everyone starts by having coffee together, before getting to work. They have lunch together and then continue creating. Some paint, others draw, sew, craft or work on a project of their own. There are also workshops and activities, ranging from creative sessions to cooking together, exercise and whatever else suits the group at that particular moment.

But perhaps the atmosphere is what matters most.

When you walk through the door, you are seen. People work, talk, laugh and eat together. Everyone has their own story and their own reason for coming to the studio, but around the big table, it all comes together. In the magazine, René is even described as someone who immediately puts down whatever he is working on when someone new walks in, just to make them feel welcome. That says a lot about this place: people come first, everything else comes second.

Mariëlle describes how the studio started small and quickly filled up. For many of the participants, it has become a familiar and trusted place. A place where something is allowed to take shape without everything having to be perfect. And that very idea became the starting point for the design of our socks.

What is 50|50 Art?

Before a single line was put to paper, the group sat down together to brainstorm that question.

More and more words appeared on the page.

Warmth. Togetherness. Comfort. Family. Freedom. Humour. Positivity. A safe place. Being yourself. Being heard. Belonging. Love. Openness. Inspiration. Collaboration. Helping others.

But among all those words, one kept coming back: comfort.

Comfort can be something small. Someone listening to you. Having somewhere you can go. Sitting around a table together. Making something. Sharing a laugh. Or simply knowing that someone is there, even when they cannot solve everything for you. That word became the starting point for the artwork they created together.

Everyone has their own bird

At the centre of the painting is a large red heart, surrounded by different birds. And those birds were not chosen at random.

Almost every artist painted their own bird. That is why no two birds are the same. One is small and quiet, another colourful or bold. Just like the people who made them, they all have their own character, yet they still belong to the same painting.

It perfectly reflects something that kept coming up during the brainstorm: you don’t have to be the same to belong.

The participants who worked on the project are René, Sanne, Sanne, Floortje, Gladys, Romy, Eefje, Liam, Tyrone, Rachel, Monique, Wilco, Mariëlle, Regilio and Dave. Each person contributed to the process in their own way.

Alongside the birds, the two large hands also play an important role. They hold and protect the heart. To the group, those hands represent togetherness.

Helping one another. Building something together. Knowing that you do not have to do everything entirely on your own.

At the same time, everyone remains their own person. You have your own life, your own thoughts, your own talents and, ultimately, your own path. Perhaps that is the most beautiful thought behind the entire design:

you do it yourself, but you don’t have to do it alone.

From one big artwork to one small sock

That large painting then became the basis for our September socks.

And that makes them even more special to us. Usually, when you see an artist collection, there is one name attached to a design. This time, that would not really be possible. These socks belong to a group.

It all started with a table full of people, large sheets of paper and words that mattered to them. Then came the sketches, colours, birds, hands and, eventually, that big red heart.

Mariëlle is proud of what they created. Not only because the final result is beautiful, but above all because the painting reflects exactly how 50|50 Art works: everyone brings something of their own, and together they create something that no one could have made alone.

Comfort. Sometimes it can be found in something big. But sometimes it is simply found in someone paying attention, a place where you feel at home, a pair of warm socks or the feeling that someone cares about you.

And perhaps that is ultimately the story these socks tell best: everyone has their own bird, but together they form one whole.