My Story
For many years I worked as creative director for many festivals and in the Dutch nightlife, this is where my original company name De Nachtvlinders (The Nocturnal Butterflies) came from. Next to that one, I also founded Fountain of Ideas when I was letting go of my first company name as the nightlife hadn't been part of my work for years, this is around the same time when I stumbled upon a beautiful butterfly in Paris.
Somewhere hidden in the 7th arrondissement on the top floor of an antique curiosity shop, I instantly had a vision. A vision of a butterfly coming out of a Pilot fineliner pen.
When I got home, I knew I had to bring this vision to life because it was an ode to the concepts I had written for De Nachtvlinders, the perfect way to honour where it had brought me but also to symbolise my new phase of letting it go and making a fresh start.
It was the first time I made something non-commissioned. And this is how the first seed for Custom Ode was planted. Then it grew and grew, now little over a three years later, here we are, twenty two odes made and more to come. Super excited to see whats next!
Brand Movie Joanna Toetenel || Custom Ode
The place where I found the butterfly, that became the beginning of Custom Ode. A hidden little gem called Deyrolle on the top floor of a magical shop in the 7th district of Paris.
All items are made by hand and I assemble them in my studio in Amsterdam. The tailored odes are a combination of found treasures and handcrafted tokens by either myself or local and experienced artisans. All this to perfectly translate your stories or memories into timeless contemporary art pieces.
