Jeroen Smeets has progressed from a college drop-out to working in Marketing and PR to becoming editor-in-chief and eventually running his own art agency called ‘YOUR:OWN’. YOUR:OWN is an art agency that does things a little bit different but makes it sound simple as it goes: “we connect the right artist with the right client”. Always trying to challenge artists and to offer new platforms to them, the agency hosts exhibitions and publishes the EIGHT magazine. YOUR:OWN’s most recent project is The Jaunt, a creative catalyst in which “the two best things in life” are combined: art and travel.

The Jaunt sends contemporary artists all over the world for inspiration and new impressions, creating possibilities for artists to step out of their comfort zones. During their travels, the artists document their local experiences on The Jaunt’s blog. Inspired by their trip to a previously unknown destination, the artists then create artworks which are printed by hand in limited editions. The screen prints are sold unseen, before the artists take off to their destinations, making the trips possible. Following artists’ creative processes and providing them a step to the unknown is made easy and fascinating with The Jaunt.

Portrait © Janneke Aronson