Hi there
Welcome on this site!
My name is Thijs Bod, founder of Studio Thijs Bod. I am an all-round engineer, specialized in designing and implementing solutions to technical issues.
Feel free to take a look around.
About me
Thijs Bod
As an engineer, I like to design and create solutions to technical issues. My preference is to work on projects that contribute to a better world. Products that improve people’s lives, but also take the next generation and the environment into account. Products should do more than just fulfilling a function. Instead, I think a product should improve your life in every way, including emotional satisfaction, for instance through the implementation of design.
Besides being an engineer, I also have a passion for nature. This passion is partly expressed in the form of bushcraft. The craft of living in nature in a primitive way with few tools.
In addition I share an interest in community living, especially focused on sustainable living and I have a strong interest in personal development, psychology and physics. Gaining a better understanding of myself, of humanity and the working principles of the universe.
Thijs Bod
As an engineer, I like to design and create solutions to technical issues. My preference is to work on projects that contribute to a better world. Products that improve people’s lives, but also take the next generation and the environment into account. Products should do more than just fulfilling a function. Instead, I think a product should improve your life in every way, including emotional satisfaction, for instance through the implementation of design.
Besides being an engineer, I also have a passion for nature. This passion is partly expressed in the form of bushcraft. The craft of living in nature in a primitive way with few tools.
In addition I share an interest in community living, especially focused on sustainable living and I have a strong interest in personal development, psychology and physics. Gaining a better understanding of myself, of humanity and the working principles of the universe.
About the company
The start
Starting this business was not accidental, but the result of a deliberate decision.
After I graduated in Industrial Design Engineering (spring 2020), I started working at a design agency.
Soon I found out that the work I was doing then and the environment I was working in, both inside and outside the company, did not really reflect who I wanted to be.
The contacts within the company and with clients were often businesslike, cold and chilly. The high workload was taken the fun out of what I enjoyed so much until recently. The products we developed were often mainly functional with a modern design that expressed not much emotion. In my opinion, these products also don’t add much to the world. All in all, I experienced little sense of purpose and satisfaction.
So I decided to start a business. A place where my and others’ talents and passions can flourish. A place where we can work towards more purpose and satisfaction in life.
The start
Starting this business was not accidental, but the result of a deliberate decision.
After I graduated in Industrial Design Engineering (spring 2020), I started working at a design agency.
Soon I found out that the work I was doing then and the environment I was working in, both inside and outside the company, did not really reflect who I wanted to be.
The contacts within the company and with clients were often businesslike, cold and chilly. The high workload was taken the fun out of what I enjoyed so much until recently. The products we developed were often mainly functional with a modern design that expressed not much emotion. In my opinion, these products also don’t add much to the world. All in all, I experienced little sense of purpose and satisfaction.
So I decided to start a business. A place where my and others’ talents and passions can flourish. A place where we can work towards more purpose and satisfaction in life.
Working towards more more purpose and satisfaction
After two years
Almost 2 years later (spring of 2022), I can say that this company has brought me a lot. I’ve found out better who I am. I have more insight into my talents and passions. I have a better idea of my functioning and how I can apply that knowledge to get the best out of myself.
Although I have been able to positively influence many aspects, I also notice that there is a part that I have less influence on. Because although I can make optimal use of my talents more than ever before, this company remains inextricably linked to society. A society that is often characterized by a high workload and performance. A strongly individualistically oriented society, where cooperation and connection often lose out.
The coming period will therefore be partly dominated by the quest to realize more cooperation and connection. But also by slowing down, being less focused on work pressure and performance.
After two years
Almost 2 years later (spring of 2022), I can say that this company has brought me a lot. I’ve found out better who I am. I have more insight into my talents and passions. I have a better idea of my functioning and how I can apply that knowledge to get the best out of myself.
Although I have been able to positively influence many aspects, I also notice that there is a part that I have less influence on. Because although I can make optimal use of my talents more than ever before, this company remains inextricably linked to society. A society that is often characterized by a high workload and performance. A strongly individualistically oriented society, where cooperation and connection often lose out.
The coming period will therefore be partly dominated by the quest to realize more cooperation and connection. But also by slowing down, being less focused on work pressure and performance.
A new system
Autum 2022
Three years after the establishment of this company, I am starting to realize that it is difficult to run a company based on values of collaboration, connection and slowing down, in a system that is in many aspects based on the opposite.
At that point you can do two things. Trying to change the system to make it fit your values or setting up your own system (parallel to the existing one) based on your values.
In terms of energy and feasibility, the second option is by far the best way to go. Therefore, our company will focus on becoming less dependent on the system to the point where we need it minimally.
In practice, this means building a life with others based on minimal fixed external costs. A self-sufficient community in nature fits well in that philosophy.
Autum 2022
Three years after the establishment of this company, I am starting to realize that it is difficult to run a company based on values of collaboration, connection and slowing down, in a system that is in many aspects based on the opposite.
At that point you can do two things. Trying to change the system to make it fit your values or setting up your own system (parallel to the existing one) based on your values.
In terms of energy and feasibility, the second option is by far the best way to go. Therefore, our company will focus on becoming less dependent on the system to the point where we need it minimally.
In practice, this means building a life with others based on minimal fixed external costs. A self-sufficient community in nature fits well in that philosophy.
Do you want to support us?
The first steps
As a startup, the first steps are often the hardest.
We have a goal in mind, but not yet all the means to achieve it.
Becoming familiar with all the ins and outs of running a business, high investment costs, little initial income and competing with established companies. In other words, a lot of time and money that does not immediately pay for itself.
If you want to support us because you believe in our mission, there are several ways you can do this.
The first steps
As a startup, the first steps are often the hardest.
We have a goal in mind, but not yet all the means to achieve it.
Becoming familiar with all the ins and outs of running a business, high investment costs, little initial income and competing with established companies. In other words, a lot of time and money that does not immediately pay for itself.
If you want to support us because you believe in our product and mission, there are several ways you can do this.
