My name is Levi van Dam, and I am 20 years old. In my daily life, I am still at school, studying interior design at the HMC in Amsterdam. And what mainly keeps me busy are listening/playing music and being creative. These are the things I enjoy doing most.
As a young child, I was always drawing and doing crafts, mainly because my parents always encouraged me and my sisters to be creative. I am very happy about this because it has definitely contributed to where I am today.
What I love about the creative world is that you can make anything and nothing is wrong. You can express your own feelings in it. And especially when things are not going so well for a while, this is a wonderful expression.
I come from a village called De Zilk, most people won't even know this and that is very logical because it is very small. But that's the great thing about it because it's very quiet here, and we're next to the dunes and close to the beach. That's why I love going into nature, where you can think and relax without being disturbed.
As a child I could always be found outside, we were certainly lucky to have that opportunity. That's why I never see myself living in a city or busy area later on. I think once you grow up here, you really like that peace and quiet.
It's not only nice to be in nature, it's also super inspiring. If you watch how things move and how animals live, you come across the most beautiful and special things.
Once I went on holiday with my family in Austria. We were in the middle of nature and mountains here. This was really my best holiday ever. And if I ever had to live in another country, I would definitely go somewhere that you are close to nature and mountains.
My story
I used to struggle a lot with myself and who I was. This made for difficult years and not only for me but for everyone around me. Many people saw that something was wrong, but no one knew what, even I didn't know. Finally, after years of struggling with myself, I found out I was transgender. I knew for sure, I was not a girl but a boy. And it took a lot of time and effort to be where I am today. And so I am very proud of myself but also of those around me, they have always supported me in everything.
