About me

Deshna van Aarssen

Working with pixels for over 30 years. First for big companies. Now for you.

In the early nineties, before Photoshop existed and when most people had no idea what a pixel was, I was already working with digital image editing. Not as a hobby, as a profession. I was part of a world that was changing, and I was right in the middle of it.

Then came years in photographic and print production. I worked for big clients, with high standards and people who had a lot riding on the result. I learned what quality means under pressure, what communication does when the stakes are high, and how to bring technique and creativity together so the result genuinely works.

But something was missing.

Big clients. Good projects. But I was missing spirit.

The corporate world runs on processes, deadlines and economics. That experience gave me a lot. But the spirit you see in independent entrepreneurs, the people who go all in for something, who want to mean something to their clients and to the world, that was often missing.

And I know that feeling from the inside, because I have been self-employed myself for nearly 25 years. I know what it is to carry everything on your own, to make choices while nothing is certain, to build something that is truly yours.

When I chose to work for myself again after a spell at larger companies in Sweden, and specifically for independent entrepreneurs, it felt right straight away. This is where I can make a difference.

This is what I want to do. Following your passion and your dreams is always worth it. I still believe that. It is what gives you spirit.

Does this sound familiar, and would you like to know what working together looks like?

See how we work together
Deshna van Aarssen

Everything is changing again, this time because of AI.

At the start of my career I stood in the middle of a digital revolution that would change the world of imagery for good. Now, more than thirty years later, another one is knocking at the door. And once again, I am right in the middle of it.

I don't believe AI is going to replace human intelligence. What I do believe is that the collaboration between people and technology will only become more important. AI can do certain tasks exceptionally well, sometimes better than we can. But that is exactly why people become more valuable for what AI cannot do: wisdom, intuition, feeling, the ability to handle what is unpredictable, what is complicated, what genuinely takes a human being.

AI is not a threat. It is an opportunity.
I find it genuinely exciting. And I want to stay actively in the middle of it, not watch from the sidelines. On my own terms, though. Because in the end it is not about which tool you use, it is about the process underneath. If you understand that process and you are in charge of it, it doesn't matter whether you use one thing today and something else tomorrow. The process is yours, the tool is interchangeable.

That is the freedom I believe in.

The Merkcollectief team

What others say about what I do

After all these years I find myself in a fairly unique spot. Not because I say so, but because other people notice it.

Merijntje Betzema

Merijntje aan de Rijn

“Deshna doesn't just love beautiful things, she also understands commercially what a website has to do: which buttons go where and why, and when to use which call to action.”

Idelma Del Mar

Del Mar Agency

“She is quick, she really thinks along with you, and she has a huge feel for design and detail.”

Milo & Mees

Day One

“The website leaves plenty of room to build on later, and Deshna thinks that through really well”

Marketing, design and technology: three worlds I bring together, from more than 30 years of experience with digital imagery and more than 5 years focused entirely on websites for entrepreneurs like you.

Why I love doing this

What I never get enough of is the moment someone sees their new website for the first time and says: “Yesss! This is me.”

Not just because it looks good and works nicely, but because it is right. The story is right, the atmosphere is right, the feeling is right.

I love working with entrepreneurs who truly believe in something. Who have something valuable to tell or to give to their clients, to the world. My role is to make that visible, in a way that lasts and that you can carry yourself.

A little more personal

5 things you might not know yet

I was born in Australia, grew up in Limburg, then lived in Amsterdam for 20 years, and I have been in Sweden for 10 years now.

Of everything I miss about the Netherlands, cycling everywhere comes first. The organic supermarket comes second.

My favourite colour is green. It always feels like home. Which is lucky, because I live in the middle of a forest.

I love road trips, and even a drive to the next village often feels like an adventure.

I absolutely cannot tell left from right. Which makes those road trips all the more interesting.

Deshna van Aarssen

Enough about me. I would love to hear your story.

What brings you here? What are your dreams? Where do you want to take your business, or your website? And how can I help you take the next step?

Book a free introduction