Jean Van't Hul - Freelance Writer

I am a freelance writer with a passion for the arts, my family,

and the natural world.

My personal and writing interests include:

Parenting – I write parenting articles using personal experience, research, and by interviewing child development experts.

Children’s Art – I run a weekly art group for toddlers out of my home studio. Every Wednesday since Maia turned one, we have welcomed a group of other toddlers and their moms into our home for a mix of playtime and making art. We do a different activity each week including painting, drawing, printmaking, and collage. See my article in Mothering magazine for more information about the toddler art group. I also have an upcoming article in Parenting on introducing art to one year olds. And I write The Artful Parent, a blog about art and parenting.

Art – I studied art history and studio art at Wellesley College and my first couple of jobs out of college were art related. First I worked at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts as a preparator, matting and framing works of art for exhibition and hanging new exhibits. Then I worked at Antiques & Fine Art, a Boston-based magazine, coordinating ad sales for art and antique dealers and editing both articles and ads.

The Great Outdoors – I love nature and the natural world. I grew up hiking and backpacking in the wilderness of Eastern Oregon, hiked New England’s mountains in all seasons with the Appalachian Mountain Club, and now enjoy hiking with my husband and daughter as we learn the trails in the mountains of Western North Carolina. I used to hike for miles, striding down the trail, but now we meander, walk in circles, pick up sticks… It’s taking some getting used to.

Gardening with Kids – My daughter and I have begun to garden together in our sunny backyard, growing tomatoes, herbs, greens, carrots, squash, peas, and beans. I wrote an article about gardening with kids for the Spring ’08 issue of Primal Parenting Magazine.

Green Living and Environmental Issues – I would like to protect this wonderful earth that we live on and so attempt to live and promote a sustainable lifestyle. For my Junior year in college I chose an environmental study abroad program in Madagascar learning about the many different ecosystems on the African island and the challenges they faced.

Fundraising and Nonprofits – In my previous life, I worked in fundraising for WGBH Public Broadcasting and later for the NC state office of the National Audubon Society. As a development professional I planned special events to cultivate donors and wrote and edited newsletters, appeals, and other fundraising materials. I wrote an article for the Grassroots Fundraising Journal about planning events to cultivate donors.