Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I am a 32 years old artist. Since I was little I was interested in music, and together with a friend we started a hip-hop band that was touring around in the Netherlands. We split when we were in our twenties. After that, I did lots of jobs but I really missed the ‘stage experience’.
Thus, I started to think how could I get back on stage again. I missed being able to express myself in a creative way. So I went back to theatre school in Nijmegen were I was born, and afterwards to the Toneelacademie Maastricht for a total of 7 years of theatre and performance studies. Finally I went back on stage.
I am inspired by visual arts and all patterns in nature. My creative process starts from a necessity, when I feel a real need to research something that catches my eye. Only after getting my hands dirty and researching my material, I start thinking like an entrepreneur, not vice versa.
What would you consider your distinctive achievement?
To be alive.
What kind of qualities were needed in order to achieve this?
I needed to be creative to get out of a situation I was obviously stuck in. Find a new path. When I look back at it, I had to react fast when possibilities crossed my path. I had to become proactive instead of just getting stuck in old habits and I somehow became an entrepreneur.
Like them, I try to take responsibility for something I believe is worth doing. The creative process for me is similar; it’s feeling the necessity to create and build something, without necessarily knowing yet the results.
What are you looking forward to?
I am looking forward to being financially independent and with that, gain freedom of creation in order to touch more people in the heart, as well as in the mind.
Which advice would you give to the young professionals?
What helped me the most was to be proactive. In the 3rd year of the theatre academy, I was already with one foot in the field, because I knew many graduates that felt the notorious ‘black hole’ after the ‘safe’ school environment. Thus, I started very early in applying professional communications like a website, business cards and getting connections through networking. If you feel itchy about doing that (like I did) than it’s probably a good idea to start doing it early.
What are the challenges that we need to overcome to make ‘cultural entrepreneurship’ more accessible?
We need to get to the essence of the creative process, the source. Use creativity to change slow and rusty infrastructures in order to facilitate the young entrepreneurs.
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You can enjoy Nick Steur‘s latest performance, A piece of time in Maastricht the 20-21-21 of March, during Tefaf.
www.nicksteur.com
