Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I am born in the southern hemisphere during winter in northern hemisphere, which makes me a summer child. I realised this only recently , while living in the northern hemisphere for more than 40 years. I like making challenges nearly impossibly big and then being relaxed when things possibly go different than planned. I am a designer, even when I think I am an artist, but I am an artist, because everyone is an artist.
hectica.com is my studio for multidisciplinary projects. I am into curating and organising creative collaborations and festivals and events and exhibitions lately. Such as beyonderground.com – who-how-hasselt – kubuskwadraat
I am a creative collaborator with not enough time to do more on my blog thethingsilikealot I try to inspire students at PXL-MAD, school of arts in Hasselt, when guiding them to be a multidisciplinary and concept driven designer and collaborator. I publish daily on Instagram I like eating ice creams.
What do you consider your distinctive achievement?
I guess I can make people believe in the undoable and have them be proud afterwards. I love the idea that I am not needed at a certain moment, that I can step back and see a project be used with joy. For myself, I have become able to let go, and say that nothing is mine. It is truly liberating.
What are you looking forward to?
My night-welcoming cup of hot milk and array of sweet tooth sandwiches. That feeling of the first 100 meters of driving my Hercules motorbike. Autumn coloured leafs and extraterrestrial mushrooms discoveries. Organising my first Ice Cream Festival this spring. Finishing the 400 page book about 25 years of design in Limburg I am designing. Learning how to skate properly. Doing my first swim of the year, I will have an ice cold lake or sea on my plate to let it happen. Having a clean office again, I am a mess when projects pile up.
Which advice would you give to other professionals?
See what surrounds you. Isolate and enjoy the moment. Turn the car, bike, step out of the train and walk back to that place you saw what you saw, and capture it or react to it. Be artist, be storyteller, be architect, be curator, be fruit plucker, be a baker, be an inventor, be everything that comes to your mind, try it all. Have not enough days in your life, for all plans and ideas. Trade, try and forget money and see alternatives, make networks work alternatively. Ignore what people say and do your own thing, follow what masters say and try out what they say. Try out as much sane stuff you can image, only you can decide what is sane. Make people happy. Create something and give it to the perfect person for that item. Eat more chocolate. See what needs change in your city or surroundings and do, just do, make it happen. Be non professional. Make a list of items you would keep when given no choice, the minimum. Look forward as much as possible and get in trouble. Make a book. Create your own shop for a day. Say yes to fun projects.
