Entrepreneur of the Month: Guusje de Bruin
Fashion Design, Arnhem
Every month, the ArtEZ Business Centre and the courses together select a student or alumnus as Entrepreneur of the Month. Their stories give you an idea of what to expect, based on current topics from the professional field. Is there a secret to cultural success? Do you have to excel in your art or is it about selling yourself? Is it a matter of luck, wisdom, hard work or a good strategy?
The path I chose for myself feels like a big adventure. I graduated in 2018 from the BA program Fashion Design at ArtEZ Arnhem. After my graduation, my collection was selected as a finalist in two design competitions: the International Youth Design Competition in Beijing and the H&M Design Award. This was a unique experience, and it gave me the opportunity to go to China. Since the award ceremonies took place a few months after my graduation, I chose to spend that time figuring out my future direction. Working for a brand didn't seem like an obvious choice. I enjoyed my BA program very much, but I also had a desire to go beyond the confines of what is conventionally understood as fashion. In part, it's because I think fashion as an industry has serious problems - particularly the scarcity of time available for the development of ideas and the environmental damage it causes. Emmy Hermans, Nina Pen, Sarah Kerbosch and I eventually got the idea to organize a residency for ourselves. This seemed like a good way to make some space and time for ourselves. We spent a few days in a little house on the Veluwe to be together, cook, eat, talk, walk, take photographs, paint and draw. That marked the start of multiple collaborations.
Early 2019, Matthijs Boelee, the Fashion Department head, forwarded a message to me from a movie producer who was looking for a costume designer for a pilot scene of the sci-fi film SPUTUM. I immediately told the others about it. We weren't very familiar with costume design, but the commission sounded interesting, and we were excited to work on it, so we decided to take it. I also registered at the Chamber of Commerce and, in doing so, had suddenly become an entrepreneur. That whole process has become the blueprint for my way of working. An attitude of: I've never done this before, so I think I can do it. And then collaborating with others on a project. Being in the right place at the right time also played a role, but I think it's especially important that the people around you know what you're doing and are interested in it, so that they think about you if they see an opportunity, and so that others can find out about you.
I'm very happy that I can make my own decisions on how my practice as a fashion design alumna is going to look. I have the freedom to work on projects that interest me.
I find inspiration in learning new techniques, for instance by experimenting with dark room prints, or working together with someone from a different discipline. Although it can be helpful for your work to fit within a clear category (so that others can easily understand what it is you do), for my own practice it's best to explore my interests in total freedom, and work with them using techniques and materials that speak to me. That freedom is a major advantage of my entrepreneurship.
The freedom of entrepreneurship also comes with responsibilities, though. Most importantly, of course, the total responsibility for my own income, which isn't always easy. I think I'm gradually developing a better sense for the balance between the time something takes and the money available for it. It's my own responsibility to keep an eye on the future and set my own direction. I make sure I keep learning new things and that there are new projects ahead. Showing initiative and jumping in at the deep end are an essential part of that. I also don't want to be an island; I like to work with others. Profit can also include new experiences and ideas. Collaborating plays an important role in my own development.
In the projects I've worked on so far, collaborating has looked differently each time. When we worked on the sci-fi film costumes, we designed and produced together. That means you can rely on each other to play with different ideas and have a laugh; we were also able to divide the work in a way that fit our strengths and sometimes 'bite the bullet' together. Costume design is part of a bigger project and you're involved with building an entire fictional world. I enjoyed that immensely. Working together can also be a great way to exchange ideas and work in different disciplines.
Last summer, I did a research residency in Oldenburg (Germany) with the Merle|Mischke|Klee collective and Sarah Kerbosch. During the residency, we explored the notion of constant change through dance, word, costume and scenography. We engaged in a collaboration and shared processes from within our disciplines with each other, finding our way to new insights. It was very special and inspiring to get to know each other and one another's work. We also got along really well, so we didn't just do research together, but also laid the foundation for future projects. For example, we worked together with design studio Liebermann Kiepe Reddemann to develop a website based on our creative acquaintance-making: "eachthursdayat12.am". In the fall, we'll start work on a performance. In short, collaboration can be a meaningful way of expanding your network and generating new projects.
In short, collaboration can be a meaningful way of expanding your network and generating new projects.
My most sustained collaboration is with Sarah Kerbosch. We've worked together on multiple projects and we're basically an unofficial duo. We complement each other well, particularly because we have such different ways of working. As a result, our collaboration hasn't ceased to surprise us, which is very important to us. We both have a strong sense of curiosity, so we also like to work on a wide variety of projects. When we wanted to do a project of our own, we applied for subsidies from Schakel025 and the Creative Industries Fund. And they were granted, which was an enormously euphoric moment! Writing the application was an educational process, and also difficult at times; we were forced to find words to communicate things that were self-evident to Sarah and myself. It was helpful to be able to rely on each other and discuss the application together.
We're using the subsidies we were granted to fund our project This isn't Underwear Collection, in which we explore the concept of femininity. Because of that funding, we have the opportunity to do this exactly the way we envisioned, with a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach from a variety of angles. We'll be presenting our project in different ways, as well, at NR 8 in Arnhem in April and May, as well as during the Fashion + Design Festival Arnhem. We're still talking to other parties and we'll also be presenting part of our project and our research digitally on a website. Because of the COVID pandemic, of course, but also because it seemed like a fun new challenge for us. For the future, I'm hoping for many more new adventures. I want to keep developing myself and deepening my practice by doing new projects, experimenting with different techniques, and through collaborations with people from a wide range of disciplines.
