Reinier Postma, 3/5, home blogger ArtEZ Business Centre

My life after AKI ArtEZ is best compared to the average episode of Ik vertrek [I’m leaving, Dutch TV show]. Often, it starts with an emotional goodbye, but the participants are eager to embark on an adventure they’ve been looking forward to for years. Once they arrive at their destination, reality sets in: this isn’t going to be easy. They live in a permanent construction site, money runs out, they face stress and many other setbacks. Often enough, this the moment that candidates give up. But there are also the persistent ones: they work hard, refuse to give up, try to stay positive in any circumstances and make the best of things. Step by step, their dreams start to realize.

Make the best of things

That’s the mentality I’m trying to pursue: I keep busy, work hard and try to look at everything from the bright side. Early this year, for example, I responded to an open call from the city of Leeuwarden. I didn’t get a grant, sadly, but I did get in touch with a community worker from the municipality and had a good conversation with them. It’s possible that a commission might result from that in the future. Recently I’ve been having a lot of conversations with people about my work and I’m not afraid to network. I’ve been getting in touch with designers and artists who inspire me and who are also involved with social projects. I had a beer with Ruben Abels, co-founder of DesignArbeid, and a coffee with Rik Moonen, founder of Stadstrainers. These meetings are inspiring to me, I get to learn about their ways of working and get new insights in how I can earn a living with my work.

At this point graduation is more than six months behind me, and I’ve finally achieved some level of calm in my head. I have a part-time job that helps me pay the bills, I won’t have to leave my house anytime soon and I try to spend as much time as possible at my workshop in Utrecht. My newfound mental peace is giving me the space to be creative again and to start planning a new project. Last time I wrote that I wanted to continue my graduation project Alles voor de kunst! [Everything for art!], but recently I’ve felt more inclined to start a brand-new project. What exactly, is something I’m sure you’ll read about in the next blog.

Other than having all those conversations with people and contemplating a new project, I’ve also made concrete plans. In April I’ll be joining forces with two old classmates to lead the illustration project De Jonge Lootsman at a high school in Harlingen. For two weeks, we’ll be mixing with the first-year freshmen and work with them towards an exhibition that also involves renowned artists. Who these artists are, I am not at liberty to disclose yet, but I can reveal that they’re all invested in drawing in their own ways.

Creative communities

Other than that, we’re starting the new Creative Communities course through Creative Tinkers in March. In this course I want to provide participants with an understanding how they can use creativity within their own professional context to strengthen their neighborhoods. I’ll do this through a presentation about social design and a workshop where the participants conduct creative experiments to solve concrete problems in their neighborhoods.

I’m also going to continue with the project in the Amsterdam Slotervaart apartment building that I wrote about in my first blog. In the first instance, we were asked by the housing corporation to redesign the hallways in the apartment building. These were apparently experienced as unpleasant by residents. For a commission like that, I think it’s really important to listen closely to what residents need. They should feel ownership of the new design and the process is the most important thing for me. We quickly found out that most residents weren’t looking for a grand mural or something. They liked the visual calm of the hallways, but they missed a dash of color. So we’re going to work together with the residents in the next few weeks to make the hallways more colorful. I hope to be able to show you some photos in my next blog.

When you start a new adventure, things won’t fix themselves. You’ll face setbacks, but as long as you keep working hard, experimenting, and remain curious and positive even in the face of disappointments, I am confident that you’ll see your dreams come true step by step.

Translation by: Witold van Ratingen