"I know how terribly warm it is to be lugging things around on a building site in 30-degree heat, and how freezing it is at minus five."
- Architecture and...
He works with great pleasure at an architectural firm in Rotterdam. But ambition keeps gnawing at Guus Blom. Freedom, putting his own mark on projects; the dream of becoming self-employed still beckons. With his vocational and higher education background in construction engineering, he knows what it’s like to be hands-on. His Master's degree in Architecture, which he earned in 2021, completes the circle. What does his life look like these days?
"Busy," he says with a smile. With a newborn daughter and a new house, things are pretty hectic, to say the least. "That’s also one of the reasons why I enjoy combining self-employment with a salaried job," Guus explains. "Running your own business full-time is a dream come true one day, but not yet. In architecture, you also have to be patient. Larger projects often take around five to six years anyway, so building up a portfolio takes quite some time. And if you want to gather a good clientele around you, you really have to be able to show something."
Sector down the drain
Besides working at Rotterdam-based Toko Fuze, he has been working for himself one to two days a week for four years. Guus: "My first projects are being delivered now. I have been working on a beautiful house on Ameland and I have taken care of a GP practice." He is lucky with his current employer, he says. "After working for several companies and moving twice, I was keen to give it a go myself in 2020. I started freelancing at Toko Fuze and spent the rest of my time building my own business, PLEK Architecture. Everything was all set up, and I’d been at it for just two months when... COVID hit.” There was no worse time to start for yourself, says Guus. "Luckily, Toko Fuze offered me a salaried position, and I'm still very grateful for that. I enjoy it there and have complete freedom to work on projects. I can really develop my own vision rather than someone else's, and that’s rare in architecture."
A bit more lightly
Looking back on his time at ArtEZ, Guus describes it as both tough and enjoyable. "It was incredibly busy, partly because I worked alongside and had to commute for hours to and from the academy. The course itself was quite demanding too, and it took a lot of time and effort to meet all the requirements. So it took me a bit longer than four years to complete it." Part of that, he admits, was down to him. "I have always been someone who is better at working than studying, haha." In hindsight, he knows he could have taken things a bit more lightly. “I took everything very seriously. But that’s hard not to do when you’re young and full of ambition.” What he appreciated about the course was the small group he studied with and the fact that the whole academy could fit on one bus. "Students, teachers, everyone knew each other. You could always pop in if you needed anything. Especially in the beginning, that small-scale is very nice."
You already are someone. Stand for that and don't crawl back into your shell."
What has especially stuck with him are the trips he took with classmates. "We saw a lot of Scotland, Germany and Scandinavia. In the third year, we also went to Warsaw for ten days. It was both educational and amazing. You then really start looking for: what does the architecture look like and what are the historical and political influences on the appearance of this city. We always had a lot of fun on those trips." Guus also found the artistic character of the course to be a plus. It changed his way of thinking. The fact that he has completed three different courses and therefore knows all facets of the sector is a big advantage too. "I still enjoy walking around the construction site. I know how terribly warm it is to be lugging things around at 30 degrees and how freezing it is at minus five. Sometimes I’m sitting down with a contractor who’s really pushing their own ideas. If they react negatively to my suggestions, I’ll say: ‘Oh, why can't that be done? Explain it to me.’ You’ve got to show that you’re present during such conversations. My courses have really helped me with that."
Enthusiasm and passion
Does he have any good advice for prospective students or recent graduates? Guus: "If you’re doing a master's course, you’ve already completed prior education. In other words: you already are someone. Stand for that; more people should." Sometimes, Guus thinks, starters are so eager to land a job that they retreat into their shells. "That is not necessary, though I understand it. The other day I spoke to an applicant who had been head of a scouting club for six years. It might not sound particularly exciting, but when you ask more questions, it turns out they were also handling the finances and budgeting. The fact that she saw it as just a side task made me think, ‘Okay, if you see it like that, then clearly your mind can handle a lot.’ You see what I mean?” Enthusiasm and passion are what matter most, Guus believes. "I’d much rather work with someone I feel good about and who has potential than with someone who only presents me with a perfect portfolio."
Learn more about the master's course Architecture
