Work Work Work

Of course, I am open!

Recently my brother posted on Linked In what I consider to be a very valid point. He challenged the notion that having a green “open to work” banner around your profile picture makes you look desperate. What a silly thing to say.

My mind flippers in many directions like a defective pinball machine. The first thing that pops up is: duh, isn’t that why we are all on Linked In? To let the world know what we are capable of, what we care about, how we want to contribute, and how we can support each other to find the perfect professional setting to put all that in place?

When I know you are looking for a skilled graphic designer with a great vision and I know someone who totally kicks ass in that department, I will link you. The green banner makes that easier because I can instantly see you are open to meeting new freelance clients or finding a more permanent position.

The second thing I thought of after reading my brother’s post was: how do I feel about broadcasting wanting or needing a new job or client?      

As a freelance (copy)writer I am always open to work. I naively thought that this went without saying. Inspired by my brother I will now also keep my green open to work aureole switched on. One of the reasons I enjoy working freelance (apart from it affording me to follow the rhythm my body dictates in terms of sitting and writing, moving around, or resting) is the variety of projects and people I get to engage with. People who know me know this and will connect me where and when appropriate. But now I realize I have to put it out there, digitally, consistently.

I live under a rock. In the sense that I work remotely and live in the middle of nowhere. I have internet but the vast majority of what happens in the world passes me by. Which I find wonderfully ironic, considering I used to be a trend researcher who diligently kept track of everything. These days I am too busy seeing whether the artichoke seedlings are ready to go into the garden and checking if my puppy’s ear infection has started clearing up.

I keep a few topics on my radar, which are related to my general field of expertise in fashion, design, and architecture in the context of sustainability. Anything to do with culture usually finds its way to me too, like the books I want to read, films I want to see, or little paradigm shifts we debate on social media. I only really use Linked In and Instagram.

I am not that visible, which is one of the reasons I chose to start writing on Substack. I want to create a space where I share what is on my mind, the same way I do in conversations with friends. A place where I can dive a bit deeper into things that matter to me, without having to go to battle for my angle, my perspective (for better or for worse). And I want to know what matters to you.

But how do I present to the working world when it is seemingly impossible to pin me down? Geographically, digitally or any other way? I have a patchwork CV with so many different experiences that it probably makes me look like a bit of a lunatic with commitment issues.

I have always enjoyed having parallel activities that at face value may have very little to do with each other. This probably started when I was a student and I had two part-time jobs in addition to studying full time. This meant that I never had a day off for the duration of my BA Fashion Promotion at the London College of Fashion. I took one week at Easter, one week during the summer and one week at Christmas to visit the Netherlands. The rest of the year I worked seven days a week. I was a sales assistant at the men’s accessories department of Liberty’s on weekends and worked at Bryan Morel PR on Friday’s. During London Fashion Week my college professors gave me time off from lectures and assignments to work the shows. Liberty’s didn’t and it happened on more than one occasion that I lost track of the days and showed up at the wrong job at the wrong time. It was insane, it was exhausting and it was fun. I loved it and being in different work environments allowed me to learn.

I guess I got hooked. I continued doing this when I returned to the Netherlands.

I worked at a steel plant on logistics, I worked as a receptionist at a Reformed high school. I took a job as a waitress at Greenwood’s in Amsterdam while getting my degree in Cultural studies. I worked as an assistant to a criminal law solicitor, while also working as a cake designer and decorator at De Taart van M’n Tante (to date the best job I ever had). I have been a denim editor for a fashion trade publication, a project manager, a photography producer and have worked as a writer and translator with Uniquole for almost twenty years now. For years I worked with the legendary Michele Aboro of the Aboro Academy in Shanghai. More recently I was invited to work on an ESG assignment with Michele Wong.

This means I learned how to trace mistakes and help people fix them, I learned that not all teenagers are bullshitters and a lot goes on behind those sulky faces. This was an invaluable experience for when more than fifteen years later I found myself creating a personal development program for kids at an all-girls orphanage in Romania.

I learned how to cook because one day the lunch chef unexpectedly quit (Johannes van Dam awarded my efforts with a 7 ½ loving my improvised fish cakes on Irish sourdough bread and rather solid cheesecake).  

I learned how to debate ethics and law at the lunch table with the firm’s partners, which brought back my university debates on Islamic law (I added a minor in Islam while at UvA, as well as so many other additional classes that I accumulated enough study points for 2 degrees).

With Uniquole I have learned what a difference it makes when someone sees your talent and has your back come what may. How magical it is when you get to know the way someone thinks so well you can finish their thoughts.

With Michele A I learned how we deal with the hard knocks, in and outside of the ring. She showed me the true grace of boxing and how it is not just a metaphor for life, it is a spiritual endeavour that lays you bare beyond anything you could have anticipated.

Michele W has the most soulful approach to her work I have witnessed in a long time. Her mind is agile and fast, and she is one of the most effective communicators I have met. We share a passion for writing (she is also an author) and reading. She taught me we can afford to be generous in sharing from a place of passion while running a tight ship. And has added a few must-reads to my book list.

All these jobs I owe to connections. I had a friend who also worked at Greenwood’s and who encouraged me to apply. The criminal law solicitor is my uncle who thought it would be a good experience for me to work with him when I needed a job. I met Nicole from Uniquole when working with her as a project manager on a pop-up shop at the Modefabriek. I met Michele because she was dating my friend. I met de other Michele because she was dating my friend (they are now both married to my respective friends).

Linked In is the digital extension of this dynamic for me.

At De Taart I learned the most. That I am a creator not only with words but with my hands, and that cake is so much more than flour, butter, and a bit of icing. We contributed to major life events from weddings to funerals. One day while sifting through the stack of cake orders a name jumped out. It was an old high school pal. The order was for one large cake and dozens of cupcakes. With the order came a tiny cuddly toy. They wanted the bunny replicated as a cake topper. I stayed way past midnight that day. I couldn’t leave until I felt it was as it should be in honour of their little girl who had passed away. My high school pal never knew it was me who made it, but I hope some love shone through.

I had ended up at De Taart because while having brunch with a good friend he busted my balls about my sad face shitty attitude. I got rained on, on the way there, I had finished my degree, and writing my dissertation had slightly depleted me (I had interviewed women about the international abduction of their children by Muslim ex-partners) and I was hungry and the café too busy and everything, including my food order and sorting my life out, was just taking too long. My friend said: forget everything you have ever learned. Forget everything you think you are supposed to be doing. Just think about something you would enjoy doing. Cake was the first thing that came to mind. I went home got the laptop out, improvised a CV, sent it off to the 5 most creative cake shopv in town. Three invited me for a job interview, one hired me on the spot. For that I will always be grateful to Siemon de Jong (Dutch folk will know him from De taarten van Abel)

Events like this help me realize that I am always exactly where I am meant to be. Everything I do is ultimately connected. Mostly in ways I can’t foresee in the moment when my gut tells me to go for something.

If you understand this about me, please connect with me on Linked In. And think of me when you need a job done with love. I AM OPEN TO WORK.

PS As this topic spurred me to broaden my horizon again, I am now exploring opportunities to become a spiritual coach, bereavement counselor and/or hemp farmer.