One of the perks of my job: studio visits.
I first met Thibeau a few years ago at a dinner with about 20 other designers. I had already been following his work long before that. Since then, we keep crossing paths.
So when he opened the doors of his studio in Antwerp, I jumped on my bike.
The space surprised me. Not because it was polished but because it felt considered. Every piece had room to breathe. Less workshop, more showroom.
I go to most of these things alone (vernissages, fairs, studio visits). And I’ve come to appreciate that more than I expected to. A broad network has its value. But what I find most useful is the smaller circle that keeps reappearing. The same faces at different moments. The conversations that pick up where they left off, without needing to start from scratch.
You don’t build that kind of connection by collecting contacts. You build it by showing up. Repeatedly. Over years. That’s networking in slow motion. And it tends to go deeper.
Thank you @thibeauscarceriaux , for your hospitality and souvenir. 🖤
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#studiovisit #antwerpcreatives #designinspiration #creativeprocess #contemporarydesign
That mission is rooted in my core values:
freedom, impact, and inclusion.
Inclusion means creating a safe space where everyone feels welcome to be themselves.
Impact is about transforming as many creative businesses and lives as possible.
And freedom gives me the chance to step away from routine, explore the world, and return with fresh ideas to share.
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#coachforcreatives #values #livetowork
First, what I want you to know: it’s not personal.
Creative work is almost always the first thing companies put on hold when the world feels uncertain. Wars, rising costs, budgets frozen mid-conversation. They don’t stop believing in good work. They just wait longer before saying yes.
69% of you said it’s quiet right now. I feel it too.
So here are 20 things worth doing while you wait:
1. Rethink your sales process (and/or are there other income streams possible)
2. Develop a marketing campaign (something you never done before)
3. Try a new format or social media platform you’ve been avoiding
4. Experiment with a new technique in your field and document it
5. Contact old clients for a call or a lunch
6. Visit a colleague
7. Follow up on leads you never quite finished with
8. Update your portfolio or website (the thing you always postpone 🙃)
9. Rethink your positioning; maybe it’s time to go narrower or wider
10. Look at your target audience with fresh eyes
11. Revisit your pricing, does it still make sense?
12. Write down what kind of work you actually want in two years
13. Try advertising
14. Read that book you bought and never opened
15. Go to an exhibition, a fair, a vernissage (alone)
16. Have a conversation with someone outside your industry
17. Do something creative with no client, no brief, no deadline, no specific outcome
18. Work out or go for a long walk (get some fresh endorfines in your body)
19. Rest
20. And if the quiet starts to feel too heavy, talk to someone about it.
The slow period won’t last. But what you do with it might matter more than you think. 🫶🏼
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#isupportcreatives #creativebusiness #freelancecreative #creativeentrepreneur #businesscoachforcreatives
The end goal. You first. Your peers next. The industry, eventually.
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#isupportcreatives #creativebusiness #businesscoachforcreatives #creativeentrepreneur #rippleeffect
Pricing is one of the topics that comes up in every single trajectory I do.
Open Instagram for five minutes and you'll find a business coach promising you 10k months. As if revenue is the finish line. As if that number, before anything else, is what makes a creative practice worth building.
I see it differently.
Before we talk about pricing, I want to know if you actually enjoy what you do. If the work still feels like yours. If the clients you're taking on are the right ones. Because a sustainable price isn't something you bolt onto a practice that isn't working. It grows from one that is.
Undercharging rarely comes from one single thing. Sometimes it's genuinely not knowing what the market looks like. Sometimes it's looking at the wrong part of it. And sometimes it's something quieter, a reluctance to ask for more, even when the work clearly justifies it.
A healthy creative business isn't about charging as much as possible. It isn't charging what everyone else is charging. It's about charging in a way that makes the work sustainable. Enough to invest in your practice. Enough to say no to the wrong clients. Enough to still love what you do in ten years.
That's the number worth working towards.
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#isupportcreatives #creativebusiness #pricingfordesigners #freelancecreative #designbusiness #businesscoachforcreatives #creativeentrepreneur
This is where I work.
Also where I live, read, think, and occasionally stare out the window long enough to call it research.
The books on the shelf are the same ones I take into sessions. The table where I have breakfast is the table where I take calls. There's no real separation and I stopped pretending there should be.
I work with creative professionals who are figuring out how to build a practice that actually fits their life. This space is part of that.
When redecorating my apartment, it was important to me that this space reflects my energy and what I want to bring to the people I work with. After a session, we both leave feeling inspired by what was said and by the room itself.
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📸 @evenbeeld.be
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#isupportcreatives #antwerpliving #homeoffice #creativelife
Céline (@lam_atelier ) makes handwoven textile pieces rooted in local wool, slow craft, and natural materials. Her work is stunning. Her business? She tends to act impulsively, which often makes her approach inefficient. She knew what she wanted to build, but struggled to see the underlying structure.
What we worked on together:
⏩️ A multi-year vision that finally matched how she actually wants to work: custom pieces as her main income, a curated collection when production allows, and a small atelier as a long-term dream
⏩️ Realistic pricing and timelines. She was undercharging and underestimating. We rebuilt her rate structure from the ground up: one transparent model, project-based pricing, and deliverables that actually reflect what she puts in.
⏩️ A client process she can stand behind. From first email to final handover, with templates, a sample book, and a delivery manual, she's proud to hand over.
⏩️ Space to keep experimenting. Because for Céline, development isn't optional. It's the whole point.
⏩️ Instead of forcing herself into loud marketing, she found a way of showing her work that fits her practice: process stories, material close-ups, the rawness of wool before it becomes something beautiful.
Her confidence grew. And she started treating her practice (finally) like the serious business it always was.
"I'm growing more confident and feel better equipped to consciously and confidently shape my personal future as a creative entrepreneur."
That's what clarity does.
→ Curious what this could look like for your practice?
Book your intro talk. Link in bio.
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Images provided by the client.
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#isupportcreatives #creativebusiness #textileartist #handweaverlife #craftbusiness #maatwerk #freelancecreative #creativeentrepreneur #businesscoachforcreatives #slowcraft #designbusiness #creativestudio
I definitely didn’t love every part of it.
Redecorating my apartment; spatial insight doesn’t come naturally to me. And don't get me started on the endless furniture options. 😉
But I did love the planning. Collaborating with my sister and going on little field trips. And seeing the small shifts when a new piece arrived, or when work was done. ☺️
I’m proud I was able to do this, in my small apartment, which now feels much more aligned.
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Your creative journey doesn't require you to love every moment. Some parts will challenge you, frustrate you, even exhaust you. But those uncomfortable stretches often lead to the most meaningful breakthroughs.
What matters isn't loving every step, it's staying committed to the vision and celebrating the parts that light you up along the way.
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Q: What part of your creative process do you struggle with? And which parts make your heart sing?
Look at your choices rationally.
When emotions take over, they often freeze you instead of helping you decide.
Pick one option today.
Then execute the easiest next step.
Tomorrow: another step.
Then another.
Most choices aren’t permanent.
But staying stuck can be.
Progress is rarely comes from thinking more.
It comes from moving forward.
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Side note: super happy with the blazer I found at @rebalestore
I’ve been postponing this for years because I always thought this place was a bit out of my league.
That thought ended last Friday. I went to a vernissage at @stvincents . My first time there.
I gave myself a small assignment. (I know 😅😉)
• Apply an insight from a course I took last week: talk about what drives me, instead of simply explaining what I do.
• Try this approach with two new people.
• Introduce myself to the owner.
I did it. And yes, I felt quite proud afterwards. 😇
The 1st conversation? I fell straight back into my old habits. With the owner, same thing.
But by the 3rd conversation, the words came much more easily.
Proof that sometimes you just need a few tries to get out of your comfort zone.
So here’s my challenge for you this week:
☑️ try something new. Something a little bigger. A little more uncomfortable.
You might surprise yourself.
