Last week, I finally did the thing Iāve been avoiding since 2019.āØI gave a talk at
@usbynightfest in Antwerp.
šØš»āš«
@rizon_parein asked me each time since then, and each time I politely declined. I donāt like being on stage. I donāt like big crowds. Public speaking makes me feel like I might pass out. And honestly, I never really felt like I had anything that valuable to say, to a room full of other designers.
But this year, I couldnāt come up with a good excuse fast enough ā so I said yes.āØI was nervous (like, very), but weirdly, the moment I walked on stage, the nerves justā¦ left.
And it actually went really well.
I shared my story: the highs, the lows, and everything in between. From failing high school, to becoming an optician, to designing glasses, then moving into graphic design, objects, and eventually also spatial installations.
āØI showed my entire glasses collection. It was a rollercoaster, we laughed, we maybe cried a little. I talked about mistakes, emotions, and some proud career moments too.
After the talk, so many people came up to say they were inspired, entertained, moved, or all of the above. That meant the world to me.
The line-up of the festival was incredible, and I feel really honoured to have been a part of it. I got to meet and hang with people Iāve admired for years (
@hassanrahim !
@davidcurtisring !
@serbanserban !), and saw talks that genuinely blew me away (
@braulioamado !).
Massive thanks to
@rizon_parein who kept inviting me back despite all my excuses and āno thank yousā. And a special shoutout to my friends who showed up, cheered the loudest (
@studiodumbar crew,
@merijnvanvelsen ,
@vmragona ,
@connor___campbell ), and hyped up the room like true legends (
@leoportooo ). And lastly, thank you
@booksloveliza for your feedback and advice and of course
@meindertpeters š¬š»for keeping me sane. (Thanks
@vmragona @nikitaiziev @merijnvanvelsen @jordanralphdesign for the photos!)
