control


The power of art is to surprise you

Last weekend I was invited to the birthday of a friend. Lots of people were there. He invited all of us to visit the dance performance “Pink Cast” by Introdans, by bringing the performance to the party location. What a great surprise! Since I quit to work in theater lighting 25 years ago, I usually don’t visit theater or dance performances anymore. Surprises always have something disruptive. They catapult you out of your routine, into something new. It makes you […]


How shame makes you lonely and how to build resilience in 4 steps

Have you ever been ashamed? Ashamed that you are not famous yet? Ashamed for being famous, but not enjoying it as much as you thought you would be? Ashamed that you didn’t reach your 5-year goals? Ashamed for not being as cool as the all think you are? Ashamed for who you are, not worth to belong to the great people around you? Shame makes you feel lonely, because it affects you as a person.  If you feel guilty, it […]


Can artists deal better with the unpredictable?

We all want to predict our future, to have control on what’s happening next, to avoid awkward situations when we feel uncomfortable because we don’t know how to react. it’s a huge market in predicting the future, with cares, stars or a medium. Changes will always bring you to awkward situations. You can prepare yourself as good as you want to, changes are always in a certain way unpredictable. Moving to another place is a very clear example, starting at […]


D.I.Y. attitude

Local initiative Last Friday I was at the opening of COEN, a local initiative with workshops for artists to become more commercial. At the reception a theater maker told me how difficult it is for her to combine commercial thinking with creative action. We had an interesting conversation. Problems as artist ‘They want us artists to become commercial entrepreneurs. But as artist, I want to create without having to think about the commercial value. ‘ ‘I agree, it’s your creativity […]


Control versus trust 2

“Don’t worry, life will turn our different anyway.” That’s how my father in law quoted his sister recently. How true. I had lots of plans when he told me, and a week later I got flu. The flu lasted for 3 (!) weeks. That never happened to me, ever! Every control we think we have about the future proved to be an illusion, you don’t know what’s behind the next corner of life. This is also true to all the […]


Power and fame 1

In the reports of Lance Armstrong’s confessions to Oprah Winfrey it stroke me when he said, that he was convinced to be able to do whatever he wants whenever he wants to do it. It’s this kind of power that you get when you are famous. Others will bring you not only your slippers, but will try to read every wish from your eyes even before you formulated it in your brain. Yes, you feel very powerful! You rule the […]