About me
A social being that finds peace in and on the water.
Having people around me is like oxygen for me. It’s something I truly need and that makes me come alive. My friends have been with me since elementary school. Friends for life. People you know inside out and who have essentially become family. But also the scouts, going out, playing sports in clubs… it was always the ability to share that brought me happiness.
I enjoy observing others and seeing how people around me have fun. I’m usually the one who tries to involve everyone in the fun, making sure everyone feels good. An extrovert or an introvert? No idea. In a personality test I once took, they couldn’t make heads or tails of it either.
Born and raised in the green outskirts of Brussels, I’ve seen those outskirts urbanize over the years. You used to know all the neighbors, now it’s more every man for himself. I miss that village feeling and the nature just outside Brussels. Despite seeing more and more friends emigrate, I stay here. Maybe more for practical reasons, because it’s very centrally and conveniently located for my work.
I’ve always had a knack for technical insight. From a young age, I was better at doing things rather than studying. Golden hands that could make anything, but couldn’t explain it very well.
Through knowledge from school and self-study, I eventually ended up in the IT sector. After 11 years, it was time for something completely different; that social creature in me brought me temporarily to the hospitality industry. Now I’m back in the technical sector. A pleasant, quiet job where you can’t make mistakes and need to keep your head in the game.
With my ‘golden hands,’ I renovated my entire house. It takes a bit longer, but you determine everything yourself, and not to forget: it’s cheaper. Of course, I still see mistakes here and there, but maybe that’s more due to my perfectionism.
I’ve always been a water rat. Many of my hobbies, both past and present, are connected to water. As a teenager, it was competitive swimming, and I’ve always continued doing that. A few years ago, sailing and diving were added. Here too, social contact remains important, but also the peace and freedom I find in it. The ideal vacation would actually be diving and sailing together. Practically, that’s less ideal because weather conditions can be difficult to predict. On a boat and underwater, you regain your freedom.
Everything you do in life contributes to something else at some point. The knots I learned in the scouts helped me with sailing. Photography also came into my life early and I still carry it with me. My grandfather had a darkroom and a passion for photography, so I saw early on how it all worked. It took a few years before I joined a photo club. Going out in a group, learning from each other, talking about it… My social nature is hard to separate from everything I do. Nowadays, I also do a lot of underwater photography, and although talking is a bit more difficult there, I can share all the photos with the group afterwards.
Bringing my life into focus, fun and nature, that’s what I mainly do. To then share it and hopefully bring joy to others.
