First of all;

Lesson learned, never rush to a first meeting.
After having fallen off my bike, entering the AKI ten minutes early, and using four band aids to cover up the damage, I was ready for my first meeting with my supervisor, Erik Kok.
It quickly became clear that structure would be key this time, and that I would have to document all my work and my learning, hence this blog!
What was I doing so far away from my precious research lab, one might wonder, so let me explain;
In my study there is the opportunity to spend a part of the curriculum on pursuing your passions. This is called the Personal Pursuit (PP in short), and for my PP I like to make art. In the previous years I have done drawing, painting, and printing, as a way to learn to work with different materials (pastels, charcoal, silkscreen, etching, etc). I do this because I very much like to do something creative and hands-on, as a compensation for all the cognitive activity that the university fills my days with. This for me also serves as a kind of mindfulness. Being very concentrated on making something, clears my mind and opens it up for other thoughts.
This will be the second time that I will do my PP at the AKI, the art academy in Enschede. Last year I learned how to silkpress, toyoboprint, linoleumprint, and etch, and this year I will go a step further, and cross the hallway to the clay and casting workshop. Here I will spend my Wednesdays surrounded by the tranquil sounds of throwing clay and breaking open molds, and will get to know the materials and techniques that are involved in sculpting, casting, and pottery, and take -yet unknown- steps further.
I am looking forward to it, and I'll keep you posted!