The steering dream

I used to have a recurring dream: I am driving a car, but the pedals are so far away from my seat that my feet can’t reach them, and I have no control over where I’m going. I’m scared, and I can’t solve the situation, and the car won’t stop.

There’s a Missy Higgins song that has always appealed to me, called Steer

But the search ends here
Where the night is totally clear
And your heart is fierce
So now you finally know
That you control where you go
You can steer

Looking back at 2023 reminds me of those lyrics: I have made a deliberate effort to steer my life into the direction I want it to go. I moved away from Leuven after 27 years, in order to make my life as an artist a reality. It was scary, but I chose to be brave in so many ways, and the fulfillment outweighs the anxiety. Most days anyway.

Being brave led me to so many cool things this year:

• my first (solo) exhibition

• my first collaboration with a gallery

• my first art fair

• several fun collaborations

• the most wonderful connections

and I’m certainly going to be steering my life further on this road in 2024.