MEMBER IN THE SPOTLIGHT: ANOUK ARENDS

SPOTLIGHT: ANOUK ARENDS

Charming and wildly inspired, today's Member in the Spotlight is Anouk Arends, PR Coordinator across HALAL's Photography, Commercial, Fiction & Documentary departments. In our interview the emerging talent tells us how she balances an analogue and pervasive digital (work) life, recounts how she got the job at HALAL while wearing a wetsuit in Portugal, and takes us on a tour of the diverse artists, musicians and writers that continue to excite and remind her that "there's more to life than the incidental one where I watch Temptation Island and wear sloppy dungarees."

Draw a self portrait...

Here is Yinchel Fyon Tang’s drawn interpretation of me.

WHAT DO YOU DO OUTSIDE OF WORK THAT GETS YOUR CREATIVE JUICES FLOWING?

Trying to stay as much as possible in the analog life so that I can keep up a balance with my all-pervasive digital work life.

With working a lot in the online sphere, it’s crucial for me to be very present in the real world as well. I love participating in (almost all) sports, reading books, conversations with friends, nature, and being on the lookout for new experiences. This is what sparks my brain and life, in every peaceful, creative and stimulating way possible.

WHAT MUSIC WILL WE FIND ON YOUR PLAYLIST?

Bits of the smooth, the sexy, the funky, bits of punk. It's a nice mix of all (personally) soul soothing music. Am very proud of all the anonymous fourteen followers of my playlist; it makes me feel like a validated DJ. I wouldn't know what to call myself as a DJ, but I recently came up with the name DJ Sexy - which doesn't exist on the DJ-Name-spectrum yet (I Googled), so that might be the one for me. There's not one top artist BUT the artists that I do listen to right away when they have new music are the phenomenal powerhouses Teyana Taylor (image below) and SZA.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE STYLE OF ART AND WHY?

I love weird, soothing, and art, preferably featuring plenty of nature. There isn’t one specific medium that suits my brain best, but they have all these things in common. Regarding paintings: Etel Adnan, I love. The woman herself is so unique, as is her work. Love flowing paintings, the more abstract kinds - with colors overflowing the canvas. The first time I got to know Adnan's work, I was absolutely astonished. She captured what I adore most: nature painted in delicate colors.

In terms of other art, I'd say more conceptual / collage-ish; there's THE Ruth van Beek (image below). 'The Hibernations' was the first project I got to know from her, which is just fucking great. Also absolutely love the rest of her work. Big shout out.

Regarding books - my friends will roll their eyes at me saying this since I always scream about his greatness - Midas Dekkers forever. This ironic superguy has taught me all the weirdness of the natural world, the captivating oddness of animals, nature, humans, and all living organisms. He's amazed me many times. Best book ever: The Larva, by Dekkers of course. Go get it, treat yourself with some amazement.

Anyways, bit closer to home: love Olya Oleinic’s Planet A, especially the green and mossy stuff, of course (image above).

WHO IS YOUR CURRENT ART/DESIGN CRUSH (PASSED OR LIVING)?

Oh man, there’s so many people I have crushes on (oops). Luckily my love language consists of words of affirmation so all who I love, know it. A grasp of my crushes: Yinchel Fyon Tang, Brechje Krah, Loek Wiijers and Iriée Zamblé. All very much alive and keeping me on top of my game.

Firstly: Yinchel is the Jr Art Director & Designer at HALAL. I love working with her. Her brain is INSANE. She comes up with the most beautiful designs and contains endless ideas for everything - you name it: traveling, clothing, food... Then there's the missus Crah, the writer of the writers, ever critical philosopher of the philosophers, the effortlessly stylish wanderer, the one who only surrounds herself with what pleases her eye, ear, and body. The mister Wijers, the ever funny, critical, and (annoyingly) grammatically correct one. This creative superbrain has just joined the school for writers, which is a wonderful prospect for all who like to read great things. And of course, last but not least, Iriée fucking Zamblé (image below). The lady who first got rejected by Willem de Koning (little did they know) is now the grandest of all, painting and drawing and exploring the norms surrounding portraits, finding inspiration in everyday life and Afro-Atlantic culture. Oh, and let me flex a bit, she has just received funding from the Mondriaan Fund, but that didn’t surprise us, of course.

All my crushes are very different but as dear and inspiring to me. They remind me there's more to life than the incidental one where I watch Temptation Island and wear sloppy dungarees.

WHICH PHASE OF THE CREATIVE PROCESS EXCITES YOU THE MOST AND WHY?

The brainstorming process! It activates my brain and gets my creativity going. Everything is still possible, and it’s a flow state of being, not framed yet. I love to do it with mastermind Jessica Hartley; I’ve learned a lot from her. And we almost always finish it off with a pleasant glass of wine. A great working relationship.

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED AS A PR COORDINATOR

It was an oddly bumpy road, as per usual. Let me tell the whole timeline since it's pretty funny: first off, I studied for a month at law school (!), then quit, did my Bachelor's in Media Studies, did an internship at talent management Ash Agency, another internship at HALAL at the fiction dept while shooting Joardy Film (extreme fun). Then, I worked at Photography Agency Witman Kleipool for half a year and decided to do a Masters in Writing. I finished my Masters, did an internship as a Marketer at We Are Public, and began working there, then COVID hit. Then, after a year of part-time jobs as a freelance writer, doing customer service, working at FC Hyena, and as a Marketer, life hit me: I bought a camper with my boyfriend at the time. Being constantly on the lookout for all that life brings, I found the PR job on the World Wide Web, applied, and guess what? Boiling like a good 'ol egg in a highly heated campervan, upper body in a neat blouse (which I immediately sweat through but you know, a girl got good manners), lower body in a wetsuit, I had the job interview through google meet with Gijs Determeijer and our freelance PR hero Jessica Hartley. Short and sweet, after which I surfed my (anxious) sweat off, and a week later received an email which in capital letters said congratulations. Fin.

Image below: actual footage of the very professional job interview outfit. Photo made by my sweet parents, Ericeira, Portugal on the 14th of July 2021 12.05.