My Double Life: Art and Innovation

After I started painting again, I realized how essential it is for me. At first, however, I felt like an outsider in the art world. I previously wrote about this in the blog From Maker to Artist: Painting as a Necessity. By now, I’m much further along in the process. Time for an update.

Artwork from https://www.atelierwander.com/portfolio-collections/portfolio/artifex-vigilans in a meeting room. Mock-up created using software.

In addition to being an artist, I’ve been working for years as a project and program manager in digital innovation. Two worlds that, at first glance, seem to be complete opposites. The differences show up in many ways: in language, pace, how success is measured, and even how people present themselves. And yet, I feel at home in both worlds. More than that, I’ve become convinced that this very combination is what shapes and strengthens me. In this blog post, I’ll give a first explanation of why.

Letting intuition speak

When I paint, I feel openness. I step into an analog world where nothing is fixed and everything can emerge. My many thoughts are free to move in all directions, without judgment.

At the same time, painting asks something else of me: to slow down, to truly look and feel. Sometimes that means acting intuitively; other times it means consciously making a bold, even uncomfortable choice in order to move forward.

It’s a process of letting go and daring to guide.

Analysing and switching quickly

In my life as a project and program manager, I operate in a more digital world with a completely different dynamic. My days revolve around overseeing complex processes, connecting different stakeholders, and constantly balancing planning with reality.

Here, it’s all about analysis, structure, and creating focus.

And yet, there are similarities between my life as an artist and as a project and program manager. No day goes exactly as planned. I have to switch quickly, adjust priorities, and make decisions based on information that is often still incomplete. In that role, I’ve learned to provide direction, maintain overview, and take responsibility, even when things get challenging.

Where painting creates space, this work demands direction.

New insights

By continuing to move between these two ways of working, I notice something happening. My mind is challenged, stimulated, and constantly developing. My curiosity has grown.

By shifting gears, slowing down when needed, and occasionally taking deliberate risks, new insights emerge.

Not everything I do is immediately successful. But that doesn’t mean it has failed, quite the opposite. Something always emerges that I can build on. And that’s what makes it so enjoyable.

From a double life to a fuller life

What once felt like living a double life is increasingly starting to feel like a complete life—a life in which different dimensions coexist, where both intuition and analysis have their place.

And perhaps that is the essence: not choosing between worlds, but allowing them to work together, and continuing to explore them with curiosity.