My first two lives consist of being a teacher and a hair and make-up artist. I teach Behavioral Sciences at a secondary school in Deurne, nearby Antwerp, Belgium. I studied Communication Sciences, intending to become a journalist. This plan didn’t work out, because I started teaching and loved it way too much. I adore the fresh minds of my students and cannot stop talking about how people behave and communicate amongst each other. This is why you will find a lot of behaviorist musing on this blog, especially when it comes to parallels between human beings and animals.
Eight years ago, I started my make-up career and founded, together with Ines Borgonjon, our company Blonde. As “Blonde Private”, I love to give ladies and gentlemen a hair and make-up make-over for parties, weddings or other occasions. As “Blonde Pro”, I perform hairstyling, make-up, face- and bodypainting and haircutting for professional purposes. My teaching blends in with my make-up skills, considering that I am giving workshops and classes for private as well as corporate events. I am obsessed with beauty and the efforts we all take to reach it. Unbiased beauty does not exist, since we all look at it through our own aesthetical kaleidoscope.
Another life I lead, is that of a dancer. Since I was four, I took ballet classes. When I was 15, I started shifting my interests to the Graham and Limón techniques. I indulged myself in the routines of Martha Graham, a wonderful way to teach your body a lesson and explore the boundaries of gravity. When I was 29, I got pregnant and my dance teacher, Nadine Kochuyt, moved to New York. I kissed Graham goodbye and started to follow yoga until now. In the mean time, from the moment that I met my husband, we started to follow Lindy Hop classes. The latest years we are leaving the Lindy a bit aside and are drifting more towards Jive and Rock ‘n Roll, creating our own kind of crossover style. Add to all of these genres some tapdancing -which my grandfather tought me-, poledancing and cabaret performances, and there we are.
Having a husband means, that, since september 2010, I lead the life of a wife. Moreover, I lead the life of a jewellers wife. My “man”, Pieter Nulens, is a goldsmith and specializes in creating personal pieces. On special occasions, and if I have been a good girl, he treats me with the most precious rings, bracelets or necklaces. Lucky me.
Soon after our marriage, in november 2011, Lili was born. Here you have yet another life I’m leading: motherhood. This is not a blog about raising kids, or practical organisatory recommendations. However, Lili will appear in some pictures and I will write about what she likes to do, since she is simply a part of me since these 3 years.
Kids are, in a way, comparable to animals. They are cute, beautiful, pure, but in the mean time violent, provocative and sometimes a bit grubby. The last life I want you to give a sneek peak into, is that of the animal lover. Most of the times I love animals more than I can stand human beings. Moreover, if you watch them carefully, you can learn so much about our own behavior. Why do peacocks open their hypnotising tails, why will your dog wait forever for you to return home? Why are swine considered unclean animals, while they behave so similar to us? They don’t fit into our “common” view of beauty, I suppose.
I hope you enjoy reading my “Pearls before Swine” and please comment whenever you feel like it.
Yours truly,
Els Van Schoor