work table : life/work balance in the Netherlands

Almost a year into our move from the U.S. and the studio is humming with energy this week. I’m working on two commissions that are vastly different (more on those in a few weeks) but with a little peek on this week’s project here.

Hand embroidery! Using thread I bought in Lyon, France. It’s so hard to find size 4 DMC thread in the NL!

I love the view from my studio. High up on the 2nd floor (3rd floor in the U.S.) and with 3 meter tall ceilings here it’s way up there! Late spring here so far has been a mix of AMAZING sunny days, windy days and absolutely dreary days.

This is before the commissions came in. It’s a bit messier now … but only a bit.

The sounds outside range from church bells, EU sirens, starlings sounding like R2D2 and happy (and wailing) 3 year old happy chatter. I swear I will eventually learn Dutch listening to these kids prattle all day. At the moment it’s a lot of “OPA! Kijk me!”

The biggest change to moving here is seeing IRL that it isn’t all about work here. The Dutch work the least number of hours than most Europeans and I can guarantee they work much less than Americans, judging by the quality of life here. I typically work 4 to 4 1/2 days a week with a few hours thrown in over the weekend to finish up a project and get the studio ready for jumping in head first on Monday, about 30 hours. Women tend to work an average of 28-32 hours and men 32-35 hours a week.

A typical Dutch thing to do when the sun shines, get outside and take a boat ride with friends!

My typical work week also includes walking over to our local Oscar café and afterwards taking a walk around part of the Schotersingal canal a few days a week. It takes up only an hour out of my day and I get some exercise and vitamin D. We aren’t alone, there are lots of people out sunning themselves or out on their boats. Friday afternoon, however, is a different animal here. There’s even a word for it: Vrijdagborrel. Here was ours a few weeks ago at Zandvoort aan Zee, a quieter version than you usually see in Haarlem centrum.

This view is a short train ride from our house, less than ten minutes away. They say the Dutch are more efficient with their time. I can’t say I’m there yet. I work slowly but methodically. That’s just my way. My eyes are also aging a bit so I need to take eye breaks! How about you? What’s your typical work week look like? How much time do you spend making?

And are you like me on a typical evening … dreaming and scheming about making? Do you have any favorite magazines you refer to for inspiration? I have TONS with secrets to free access that I can share in another post if interested.