‘The coming time will show whether I can make it’

In

‘After completing my education, I immediately went into paid employment. Now, five years later, it’s time for a new step. As a freelancer I can grow and continue to develop myself as a video editor, cameraman and storyteller. If I have a great idea, I don’t have to take others into account. That gives a free feeling.

“With my brother and sister I recently founded a creative collective, Nusa Mesa. My sister – she wants to become a director – focuses on the storyline, I focus on the image. My brother regularly supports me with camera work.

“My family is of Moluccan descent. More than seventy years ago, my grandfather, a marine, and grandmother emigrated to the Netherlands involuntarily. I feel at home in the Moluccan community. With Nusa Mesa we make video productions in which we tell the stories of Moluccan Dutch people.

“Last month I was paid twice. My old employer paid my last paycheck while I was on set as a freelance cameraman. Time will tell whether I can make it, but I know from experience that this sector earns well. There is too much work for too few people.

“Freelancing gives freedom, but it also lacks a fixed routine. I can now be called for a job in two days. Occasionally I work late at night, or a job is scheduled for the weekend – I still have to find a balance. In my spare time I box and play football in a selection team, where attendance is compulsory. If I am not in training, it will affect my playing time during the match. Fortunately, it has not come that far.”

Out

‘Two years ago my girlfriend and I bought a newly built house in Leiden, which has just been finished. The past year was quite tough financially: we paid rent, plus the mortgage for our future home. We made it through personal loans, but it shouldn’t have taken much longer.

“I am a social animal. If things get a bit out of hand at the weekend, I can sometimes reach for my piggy bank. That’s actually my buffer for when I’ve had a bad month. I put the other half of my savings in a joint account for our new house, I really can’t touch that.

“My family always dresses fashionably. I can go crazy when buying new clothes. But now I have quite a wardrobe.

“I also save for camera equipment. A new lens or microphone can cost up to a thousand euros. Now I sometimes rent stuff for a film job, but in the future I want to be able to bring everything myself.”