Page 262 - Design meets Business:An Ethnographic Study of the Changing Work and Occupations of Creatives

250 Design Meets Business
Acknowledgements
Doing a PhD is much more than growing expertise in a specific research domain. It is a rite de passage, shaping you as a person. Just like other trans- formation journeys, it is not possible to finish a PhD without the help, love and recognition from other people. While my gratitude extends beyond the next pages, I would like to say a special word to those who were core to my community.
To start with, I would like to thank Marleen, Maura and Hans a.k.a. team M&M. As my supervising team, you were the ceremony masters facilitating liminality in my doctoral research. In you own way, you are all crafts(wo)men within academia.
Marleen, I admire your creativity and can-do mentality. You have a great ability to sense ‘what is new’ and what story is worth pursuing. From the beginning, you encouraged me to trust my own intuition. You showed me that doing research is not only about developing new theories, but also about having fun. Thank you for all our laughs and conversations. A valuable lesson you taught me is to think beyond existing categories and create my own reality.
Maura, especially during my ethnography at Fjord, our collabora- tion became more intimate. On a weekly, and sometimes daily basis, we immersed ourselves in endless talks about my fieldwork and drafts, prefe- rably accompanied by a piece of Tony’s Chonolonely. You are extremely reliable and trustworthy. You care for the person behind the research. You helped me to define and set my own boundaries. Thank you for always being there and keeping my feet on the ground.
Hans, thank you for your support. As a true process researcher, you showed me that doing research demands time. Sometimes taking a step back is needed to move forward. You have a great ability to see coherence in incoherence. I am grateful that you encouraged me to move beyond the descriptive level and try to explain the ‘why’ behind my observations. Thank you for always making time and showing me how to say more with less.
Next, I would like to thank all my colleagues at KIN. It was a unique experience to collaborate with such smart and kind people. Thank you all for making me grow as a scholar and as a teacher. I enjoyed all our events, among others our reading groups, KINTalks and the KINcastle weekend. It was a pleasure to hype KIN with you and seeing us grow in number and in impact. Thank you Fleur, Marlous, Ella, Sascha, Marijn, Bart, Amanda