As if you where a four year old kid going to school for the first time

The passed days one of the things I’ve been doing is searching for a room. Leaving voicemails or mails in inboxes looking/sounding a bit like these:

Hi there,

This room looks really great. I would love to move in by the 10th of September (or even earlier). I can pass by tomorrow if you prefer.

About me:

• I’m a designer;
• I normally organize events like these;
• I have a foundation that’s about to turn all of the billboards in Times Square into one Art work, that’s why I moved;
• I studied Industrial Design Engineering back in the Netherlands
• Grew up in Belgium and I’m half Dutch half German
• my phone number is +1 347 413 0325(*), if a guy with this weird accent picks up, yes that’s me;

Would love to hear from you,

Cheers and take care,

Justus

(*) Feel free to call me whenever you are in NYC

I think this is not the typical mail you would expect from someone seeking for a room. I also titled the mail: Dutch dreamer seeking a room, to grab some extra attention. So after sending out a couple of mails to the not-so-expensive-places-near-redhook-brooklyn, I got a phone call from Edith. She had this room right in the middle Kosher vegetables shops and jewish bakeries, as if you would find yourself deep in the heart of Antwerp.

Edith said, after we talked hours about bed bugs and Times Square (she loves talking), the house would become famous thanks to my presence. She wondered if I could do a redesign for the house and suggested it could be placed in Times Square. I declined politely saying I wasn’t the artist who was going to design the ‘Art Square’ or a decorator.

Anyhow I’m considering moving there by the end of this week. I will post some pictures, no worries.

That said: You’re probably wondering what progress we’re making regarding TSAS? Well to be honest I first took some time with my awesome girlfriend. Then after the hassle with auntie Irene, Nick (my colleague) and I said down and managed to get a couple of things straight:

• I’m here to set up the Times Square Art Square foundation in NYC (office space, finances, interns, etc);
• We will talk with investors and potential partners;
• A new website will be probably launched in the next weeks, thanks Ruben;
• I’m talking with several law experts to get advice;
• Next I will talk with the fabulous Steven Tynan I met in Dog Patch Lab  - a fabulous co-working space right in the Silicon Valley area (Union Square) of NYC;
• (You know the tech start-up scene is super dense in NYC, everybody knows each other and everybody is willing to help each other, just awesome)
• Further I’ll talk with the guys from Kairos society, a great network of young entrepreneurs that have seminars of people like Bill Clinton and Bill Gates;

So that works for now;

OH! We’re also planning doing a super cool event somewhere October/November in a new club; 

Being in NYC only for the sake of the dream you once had, feels very surreal. However I start to realize the more I talk with people, the more enthusiastic I get. The New York City policy is really about giving back the Square to the New Yorkers. Most of them evade the square now day in and day out. So NYC is all in for a change in Times Square, and that’s were we come in.

Take care buddies and rock on.