It is almost impossible to give a short summary of one person's life. Some things are important for a narrative, others are not. Here is my selection.

Me. My name is Patrick Kruithof. I am a man. I was born in the Netherlands but actually I never really felt Dutch. That might be the reason for the fact that I spent almost four years of my life abroad. At the moment I am living in Rotterdam.

Education. I studied for a period of seven years at the department of Industrial Design of the Technical University of Delft. During my study I left for Spain and followed a five months Master course at the Elisava Design School in Barcelona. Although I finished my studies in 1993 I never lost my appetite for new knowledge.

Language. These are the languages I speak and read: Dutch, English, Spanish and basic French, Portuguese and German.

Family. I was born spring 1968 as the first child of Conny Veltman and Cees Kruithof. Their love brought two more kids into the world, Caresse and Dimitri. My sister is a painter and sculptor living in New Mexico. My brother is an architect. He lives and works in Rotterdam.

Profession. I am or have been: a writer, researcher, child, cook, artist, engineer, teacher, archivist, entrepreneur, tradesman, son, patient, designer, mover, protester, interpreter, brother, director, dancer, model, clown, soccer player, waiter, inventor, collector, lover, drunkard, traveller, party organizer and a journalist. I am all this but at the same time I am not. The best word to describe me would be explorer.

Money. I am not rich and certainly not poor. The thing is I am not really interested in money. I want to become the proud owner of a million unique and authentic experiences.

Fantasy. I have an Island. It's a beautiful place in Carribean like surroundings. The villages on the island have names like Momenta and Prosperus. If I am in need for advice I'll take a small boat to visit How Know. He is an old man sitting in the shade of a big tree and will answer most of my questions. If I want to be alone, I will go for a walk on the 'Vreselijk Verlaten Vlakte', a deserted plain that ends at the high cliffs of the seashore. My island has many more places and they all help me fulfil my wishes and realize my plans.

Love. At the moment I am single.

Travelling. Here are some of the 47 countries I visited: Colombia (que pais!), Brazil (que musica!), Mexico (buena gente!), Belgium (viva Panamarenko), Cuba (que rico como bailan sus mujeres), France (the quiet village life), Yugoslavia (strange disco nights), Poland (we loved them and they loved us), Algeria (so silent in the dessert), India (a huge attack on my senses), Chile (wild, overwhelming nature), the USA (as if I was walking through an enormous film set) and Bolivia (where I got lost in the jungle).

Business. I am founder of both De Denktank (with industrial designer Eelco Rietveld) and The Moment Company. De Denktank started in 1994 as a design studio. We wanted to design sustainable products and got specialized in reuse of old materials. We ended our design activities in 2001. Since then we are cooperating on educational projects.

Creativity. All my ideas are written down in sketchbooks. After ten years of drawing and writing the pile has grown 24 books high. In a way these books are proof of my creative activity. To me they are also proof of progress.

Networks. I prefer working with other people. Because they know more, because of dynamics and because of development. I have worked with graphic designers, architects, editors, industrial designers, friends, artists and others.

Inspiration. I am inspired by nightly conversations with my father, books, children (they know how to play), pure nature (because of the absence of the naked ape), the silent movements of women and the nourishing power of music.

Last modified Wednesday, October 15, 2008