Don’t care about what others think about you, everyone has an opinion. Though I receive many opinions, I only value the opinions of those who I consider to be my role models.
As part of my series about young people who are making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Mrs. Toolip.
She is a mom of 4, age 33, an Artist and Gallerist (Mrs. Toolip) her artistic name, because of her roots from the Netherlands, She was born in Auckland (New Zealand) in 1990 and brought up in Costa Brava. Art experiences are in her blood because of her family. Art fairs, galleries, and art studios used to be her playgrounds as a child.
She traveled across all the continents and kept in love with art and that is why she opened and owns her First Art Gallery in Barcelona. She guested and promoted more than 500 international artists in less than 2 years
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
Sure! My parents first introduced me to the art world as they were international art collectors and dealers. Growing up, my playgrounds were art fairs, galleries and studios, so that’s what led me to open my own gallery.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
There are so many! But if I had to choose just one I would say it was when I had the opportunity to meet, host in my gallery, and learn the incredible story of one of the greatest art forgers in history, Oswald Aulestia. He was chased by police and the FBI for more than 12 years until age 71 when he was extradited to a U.S prison, sentenced to serve 22 years (likely dying before his release), however he miraculously managed to serve only 10 months! If this isn’t a miracle, you tell me what is! After everyone abandoned him, a famous film director Kike Maíllo and a producer friend of mine Bernat Saumell created a documentary film about his life and now he sells more than ever — only his original artworks of course! It was interesting to meet such a character.
Can you share a story with us about the most humorous mistake you made when you were first starting? What lesson or take-away did you learn from that?
A humorous mistake I made in the beginning of having my gallery was -oddly enough- to offer fresh coffee and comfy seats to everyone that visited my gallery. You might not assume this is a problem, but it led to groups of people staying to chat, and I couldn’t get my work done 🙂 I had to learn how to keep a comfortable environment while managing my time more efficiently.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I wholeheartedly agree, and I am very grateful to many good people that I would not be the same without their support. Whenever someone lends me a hand, I strive to repay their kindness four times over. I believe you should give more than take.
Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview. The United States is currently rated at #19 in the World Happiness Report. Can you share a few reasons why you think the ranking is so low?
To be honest, considering that there are 193 countries in the world according to the United Nations, I don’t consider the #19 a low ranking. And when I see that countries with a “higher” ranking are countries that are managed well enough where unemployment is low and salaries are higher, I think that’s the major reason why their citizens live happier. By this ranking Spain appears to be in the #32 position, so #19 is not bad at all.
Can you share with our readers your 5 strategies to live with more Joie De Vivre? Can you please give a story or example for each?
- Learn to not have strong emotional links with material things.
- Make your own family. The decision to become a mother has marked a before and after in my life. As a woman it gave me strength, motivation and happiness in my life.
- Minimize your worries, as Descartes used to say most of the things you worried about won’t happen. Sometimes when I have a situation that I think is the end of the world, I soon realize that life goes on and that there is always a solution.
- Don’t care about what others think about you, everyone has an opinion. Though I receive many opinions, I only value the opinions of those who I consider to be my role models.
- To be in touch with nature as much as possible. Nature is wise and she is able to make us feel connected with the real world.
Do you have any favorite books, podcasts, or resources that most inspired you to live with a thirst for life?
Certainly the travel Documentaries on TV makes me thirst for life, I have lived in 4 continents and to meet people from different cultures is very satisfying for me.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote” that relates to having a Joie De Vivre? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Carpe Diem I would say! Unfortunately most of us do not have a glass ball to predict the future, so we have to enjoy every second, every minute and every hour of our lives.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
By opening the doors of my gallery for emerging talents and giving them the chance to improve their artistic career I feel I am bringing goodness into the world. I like to exhibit and promote them in a sector that is traditionally unsupportive of new-comers.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
Yes, currently I am Organizing the 2nd Toolip International Art Contest, the most important art competition in Catalonia that gives artists opportunities to exhibit, progress and win thousands in prizes.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
It would have to be to foster a connection with nature and people and to disconnect from virtual socialisement.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
Young Social Impact Heroes: Why and How Mrs. Toolip Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.