I was 30, I was not formally educated as an artist – instead I was an autodidact with first-hand experience, from lots of various projects. I was insecure and unsure about how to continue my artistic practice – how to unfold it and really deepen my art. Instead of making my own art, I therefore did a lot of other work within the realm of performing arts, so that I could make some money without leaving the theatre business. 

After an almost positive interview for dramaturgy at The Royal Danish Theatre, I was asked if I wanted to take a maternity leave job in their Press & Marketing sister department. However, I was fired after the trial period. It was somehow unclear why I was fired… The text work I did was appreciated, and I think that I more or less met the demands of the job. But I had the feeling that my colleagues did not like me. Perhaps they thought I acted in a snobbish or strange way? Hard to know now, as I am somewhat another person, 22 years later. 

It was my first formal job, I didn’t know how to check in with my superiors in informal ways or how to interact with colleagues who were sceptical towards me.

I felt defeated and utterly useless for weeks. It took me months to rebuild some of my self-confidence and to understand that this firing was not only a rejection but also a liberation to me, I was at the wrong kind of table or type of job and environment. 

The silver lining of this big fiasco was that shortly after, I was selected as one of 12 artists from my town to represent Denmark together with other young artists from coastal cities around the Baltic Sea. So, nine months after being fired, I could drive south and dive into the creation of five art pieces of mine. 

The rejection / being fired made it possible for me to participate in the art project. Facing rejection taught me not to give up on my dreams, but to keep on trying, fighting, and believing. Destiny said “forget the PR-job, even though you did it okay, it was fun and well-paid – you are an artist and you can only stay so and continually become an artist, if you actually do your thing. Dreaming about it is not enough!”