On/Off

How would you describe your fashion sense?
I wouldn’t say I follow particular trends. I’m not a sneakerhead, and there are no brands I follow and patronise specifically. For me, fashion is items I associate with, like this shirt which I’ve had since 1990. It’s not about whether it’s ‘fashionable’ or not. It’s a shirt from one of my favourite bands, and I’ve worn it almost every week since then.

You’ve been in advertising for quite a long time. Where do you find your inspiration from?
I wouldn’t say it’s been that long, it’s only been 23 years (laughs). For me, inspiration exists in every moment. There’s inspiration to be found in everything I observe. It’s hard for me to pinpoint a moment where I was particularly inspired, because it’s an ongoing process. 

How do you switch off from work?
I can’t switch off my brain, honestly; there’s no ‘off’ button. The problem and the benefit of this is that I never regard what I do as work, so there’s no need to switch on or off. It’s become my way of life. I see what I do every day as my lifestyle. The only reason people quantify something as ‘work’ is because you’re aware that you’re being paid for it. 

In that case, how does a day in the life of Pann look like?
You know, I think it’s quite the usual. I wake up, take care of Claire’s garden, feed the cats, and then I’ll sit down to look at emails. The thing about emails is that they usually bring problems, so I’ll try to solve them. Sometimes the problem solving will bring with it some creativity, and then see where my day goes from there. I don’t find it a chore to do work on weekends, so there’s no fixed day or time for me. Of course, if it starts to take away too much family time, then it’s no good. 

How do you keep a balance between work and family?
By doing family projects, like our family zine. It’s my way to officially get out of work (laughs). Jokes aside, projects like these come with their own ground rules. These help my kids explore creativity, and also learn the importance of commitment. I always tell them to complete any project they start, before they start on another one. 

What do you think is an important lesson you’ve tried to teach your children through these projects?
They get the chance to see Claire and myself work together so we show them indirectly how to love. I think our actions are very important in teaching children—you don’t have to always be purposefully showing your actions, but day-to-day acts are better examples. Of course, every child you have is a one-time experiment (laughs). You just have to hope you did well for the first 30 years.