I have the great pleasure of working side-by-side with my husband, Piet Hurkmans.
Most people can't imagine working with their spouse, for either practical or personal reasons. In our line of work, it's a huge boon. We regularly collaborate with families and married couples. We understand on a cellular level the challenges and benefits of a family-run enterprise. But more importantly, we are intensely passionate about what we do. We talk about ideas all the time: over dinner, during walks in the woods, after we see brilliant films that inspire us. If we had to schedule "work" during "office hours," we would miss connecting the dots and delivering the real goods.
In the early days of StoryKeep, I had a business partner. It ended sorely. After the split, I swore I would never take on another business partner. I didn't want to feel that kind of pain again. But in my self-protective act, I cut myself off from the potential of huge personal and professional gains.
I met my husband in 2018 during an intensive training in Minneapolis for "inner-viewing" on film. We both had a background in filmmaking, interviewing and storytelling. It seemed like a matter of time before we would professionally collaborate.
Piet (sounds like 'Pete') is my mirror. He reflects my strengths and flaws. I see better how I can be of value in this world, and he experiences a similar invitation. It's like a wave when we work together, a flow of energy. When we bring a project to light, we light up ourselves.
We work to protect our sacred bond, and we bring that protection to the couples who trust us with their intimate stories, hopes and dreams. We care about our children, and we bring that care to the families who, like us, navigate within the constellation of their own family. Like us, they have bright hopes for their kids.
Do we ever disagree? Certainly.
Do we take different approaches? Definitely.
But we hold two things higher than any disagreement or approach: our love for each other and our love for this work.
Our legacy is in the making, the every day.
We juggle film productions and dinner creations.
We juggle legacy interviews and all-important childcare.
We juggle editing briefs and date nights.
To us, it's all part of the same story.
Piet and I will be working side-by-side in Denver this July. We're helping individuals, couples and families capture their important stories on film.
They're your stories. How can we help you keep them?
Short Sessions, Denver, July 11 -14: https://shorts2023.storykeep.com/
