TEDxDelft 2013 | The people behind TEDxDelft: Arnout Huijnink – Honest, curious, fun!

Can you tell us something about yourself?
I’m just a guy working at the Museum Het Prinsenhof in Delft. I’m not the creative mastermind there, but try and give other people the opportunity to excel and make presentations that will mean something to the people visiting the museum.

What’s your job at TEDxDelft?
I got involved with TEDxDelft in 2011, when I was asked to keep an eye at the TEDx finances. I’ve been doing that ever since as treasurer of the board.

What’s your favorite TED(x)talk?
Difficult to say. I’ve seen quite a few memorable ones during our first two editions in Delft. I’ll pick a few from those events.

In 2011, we had three young performers who really stood out and surprised everyone with their unique way of looking at the world and doing something about it: Tim Zaman Bauke Steenhuizen Rolf Hut showing their own take at the world, for three different reasons, but also showing the audience that sharing those perspectives and motivations could inspire in and of itself. I won’t be following their examples and start building rockets, write poetry or redesign sensory equipment, but I sure was inspired set goals and achieve them!

In 2012, the performances of Pim van den Akker and Wendy Lampen were really special to me, also because these two performers showed how different people’s minds can work. Where Pim is very intuitive in what he does (he is a floral designer – or something of the sort) and creates seemingly without plan but with a strict vision, Wendy is the opposite and can only function by maintaining a strict discipline on her thought processes. It was really special to get a look into their worlds, that are both so different from mine.

What’s your idea worth spreading?
I’m afraid I don’t have a singular idea that’s all new and needs to be spread. Hoewever, I think it’s really important for everyone to be curious as to what other people experience, what they think is happening around them, to keep doubting your own convictions. Also, keep challenging your own convictions by, for example, trying to figure out why the hell someone is showing you a painting that ‘could have been made by my 6 years old cousin’, figuring out why someone would deem it valuable to show it to you, en opening up to it.

Which keywords define you as a person?
Honest, curious, fun!