You should start a blog, they said. It’ll be fun, they said. Sure…
Don’t you love it when your friends give you good advice and your boyfriend gets you some webspace for your birthday? But what to write about? I’m no fashionista nor a talented photographer, don’t know enough about make-up or DIY, can’t cook to save my life… I have no real niche.
But then it struck me. Why not write about what makes me tick, my life long struggles with mental health, my passion for speaking up about the subject, for making sure everyone knows how important mental health is.
So this is it. I’ve always loved writing. As a child I would make up stories for my Barbie dolls. As a teenager, I wrote movies, starring myself of course.
I have filled up many a diary about my life, my loves, my hardships.
So I love writing . But who is Sassie really?
Here’s a sneak peek into my life.
Life: I live in the South of Antwerp, Belgium, but have also lived in Salt Lake City (as an exchange student) and in London (as a drama student). I swore I would never stay in Belgium, but here I am at 41, and for now, I’m ok with that.
I am too young to be the age that I actually am. I was always a late bloomer, and I do believe I was born 20 years too early 😉 I consider myself a Gen X-er as well as a digital native. I feel very comfortable in the digital world and have recently discovered what I want to be when I grow up: a social media consultant! So I went and got myself a degree in night school, didn’t I.
I suffer from BPD and HSP but don’t let that define me. I was unemployed for 21 months and was struggling for a while to find my goal in life, but after going to go back to school to get my bachelor’s degree in Cross Media Management, I then subsequently found a job with that exact description about 12 weeks later. I always loved doing communications. I mean, who doesn’t love to talk, right?
Love: I am crazy about my almost 8-year-old daughter, Milla (named after Milla Jovovich, whom I admire as an actress) and her daddy, Dries, who is my rock and keeps me stable.
Having a child wasn’t easy at first (conceiving and being pregnant weren’t the best periods in my life) and the first 6 months after she was born, were really tough on me and my depression prone body. But since then, she’s been my favourite girl in the whole wide world. She makes me laugh, she surprises me with her wisdom, kindness and creativity and she’s an amazing dancer and entertainer.
Creativity: I am passionate about theatre (especially Shakespeare) and the English language, secretly in love with Robbie Williams and Tom Hiddleston, crazy about polka dots, flamingos, strawberries and Gin Tonic, Warhol, Liechtenstein and Pop Art in general, tap dancing (but recently had to quit because of arthritis in my big toe), reading Dr. Seuss in English to my daughter whenever she’ll let me, but also enjoy a good Douglas Coupland or Anthony Horowitz book, dancing to 80’s music and Britpop (is that even a thing anymore?), going to London at least once a year, decorating my house with many a vintage inspired thing, and devouring TV series (Supernatural, Once Upon A Time, Breaking Bad, Dexter, Pretty Little Liars, The Big Bang Theory, Bates Motel, 13 Reasons Why, Gotham, Riverdale…need I go on?). Hail Netflix!
Wanderlust: I love travelling. Seeing the world makes me happy. I would rather spend all my money going somewhere fascinating and inspiring, than on adult things like my house or my car (although I did recently buy a second hand bright red new Beetle!). Favourite places I’ve visited so far are: Hawaii (by far), San Francisco, Stockholm, Copenhagen, London, Berlin, Siena, … But many more to see. The @inflatableisland on the Philippines is on my list. (check it out on Instagram, it’s awesome!)
Why So Sassie: My real name is Saskia (after Rembrandt’s wife), but during my exchange year in the States, people kept pronouncing my name wrong, so someone came up with the name Sassie and it stuck. And because I feel sassy at times, it suits me.
So I’ll be sharing these passions with you. But also some of my hardships and the lessons I have learnt from them, in the hopes of inspiring others who are going through the same struggles.
This is me, this is So Sassie. Enjoy!
