[Community], Leonie, founder & style editor of Studio NOA NOIR, member of Factory Berlin

Pauline Roussel
Sep 3, 2018 · 6 min read

While building Coworkies - Coworking Communities, I get the chance to visit inspiring coworking spaces all over the world. Often, people ask me “where do YOU work from”? I find it difficult to answer as I don’t consider myself member of just one coworking community. With Coworkies, I have the chance to be part of many.

When I do need a workspace in Berlin, I often make my way to Factory, a business club for Entrepreneurs. For this edition of “made in coworking” I thought that meeting someone part of the same space as me would be interesting firstly because I love meeting new people but also because I like to see how others perceive their workspace. I met Leonie at Factory and I immediately loved her work and sense of fashion. Together, we talked about creativity, organisation, finding inspiration, coworking, collaboration and nice places in Berlin.

Hi Leonie! Before we talk about the present and what you do now, we would love to know a bit more about your background.

Hi there! I am originally from the Netherlands, but have lived the last 7+ years in Vancouver, Canada and in Berlin, Germany. My background is in Communications — I studied Communication Management in Utrecht, the Netherlands, and worked the first few years in my corporate career within Internal Communications, Marketing and Business Development in different industries. When I moved back to Europe in 2015, I quite organically transitioned into freelancing. First with a focus on social media and marketing, now I am working mostly with businesses on their creative direction, visual branding and content creation.

Besides working as a freelance Creative Consultant (www.studionoanoir.com), I have also been blogging for the past 7 years (since 2014 at www.noanoir.com). The main topics I focus on are fashion, lifestyle (including interior design), freelancing and expat life.

While I do not really advertise the blog and my freelancing business together, they are often connected as brands I have collaborated for the blog regularly turn into clients for Studio NOA NOIR.

Thank you for the introduction, now what do you today?

It’s currently 8:30 pm and I’ve just wrapped up my workday. I had two shoots today — taking advantage of the sunny days while I still can — and spent the rest of the time in post-production; selecting and editing the photos, and then preparing them for client reviews.

LET’S TALK ABOUT YOUR WORK

What do you like the most in your work?

I love the flexibility and diversity in my work. Not one day is the same and for the most part I am able to freely plan when I will work on what.

Working independently, and mostly as solopreneur, I get to play many different roles: photographer, managing director, administrative assistant, accountant, strategist, social media & marketing manager, project manager, business developer, designer… the list goes on.

It often looks as though I am just working on pretty visuals, but behind the scenes there is a lot more happening. I’ve always loved being involved in as many tasks as possible and enjoy wearing so many different hats.

Other than that I get to meet a lot of fellow creatives and entrepreneurs, both directly in my work at meetings as well as more casually when I’m coincidentally seated to someone at a cafe. It’s always so inspiring when random encounters turn into great conversations. And it’s even more exciting when those (new) connections turn into creative collaborations!

How do you approach each new project?

If it’s a client project or collaboration, I like to have a casual kick-off meeting over coffee to get to know each other better and brainstorm a little. Then I take some time for myself to let it all sink in and start gathering inspiration. It’s important to set the right tone at the beginning — if I rush the start of a new project, it will often affect the whole trajectory — which usually is not beneficial for creative work… With that being said, I do like to get going and sometimes take a more intuitive approach. There’s also such a thing as too much planning…

Where do you find inspiration daily?

Everywhere! I can draw inspiration from anywhere — it doesn’t have to be related to my work at all. Sometimes inspiration comes in elements, for example a certain brick used in a wall. I will likely not see the brick as a whole, but perhaps a certain shade of grey or texture. That might influence then which look I’ll be wearing next.

What would you call good content?

To me, good content isn’t forced or copied, but shows someone’s (be it a person or a business) own twist and personality. Big bonus points when it speaks to you on an emotional level.

LET’S TALK ABOUT YOUR COWORKING SPACE

Which coworking space(s) are you working out from?

Factory HQ in Berlin Mitte.

What do you like in coworking?

The ability to get out of your apartment and, more importantly, out of your head. And the opportunity to connect with like-minded people.

The vibe at Factory is very collaborative, which I like a lot. I am always able to get things done and find the time to have some good conversations.

In a coworking space you are more…

  1. Coffee or Tea? Coffee all the way!
  2. Quiet coworker or Loud coworker? A quiet co-worker. We’re still there to work, after all…
  3. More at your desk or more in meetings? That varies, but I’d say it’s usually about 50/50.

LET’S GET PERSONAL

What are your favorite places for a dinner in Berlin?

I love visiting Lecker Song for delicious dumplings in a casual setting. La Premiata Ditta for catching up with friends over cheese & charcuterie platters and a good glass of wine. Night Kitchen for celebratory dinners shared family-style.

Some of Leonie’s favorite restaurants in Berlin

Your favorite fashion brand at the moment?

That’s a tough one… I usually like to pick & choose and never 100% like one brand. But for the A/W season I’ve got my eyes on a few pieces from Totême.

What would you call a fashion faux-pas?

Not staying true to your personal aesthetic and body type.


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Coworkies Magazine

The Coworking magazine by Coworkies. We highlights portraits of extraordinary people who entered the coworking world as owners, managers or members.

Pauline Roussel

Written by

Co-Founder @coworkies, a future of work company. Ambassador @Frenchtechbrln.

Coworkies Magazine

The Coworking magazine by Coworkies. We highlights portraits of extraordinary people who entered the coworking world as owners, managers or members.

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