My name is Kacper, and my professional and academic life has always been somewhere between fashion, culture, research and the creative industries. I am currently completing my PhD in Cultural Studies.
Alongside my academic work, I am also involved in teaching and various creative and cultural projects. I have had the opportunity to work and conduct research in different European and international contexts, including Italy, France and the United States. These experiences have strengthened my interest in the ways fashion, art, cultural institutions and creative entrepreneurship can interact with one another.
I have always been interested in what happens when an idea moves beyond the theoretical stage and becomes something tangible – an exhibition, a cultural project -, a collaboration, a publication or another creative initiative. This is also where many of my current interests are concentrated: at the intersection of creativity, culture and the practical side of developing projects.
This is one of the main reasons why I decided to participate in Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs. I wanted to step outside my usual academic environment and experience a different way of thinking and working. I was particularly attracted to the possibility of learning directly from an entrepreneur and seeing how creative and cultural ideas can be approached from a business perspective.
I also wanted to experience living and working abroad once again, but this time in a different role. My previous international experiences were mainly connected to academic research, scholarships and teaching. EYE offered me something different: the opportunity to become part of an entrepreneurial environment, contribute my own knowledge and, at the same time, learn from someone with a completely different professional background.
I believe this experience can contribute to my growth on both a professional and personal level. Professionally, I want to develop a better understanding of how creative projects are developed, financed, managed and transformed into sustainable initiatives. I am especially interested in learning more about partnerships, funding opportunities, project development and the relationship between creative vision and business strategy.
On a personal level, I think that being placed in a new environment and working closely with someone whose perspective is different from mine is an opportunity to challenge my own habits and assumptions. It encourages me to be more flexible, open-minded and proactive.
For me, EYE is therefore not simply an international experience or a way to learn about entrepreneurship. It is an opportunity to connect two worlds that I have always been interested in – creativity and business – and to discover what can happen when they genuinely work together.
During the first two weeks, we started exchanging ideas about cultural and artistic projects, including potential exhibitions and other creative initiatives. We talked not only about the ideas themselves, but also about what it takes to turn an idea into something real: how to develop a project, find the right partners, build a sustainable concept and, perhaps most importantly, look for opportunities and funding that can make it happen.
This has already changed the way I look at my own work. In academia and the creative fields, we often spend a lot of time developing concepts and thinking about their cultural value. The EYE experience is encouraging me to take the next step and ask different questions: Who could benefit from this project? How can it reach a wider audience? What kind of partnership could help it grow? And how can a creative idea become a sustainable project?
Of course, the first 15 days have not been only about work. There is also the experience of simply being somewhere new – discovering a different rhythm of everyday life, adapting to a new environment and getting to know the people around you. These small moments are an important part of the exchange too. They remind you that mobility is not only about what you achieve professionally, but also about how a new environment can change your perspective.
What I appreciate most so far is that there is no clear division between “learning” and “working”. The two happen simultaneously. Every conversation can become a new idea, and every new idea leads to another question.
After these first 15 days, I still have many expectations for the months ahead. But one thing has already become clear: I did not come here simply to learn how someone else runs a business. I came to discover how different perspectives can work together – and what can happen when creative thinking meets entrepreneurial experience.
And this feels like a very good place to start.