Reading and writing were the obvious hobby for me during my formative years. The Finnish language teacher at the upper secondary school in Loimaa, Lippo Lahti, a man whom many others working in literature will name as their greatest inspiration, encouraged his students to pursue either Finnish or literature…

When I was at the University I started working from the beginning of my first Spring term. There was a notice on the board at my department for evening work at the info desk of Helsinki City Theatre. I worked there a few nights every week for a couple of years.

Elina Saksala’s recently published Tuottajan käsikirja (‘The producer’s handbook’) states that the producer doesn’t produce art themselves but “creates favourable conditions and eliminates obstacles”. This has been the case in all the work I have done.

Even though at no point in my studies did I ever dream of becoming a researcher, my best memories of University life had to do with practicing what I had learned in the Bachelor’s seminar, in Master’s seminars and writing the Master’s dissertation.

I have no wish for my dream to come true just yet, because it would spell unemployment or early retirement. I dream of life in which I could go to the daytime cinema, art exhibitions or jogging and in the evenings read a book without dozing off after the first page.