Here at CircleMe we love chatting to our users and finding out more about them, which is why we organize so many user meetups! So we had the idea of posting some interviews with some of our users so that you too can find out about the different users that make the CircleMe Community great! First up is Dick Stoppels 🙂

Hi, who are you?

My name is Dick Stoppels, 48 years young/old, born and raised in Uithuizen. That’s a village near the Waddensea, way up north in the Netherlands. As well as my professional job as a digital printer operator I call myself a freelance graphic and web designer. My wife and I have 3 children, born between ’83 and ’94.

CircleMe is all about passions and the things people love. If you could only choose 3 passions, what would they be? Why these 3?

Mmmm, 3?  To me there’s a slight difference between passions and things people love. But anyway, here’s my list.

1. Listening to music.

2. Acting.

3. Designing

Why these 3? Well, that’s hard to explain in a few lines but I’ll give it a try.

Music.

What music? I listen to a wide range of music. Pop, rock, classical, country, punk, hardrock, rock ‘n roll, musicals, folk, Dutch music, americana, instrumental etc. etc. Names? Well, first of all music from Bruce Springsteen. This man and his E Street Band have made so many different kinds of music during his more than 30 years career, there’s music for every mood you’re in. But the best part of them is the way they play and bring the music. If you’ve ever been to one of his concerts you know what I’m talking about.

Unfortunately I can’t play an instrument myself. I’d like to play guitar or piano, but the 6 weeks I tried to play trumpet in a fanfare were enough to let me know it was better not to go any further in my musical career.

So I absorb music as much as I can. When we’re attending a live concert, the most important thing for me is that the artist/band/performer has fun in what they are doing. I prefer a false note above playing “on the automatic pilot”.

There’s a kind of music for every mood you’re in and music can do things to me that almost nothing else can do.

Acting.

I’ve been acting since 1981. Mostly with a group of people from the neighborhood. Three years ago my wife, me and 3 of our best friends started our own theatre group. We have been playing together from 1990-1996 in a acting group. In 1996 that group broke up, but now and then we did some things together. And since 2007 we started to come together for Sinterklaas. That’s the Dutch Santa Claus (well, almost) and on December 5th he celebrates his birthday, but he is giving presents (to the children) instead of receiving. The tradition is that he comes with his steamship from Spain.

And he arrives (with his staff “the Zwarte Pieten”) in Uithuizen by boat, and after his arrival there’s a big show. With a big group of volunteers (about 35 people) we organize this entire arrival and show. And after a few years of doing this event, we founded our own theatre group. Our name is “Opnieuw”, this means something like “over again”.

With Opnieuw we’re making theatre shows for children. We produce everything on our own. The story, the songs, the costumes and the set. That’s something I really like to do, so this is absolutely a passion.

Designing.

This is a passion that’s very much related to my profession. Since primary school I like to make and design things. The schoolpaper, posters, cards for special occasions. And for about 12 years I’m designing and hosting websites. I did a lot of work on the PR for his new CD and the theatre tour that followed on the release of his CD for a good friend of ours. And now I’ve been asked to do it again for his new album and tour. Oh yes, absolutely a passion.

Tell us something you discovered on CircleMe that you ended up loving?

Well, that’s hard to say.  I’m using CircleMe in the opposite direction. I create my own likes, and go looking for people who have similar likes. And when I found those people, I checked what else they like. And so I discovered (or actually found more about) the Avett Brothers. In the Netherlands they are almost unknown, but I like their music.

Tell us something you saw on CircleMe that you would love to do one day?

Oh well, not anything that exotic, but meeting people I found on CircleMe. I’d like to go to those meetings like you had in Rome and Paris and meet the people behind and around Circle Me. Cause that’s a thing I like about Circle Me, there are people behind it that are really interesting. That contest that was going on a few weeks ago is a good example of it. I made some colleagues interested in CircleMe, and my daughter too. I ended up in the top 10 so I got this CircleMe T-shirt. When I asked if it was possible to buy a shirt for my daughter (she ended up #11) they sent me an extra one for her.

What do you like about CircleMe the most?

There are two things about CircleMe I really like. First the interface and second the community behind it. People who are trying really hard to make something out of a great idea. And when you’re giving feedback or having questions you get a really fast response. But the “look and feel” of the site attracted me the most. And after using CircleMe for a while it’s the way you’re able to meet people with the same likes.

Are you a CircleMe user and want to share your story like Dick? We’d love to hear from you! Send us an email at info@circleme.com and stay tuned to our Twitter and Facebook for more user interviews : -)