What’s your name and where d’you come from?
I’m Anna Belz and I come from New York, (really from the beach on Long Island). I’ve been in London for about a year and see no good reason to leave! London’s so amazing for me because you’re always outside and moving about, it feels really exciting, while also a bit more laid back than New York.
Why did you join Adaptive Lab?
I joined Adaptive Lab to really start to understand the how the ideation funnel process works and how to go about validating that. I heard about Adaptive Lab earlier in the year through Wunderkammer and was hooked to their content every week. They are putting out really interesting content, they’re talking about interesting ideas. When I started to dive into the work that they’re doing, I saw that they’re really on the front end of industry disruption, and I wanted to be a part of leading and guiding companies through various states of business transformation through service design strategy.
What’s your favourite thing about your job?
Everyone here is amazing. The dynamic of the team and the range of roles in the office is really powerful. Seeing how the different skills come together on projects is great; the multi disciplinary teams here are really strong and I know I will learn from each person everyday.
What do you do on your days off?
I usually try to have a show or something booked to keep busy and to keep learning. This weekend I’m heading to the V&A for the Alexander McQueen exhibit. If there’s nothing pressing to do and it’s a nice day I’ll lay around and BBQ with my friends in at the flat or in London Fields. I also read a bit and I do a lot of yoga and running to stay focused.
What is your favourite book?
My favourite author is Haruki Murakami. I’m currently finishing the last short story in The Elephant Vanishes and I think this might be my favourite book by him. You don’t get a sense of closure from any of his stories and I find that really beautiful. The stories are so compelling because they’re about average people and he brings the little details to life.
What was the last thing you listened to?
Jimi Hendrix; All Along The Watchtower.
What did you want to grow up to be when you were little?
I wanted to be an olympic athlete; a runner or volleyball player. I never got the speed or the height down.
Marmite - love it or hate it?
Never knew about it until last year as it’s a British thing, but I love it! It’s great on buttery toast.
What do you admire in others?
I admire people who are open and not afraid to show their insecurities. I really like and appreciate people who are content with who they are. People that aren’t worried about appearing a bit weird.
What makes you laugh?
That’s really hard to say! Sometimes I get into laughing fits and then everything makes me laugh. I giggle way too much!
Where’s Wally?
In America we call him Waldo, but he’s in the red and white shirt!