In many ways, January is a sort of false start.
Whilst much of the world recognises the calendar ticking over to a new number - the concept of the year starting in January is entirely man-made. More so, it is probably the worst time of year to be making grand plans for the next 12 months ahead. The short days, the lack of cash, the post-holiday slump, the cold wet outdoors.
Yet, we have seemingly signed up to this being a moment for stating intentions, holding ourselves to higher standards, and looking forward.
And right now, doing this within the backdrop of incredibly terrifying global change, violence, conflict, threat and division, things seem even more uncertain.
This week, I published the 6th edition of the Leapers mental health and freelancing report. The headlines paint a challenging picture for many, especially around people feeling more isolated and disconnected than ever.
But there are positive signs within the data too - it shows that, where community and social support is in place, things get better. Where we come together around common needs, shared experiences; where we seek and find meaningful connections with others, things get better.
In fact, even in those groups where they’ve seen their income decline, or even found themselves in self-employment, not by choice but circumstance - where they have strong social connections and support, things get better.
So for January 2026, there are no new beginnings here at Outside Perspective. There are no grand new plans, announcements or pivots or launches. But rather a continued commitment to community. To this place - where we come together to connect, chat, share, support each other.
Yes, we’ll be doing a few additional things to make that connection feel stronger, and create more opportunities to hopefully share and connect more often - but our focus for this year is simple: be part of the connection and support infrastructure that is very much needed right now.
So, here’s to each other.
Each week, we aim to profile a new member of the community, so you can get to learn a little more about your fellows. This week, we spoke to Marieke Neleman, who works as a fractional Head of Social and Creative Content Strategist.
I'm Marieke, originally from Rotterdam and now based in Berlin. I started my career in fashion PR, working with brands like Viktor & Rolf and Arnhem Mode Biennale, a fashion exhibition featuring designers like Prada, Iris van Herpen, and Margiela.
When social media became a career in its own right, I jumped in and worked with H&M's designer collaborations and exclusive collections, handling everything from strategy to content planning to creative direction.
Before going freelance, I led Zalando's social media strategy, making the brand synonymous with diversity, inclusivity, and culture. Now, as an independent strategist, I focus on telling the stories that make brands and people beautifully unique. I especially love working with brands in sustainability, cultural celebration, and the protection of artisanship.
I recently released a Cultural Signals reports with 5 key signals I spotted: Curation & Intimate experiences, Artisanship & Craftsmanship, Decolonisation & Cultural Reclamation, A celebration of Heritage and Hyperlocal as Premium and it gave me the opportunity to write about Bad Bunny, Karol G, Farm Rio and some of my favourite artisanal brands and platforms like Sac de Soul, Flabelus and Cult Mia.
Apart from signals I spotted, it's also a bit of an overview of what excites me in music, fashion and design and a manifestation of the changes I would like to see in the world. I hope this work will give people inspiration, and that it will land me the clients that feel aligned with my vision. I feel very proud of it as I think it represent my interest, vision and also expertise quite well. And it was the first time I did something like that, which feels kinda vulnerable.
Human creativity and craftmanship will beat AI! I know everyone loves AI, and I certainly see the benefit of it as a supporting tool, however there goes nothing above human creativity, especially if we want to beat the sea of sameness that we are all so tired off. I think there is a beauty in imperfection, and human mistakes, as well as an element of surprise when work is deeply personal. And I think with AI everyone kind of becomes the same, so I think human creativity will become more valuable.
Watch: I have been watching the argentinian comedy Envidiosa (Envious) on Netflix. It's an hilarious comedy, where the protagonist, Vicky, gets into all sorts of crazy situations due to her jealousy. I love the show, obviously cause it's very funny, but I also feel very touched by the protagonist. Jealousy is a shamed emotion that we all feel at times, and I love how this show touches on that!
Listen: Since last years release I still have Bad Bunny's DTMF album on repeat. I feel the album is an absolute celebration of Puerto Rican culture, resistance to colonisation and I can't wait to go to his concert this year and see his Superbowl performance.
Travel: I am dreaming about my holiday in Colombia in February. I will have 2 weddings I am very excited about, and also just looking forward to dancing salsa a lot and exploring nature and new places I haven't been to (it will be my third time there haha).
» Connect with Marieke on Linkedin or via the community
A bumper edition, as we share a few things from over the xmas break, as well as links to some of our new members’ work.
» Semiotic Sisterhood’s Culture we Consumed in 2025
» Ellen Scott on working trends for 2026
» What took 20 years to learn about pricing creative work
» Ben Evans on macro trends in the tech industry (Thanks Nick)
» on the shrinking of strategy
» On finding yourself in moments of uncertainty (Thanks Tony)
» Languages of London a collaborative research and mapping project that aims to record, visualise, and celebrate this linguistic richness, and also discovered Glottolog
» ’s annual dip on feedback on freelance strategists.
» On the value of friction from
» What baby names reveal about society (Thanks Joel)
» Reddit over takes tiktok (Thanks Joel)
» https://impactilk.com/2026/01/04/hello-world/
» Which creative businesses are still working with fossil fuel companies? (Thanks Ellie)
» No-as-a-service - as an ex-developer, this made me chuckle.
» Obsolete Sony - love this.
» Edward Bass’ Culture Decoder
Recently found and shared briefs via the community and friends.
[UK] freelance Social Media Strategist at ICUC
https://bit.ly/4q92ZpD
[UK] mid–senior level Strategist with strong CRM experience and a solid background in the automotive sector at VML
https://bit.ly/4sBM690
[DE] freelance native German copywriter & content strategist at Taxfix
https://bit.ly/49feQfW
[EU] freelance social media and content strategist with native spanish skills at Kuki
https://bit.ly/45zWvrx
[UK] social media strategy freelancer, with lifestyle and fashion exp at 16K
https://bit.ly/3Z3NXpa
[UK] Head of Brand (Mat Cover / FTC) at Five Guys
https://indeedhi.re/44TfUni
[UK] freelance marketing strategist with b2b sales exp at Sanguine
https://bit.ly/49sfB4f
[US/CA] Freelance Creative Strategist with pitch experience at Shutterstock
https://bit.ly/4jsUIdF
[UK:London] Freelance Digital Creative Strategist at EMS broadcast
https://bit.ly/4jq67Lt
[UK] freelance brand strategists at Studio Nude
https://bit.ly/3LlZ35J
You can keep updated on real-time posts, as well as perm gigs, as we share them via:
» Web
» Telegram
» Whatsapp
+ and of course, our slack channel if you’re a community member.
That’s all for this week.
mk✌️
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