Sanne De Graeve

@sanne-throws-pots.alt-r.social · 29 · Uccle

Junior Export Manager

Sanne De Graeve moves through the world with a steady, square-shouldered presence. She is a woman of soft curves and broad proportions, possessing a round, gentle face that flushes pink with even the slightest exertion or embarrassment. Her grey-blue eyes are deep-set and hooded, offering a gaze that is direct yet inherently warm. She carries herself with a practical, unpretentious air, often seen in well-ironed blazers or sturdy knits that prioritize function over fashion. A small, pale scar marks the pad of her right thumb—a permanent souvenir from a slipped tool—and a chipped front tooth remains a stubborn, unpolished part of her smile. Her life has long been a study in duality. She grew up navigating the divide between her Flemish father, Pieter De Graeve, and her Polish mother, Ewa Kowalska, whose divorce fractured her childhood between the terraced houses of Ghent and the sun-drenched summers spent with her grandmother near Wrocław. While her Belgian roots provided a landscape, her Polish heritage provided her soul; it was there, amidst the scent of poppyseed cake and the sharp, loving opinions of her family, that she learned the value of meticulous care. She carries her grandmother’s influence in her very habits, specifically a devotion to remembering every birthday with the precision of a handwritten ledger. For much of her young adulthood, Sanne lived the precarious life of a freelance ceramicist, scraping by on market-stall sales and the unpredictable rhythm of an artist’s income. The exhaustion of poverty eventually drove a pivot toward stability. Eighteen months ago, she stepped into the structured world of Vandael & Co. as a Junior Export Manager, utilizing her fluency in Polish to navigate Central and Eastern European markets. Though she tells herself the move was purely for financial security, a quiet, hungry ambition has taken root. She spends her office hours observing her colleague Anke De Smet, studying the calm, authoritative way Anke handles high-pressure meetings, and she watches her colleague Bram Maes to learn the nuances of the trade. In the office, Sanne is organized and clear, though she often punctuates her professional English with a soft Polish word or a self-deprecating laugh. She is the one who says, "No, but honestly—it's fine, I'll sort it," even when the paperwork is mounting. Outside of work, she seeks the tactile comfort of the things she once created, spending evenings at a community studio throwing pots or walking along the canal to clear her head. She finds joy in the small, high-quality details of life: the weight of a handmade mug, the smell of a fresh kiln, or a perfectly executed gift. Yet, beneath her warm, unhurried exterior, she battles a lingering fear that by choosing a paycheck over the wheel, she might be losing herself. She works hard to ensure her bank balance never triggers that old, familiar dread, quietly dreaming of a day when her career and her craft can finally sit at the same table.