WortWechsel

Teacher training student Jessica Fraas and poetry slammer Tobias Beitzel are the creative duo behind the start-up ‘WortWechsel’, which was founded in spring 2023. They enrich the cultural scene in Siegen-Wittgenstein with their various literary events.

What exactly is WortWechsel? What is special about it?

Jessica: WortWechsel is a small cultural start-up. Our main business is giving creative writing workshops with a focus on poetry slam or English creative writing. We also offer moderation services and commissioned texts.

Tobias: The special thing about it is that with our workshops and events we try to inspire people with something that is dying out, namely the written and spoken word on paper and on stage. What's more, a company like ours doesn't exist here, especially in rural areas. Every first Monday of the month, we offer a free workshop in the Schreibstube, which is our voluntary project, where anyone can work on their writing skills.

Who is part of the team and how did WortWechsel come about?

Jessica: Tobias and I are the founders of WortWechsel. What brought us together is our love of language.

Tobias: Jessica approached me with the idea of setting up a writing workshop in Siegen where people who write all kinds of texts, such as novels, theatre plays or music, could network. That was our first idea, which worked out so well that we had even more ideas and wanted to continue.

Jessica: I first contacted Tobi several times on Instagram and asked if he would be interested in starting a writing scene in Siegen, because there was nothing like that here yet and I've often seen him at poetry slams. But I never got an answer. When I saw him making music in the shopping centre in Siegen, I contacted him personally and that's how everything else came about.

Why did you choose this particular subject area?

Jessica: We founded WortWechsel and decided in favour of this cultural theme in order to enrich the cultural landscape in Siegen, which is rather one-sided, elitist and not young. The city has a lot of potential and we try to utilise this with cultural events of all kinds.

Tobias: Organising such a project as a company and developing a business idea from it is alien to many people. Many also don't want to earn money with their art.

Jessica: Society still believes that art and culture have to be free. That is total rubbish. Art is worth just as much as other services. This is exactly what we are trying to convey in the long term.

What are the advantages of founding in a team?

Jessica: It is sometimes easier to be creative and create something artistic if you are inspired by others and work together. I wanted to establish a writing scene in Siegen and network with people who also write because I had writer's block at the time. So there are almost only advantages to founding a team. Tobi and I are also a very good team and complement each other on many levels.

What were your biggest challenges? And how did you deal with them?

Jessica: As far as the start-up is concerned, we have received a lot of support and no obstacles have been put in our way so far, apart from applying for the start-up grant. To be honest, I would have imagined it would be more difficult to set up a company.

Tobias: From an institutional point of view, there weren't really any, only a few difficulties with the authorities. For example, it took us six months to get the business licence, which was also confirmed. Apart from that, the time factor and resource planning were somewhat problematic for us. It took us a while to realise that it is not necessary to invest 15 hours a day in a project.

Jessica: We worked a lot at the beginning and slept very little. You're on fire for what you're doing. You don't realise when you need to take a break.

Tobias: For example, it was also quite a challenge to adapt to our mutual working styles.

Who is your target group?

We appeal to all age groups from the fifth grade upwards. We have even given workshops in primary schools. We also give workshops for senior citizens. Our cultural events are therefore open and accessible to everyone and we hope that we can reach and inspire all age groups. So far, however, we have mainly been booked by schools.

Can anyone learn creative writing or do you have to have a certain talent for it?

Jessica: Society often says that creativity is a character trait. I always say in my courses: ‘Creativity is not a trait, but a state.’ For some people, it is easier to find access to creativity. There are some people who are a little more moulded or have more prerequisites, but everyone can be creative and everyone is actually creative. I always try to make this clear in the workshops. Creativity means creating something new, a product that didn't exist before and everyone does that, whether it's through an Instagram post, stories, building a table or tinkering with a motorbike or singing or dancing in the shower. Everyone is creative in some way.

Tobias: In principle, anyone can write creatively. However, our workshops are less about improving the quality of the writing and more about showing ways and means of becoming creative in the first place, because this is something that many people have forgotten how to do. We open the channel for creativity, so to speak.

What do you recommend to people who think they have no affinity for writing?

Tobias: To book a workshop with us. :)

Was there financial support, perhaps also from the University of Siegen?

We learnt that there was an initiative for founders and applied for the start-up grant. And then for the incubator programme. This is an additional support programme from the Entrepreneurship Center in Siegen. It offers lots of interesting workshops on financing, LinkedIn etc.

What are your next goals? In the short term, but also in the long term?

Jessica: In the long term, we would like to work with clients on a regular basis and expand our client portfolio, especially in the corporate sector. One of my big goals is to eventually be able to hire someone who can manage our social media channels. Social media is very important, but neither of us has an affinity for it.

Tobias: We also have a big project coming up next year. With the NRW Poetry Slam Championships, we are bringing the largest stage literature festival in North Rhine-Westphalia to Wittgenstein, Bad Berleburg, Erndtebrück and Bad Laasphe.

Tobias, you are a poetry slammer and often perform on stage. What advice would you give to people who want to improve their stage presence and give presentations confidently and without fear?

Tobias: You can book a workshop with us and perform. Perform. Perform. Perform. You have to perform without end. That's the only thing you can do. You can't simulate a situation like this. That's also something Jess is realising right now. She's made a huge leap in the last four months in terms of stage presence. She's never really been on stage before and recently hosted a comedy event in Frankfurt.

Jessica: I've always wanted to be on stage, but I never dared to do it and Tobias pushed me. I needed that and realised how much I enjoy being on stage.

What tips do you have for people who are just starting out or thinking about starting up?

Jessica: Do it. Just get started. Don't procrastinate about what you want to do and get in touch with start-up initiatives. There are lots of opportunities to get support there and also people who are keen to support you, who are very open to all ideas and always help you. Otherwise, one step at a time. Don't do too much at once. The most important thing is to just do it and have the courage to do it.

Tobias: The start-up initiatives not only offer coaching, but also help to build a network. That's totally supportive, even if you're just having a conversation or making a contact.

This portrait is based on an interview with Jessica Fraas and Tobias Beitzel in June 2024 and was written by Duygu Cicek.

Click here for the start-up's homepage.