 Already rapidly Van Kerckhoven would turn out to be himself one the central characters of the Antwerp cultural scene.Beside his office career (first in the business of his father and later at the city administration) he was now very active as an artist, literature critic and as head editor of several illustrated magazines, among which the "Noordstar" and the "Vlaemsche Rederyker".Van Kerckhoven was also a member of literary societes of a private character, such as "De Hermans", "Het Heilig Verbond" en "De Olijftak".