Your point of view can be local, global or somewhere in between. Growing up, I was living in a very local bubble. A place where even going to the big city next to your village to go to the cinema is already a place far away. Belgium is really small, so just imagine how local that is. Over time however I became more globally aware, which eventually manifested in the desire for a different type of life. Today is the day on which this new phase begins.
The pursuit of working remote
I’m convinced that traveling as a by-product of exploring different cultures, hacking on a global perspective and enjoying our planet, is what I want to do as much as possible. Traveling is important, but so is life-long learning and the abillity to express myself through my passions. There should be a balance, rather than an ocasional escape or constant rush.
I still struggle in knowing how exactly I want to use my skills for good. Open source/Free software and voluntary contributions is certainly an important factor in that, but probably not enough. In a way it should certainly be possible to do more with my programming skills to help where I can. As part of my new nomadic life style I’ll definitely look out for hackers who help their local communities, innovate in global products or both. Inspiration lays there, where you least expect it. Same goes for love, as is common knowledge, even though it surprises every time.
Minimalist
I never reallized how much stuff I owned, even though I never really cared about owning things. Over the last 2 months of preparation I gave away 98% of it to charity and friends: a dozen bags of clothes, a longboard and gear, my previous (and beloved) laptop, books and all kinds of electronics. I also threw away a lot of papers that I was hoarding like some kind of city archive, not even sure why I was archiving.
Being mobile is a necessity when you are constantly on the move in all kind of different ways and places. And as it turns out, all I need is my packed 28 liter backpack.
In late autumn I started learning to play the Ukulele, so that one is going with me as well, so that I can continue learning how to play it. Music was always important in my life and it feels good to finally also play an instrument myself.
Some reflections on 2015
At the beginning of this year I wrote an article about my first year in the Game Industry and how I was looking forward to what was to come next. I also gave myself some keywords as guidelines to help me stay focused:
Balance, growth and exploration are my keywords for 2015.
In January I felt like I had been on the move a lot in the last couple of years, from game jams to hackathons all over Europe, and living in Finland and different sides of Belgium. Granted, it’s quite local if you compare it to what I’m doing now, but at the time I felt overwhelmed and felt the need to try out a more balanced life. I had been living for 6 months in the UK at that point, and would continue to live in Leamington Spa until today.
It turns out however that I really don’t handle a local and “stable” life that well. This was especially clear during the travels I did to Callarfonia, Thailand, Tenerife and Amsterdam. I did however make some really good friends, during my stay in England. This period helped me shape the direction I want to take, and it helped me realize how much I want it.
Growth was my second keyword and goes hand-in-hand with exploration in a way. I started learning Spanish and Portuguese, worked on my programming skills, learned more CS Theory, had the ability to take ownership on projects within Exient, started learning to Play the Ukulele, learned to ride a longboard and used it to go to work, and bunjeejumped from a 50 meter platform (take that height-fear).
Traveling to Thailand was also a great and safe playground for training the traveler inside myself. I hadn’t traveled alone before that trip, for a period as long as a month, and I actually had never even left Europe before then. Meeting locals and befriending them, helped me exploring the country and their culture in a very honest way. Language can however be a barrier, having a local with you to be a translator helps, but speaking the local language is the way to go.
Traveling to GDC in San Fransisco was another great travel, albeit very different. I was invited their together with my team of “Zoo Machines Festival”, a game jam in France, where we made Radio Unknown. Meeting people in San Fransisco was awesome, and I was really amazed to see all that energy and talent in such a tiny space. In a way it seemed like everyone was an entrepreneur or at the very least, very passionate about what they do.
Onwards and forwards
Right now I’m in Amsterdam, waiting for my Airplane to Rio, Brazil. It’s in Amsterdam that I’ve met Louyse 2 months ago. Originally I was here to meet up with old friends, but in the end I spend more time with strangers than with them, which is still great, but not what was expected. Louyse was one of those strangers, but soon became more, much more.
I knew since the beginning of this year that I wanted a more nomadic life, a life in which I can combine my passions as a hacker with my desires to explore. I didn’t know what I was waiting for though. Preparation is what I told myself, but I’m not sure if that’s a valid excuse to not start sooner. Earlier this year I was selected for Remote Year, to join them on their next remote year. The monthly price was however not affordable for me and the waiting prolonged.
Love can be a great motivator, and in this case it was the trigger to finally take the step in the unknown. Louyse is from Brazil and it’s amazing how similar we are, from the things we want to the things we like. Therefore I’ll start this new phase of my life in Rio, and the rest will follow, step by step, day by day.
The plan is to try to launch some products on my own, while doing some freelance work. I’m really happy that Exient supports me with this, by giving me the opportunity to continue my work for them on a part-time, freelance, remote basis. Doing that, while enjoying life together with Louyse is the plan.
Stepping in the unknown is not so scary, with a second pair of eyes…
