By Travis Brown, Freelance Sr. Art Director
Let’s be clear, I by no means know exactly what I’m doing. Honestly, I do a lot of things that people consider stupid. Like quitting a comfy job to go freelance. Or turning down an even better job to travel the world and work remotely. Or stepping on fresh asphalt with bare feet; okay, that one was stupid. I often act purely on instinct. I don’t plan much. I respect the count. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t. But normal has never really been my thing. Cue WYCO. I didn’t join WYCO to change my life, I joined to make the best of it. Let me explain.
I got started on October 1st in Belgrade, Serbia with a pair of burned feet (asphalt incident) and a 48 liter backpack. Per usual, I did next to no research and knew as little about Serbia as I do about red-crested tree-rats. Planning is overrated. Especially when you have cool program leads like Katie and Billy doing it for you ;). Once on the ground, things took shape pretty quickly and I began to realize that I could basically live the same lifestyle I was used to; just in the middle of former Yugoslavia. I worked from coffee shops, my couch, or the co-working space. I grabbed beers with new friends after work and took Rakija shots with a Serbian park ranger and his 90 year old girlfriend(s) before our 9am hike. Overall, it was refreshingly similar to my day-to-day in Colorado, but with a little added spice. Who doesn’t like spice?
After my first month, I looked to establish some sort of ‘routine.’ Balance work and well, not work. I’d work, go surfing. Work, cook a meal. Work, go hiking. Work, go to a tap room. Work, take pictures. Work, go to a football match (I mean ‘soccer,’ I’m pretty cultured now.) Sometimes in the opposite order. Point is, I still wanted to go about life how I always have: working to live, not the other way around.
The next two months through Portugal and Morocco followed suit. I worked with some great new clients, summited Africa’s second highest peak, and got tossed around Portugal’s waves like a rag doll. Now I’m sitting at a co-working space in Bali, next to a pool, just steps from the beach. Still working. Still living.
So when asked how my experience has changed me personally and professionally, it’s hard for me to go far down that philosophical road. I still love the outdoors, I’m still overconfident about my athletic abilities, I still like a good beer, I still trust people too much, and I’m still trying to work as an advertising art director without ever touching Madison Avenue. I’m still the same person, but with a slightly better understanding of how I want to go about my life. For now at least.
If I had to drop some words of wisdom from my travels thus far, this is what I’d say. Every place is unique, which means it’s not the states, which means you shouldn’t expect it to be. Respect the people no matter where you go; people are seriously nice if you are too. Learn to navigate without your phone; believe me it’s possible. Be open to working early and late; time zones are weird. Finally, don’t be afraid.
See you around.
