Growing up in rural South Australia, I never saw myself as someone who would live and work overseas. It never even crossed my mind until I left my small town to go to university in the city. I thought moving overseas would be too hard with too many obstacles. I thought I would miss home too much.
Everything changed with one chance encounter.
First steps into the world
I met a Canadian girl at university. I was studying graphic design in Adelaide, she was doing an exchange semester from Toronto. After only a few short weeks of knowing her, I knew that this is exactly what I wanted to do - experiencing somewhere totally new as an exchange student. All of a sudden the world seemed to open up to me. A little over a year later, I boarded a plane on my own headed for Toronto.
Working on my own terms
6 months away was enough to know that I wanted to live and work overseas again. The prospect of finding work in another country was daunting, so I decided to try my hand at freelancing when I moved back to Toronto.
This was one of the best risks I ever took. Not only did I love freelancing, but I thrived at it! Being able to set my own terms and gain so much experience at different businesses and agencies propelled me forward.
Part of something bigger
Moving to London, I was excited for even bigger and better freelancing opportunities. Even more, I was excited for how easy it would be to travel in Europe and see more of the world.
London turned out to be even better than I had expected. There was so much creative work happening everywhere and I had back-to-back contracts lined up at different agencies with international clients. I eventually came across Bray St. and this expanded my personal and professional horizons. I was part of a global network of creatives who shared the same vision and enthusiasm, working together on the same projects across multiple time zones. I met brilliant people and interesting clients I would otherwise never have encountered.
What's more, I had a way of working that fit with who I was and what I wanted. I no longer needed to work on-site. I was able to be completely remote and set my own working hours. As a night-owl, not having to get up and go into an office every morning meant I was a lot more productive. The flexibility of being able to travel in Europe and work at the same time was amazing. Wherever I went in the world, I could always take my work with me.
I didn’t realise how many opportunities would be open to me by forging my own path - both in living overseas and choosing freelance work over the safety of staying put in permanent roles. You don’t know what’s possible until you start getting out there, meeting new people and capitalisaing on global opportunities.
Want to partner with us?
We’re always looking for new talent to join our team. Wherever you are in the world and whatever background you have, we’d love to hear from you.