My Origin Story

The Call to Freelance

I’m tired, man. Tired of toxic 9–5s. Tired of dead-end jobs. Tired of chaos and irritation. I want something meaningful. I want a life that actually brings me happiness, peace, and joy. I never really had a mentor… unless you count YouTube. Sure, I asked for help here and there, took a few courses, but none of it truly stuck in a meaningful way. Let’s rewind ⏪. I started working at 20 while studying graphic design professionally.

2011–2018: The Cycle Begins

I studied. I worked. I grinded.

2018–2020: Covid

I graduated with a bachelor’s in graphic design, moved to Philly… and kept working. And I was getting burned TF out. Then boom. Global pandemic. Everything stopped. I was happy. I was FREE! But at the same time, every day I dreaded that phone call asking me to come back. I never wanted to go back. I was living off of government support, streaming and making art on Twitch… life felt like heaven for a moment. But reality hit—rent and bills still had to be paid. So I picked up a job at Amazon. 5-hour shifts. Working alone. Easy. Then my old job called. My anxiety spiked immediately.

“Do you want to come back?”

“No. I found something else”.

2021–2022: Hell

Constant noise, like living next to a nightclub that never shut off. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t rest. I was going insane. I had to get out. My boyfriend at the time mentioned a friend who might have space. I didn’t even think twice. I just needed to escape. So I moved… and somehow ended up living with four other roommates. Chaos. Miserable. Draining. I quit Amazon, landed another 9–5… and surprise, it was toxic too. Same cycle, different place. Then one night, everything hit at once. Anxiety. Depression. Full breakdown. I still had some government money saved, and I just… snapped. I quit my job over text. No plan. Just freedom. Hello freelancing! At first, it looked promising, I got a few clients back-to-back. But they barely used my designs… if at all. It felt like failure. With everything going on around me, it’s not surprising it didn’t work out.

2022–2025: Hell part 2

I moved again, this time with my boyfriend and one roommate. Slightly better… or so I thought. The chaos followed. But in the middle of all that, something shifted. I landed a role at IGN as a games database manager. My first real step into the gaming industry. Closer to the dream of working in the entertainment industry. And I loved it! But all good things come to an end. My contract ended. The dream ended. I was devastated. Still surrounded by chaos, I did what I always did and found another toxic 9–5 just to survive the year. But this time, enough was enough!

2025—Now: Escape

My lease ended. I packed my bags. Quit my job. And left that chaotic life behind. I came back to my home state to start over. Now, I’m focused on helping indie game developers with brand strategy and design—building something that actually matters. Will I succeed on this new path? Or will I end up back in another 9–5? Stay tuned. And follow me because this story is still evolving.