Nomad Summer
This summer I have lived and worked across the UK as a digital nomad.
I’m a graphic designer and now founder of a digital design studio, which allows me to work solely from my laptop from anywhere with (good) wifi.
This short blog post goes into the highs and lows of a nomad summer, living out of my car in 8 different locations and looking after 5 dogs, 4 cats, 3 horses, 3 ducks, 2 donkeys, 2 goats and a sheep.
Firstly, you are probably asking… why?
Since the beginning of Covid-19 I was lucky enough to escape the big city and move back to my parents house in the beautiful British countryside. I started freelancing as a graphic designer full time – 3 lockdowns later and my digital design business was booming. Yes, I have missed seeing friends and travelling abroad, but for my business Covid-19 has been more than beneficial. All remote working doubts have gone out of the window and I now have clients from all over the world.
It was at this point that I started to feel stuck at home with my parents. I wasn’t able to see my partner as and when I wanted, and felt that Ineeded a change of scenery – my creativity was hitting a wall.
I grew up in a small farming village and as a teenager would look after animals in the school holidays. So when I came across a house-sitting advert online one day and realised a summer of house-sitting could delay the big move to London. I spread the word and posted a paid advert on a closed group I am a part of and within a week I was almost booked back-to-back from June to October. So I saved up to buy a car as a means to get between houses and off I went. Some places my partner joined me and others I went solo. Some house tours were done through Zoom so I would just rock up without meeting the owners (very 2021). I do admire the trust of some people.
Is there a downside to moving around as a digital nomad?
Slow wifi was definitely one, it’s amazing how we rely on efficient broadband. I think the worst I had was 2MB (London’s average is 80MB) and that was a very frustrating slow week.
The second, another practical one, was not having a desk (something else I definitely take for granted and didn’t think about previously). I worked from many kitchen tables with a 2 screen setup. But the height ratio was never right, which resulted in constant backache.
Finally, I suppose the third negative is the constant moving. Yes, it increased my creative spark (as I do love to travel) but it also kept me mentally on edge. It was that constant feeling of not wanting to unpack or feel fully settled, as I knew I would be moving on again in a week or two. I have literally been living out of my car and suitcase for 4 months.
The constant change of scene did supply some great entertainment to clients on Zoom, with a regular background reveal: “where is Helena this week, is she in the suburbs, the city, or the countryside?” I worried about judgment: should I hide this? The ever-changing scene could be interpreted as me never being settled enough to do my best work, but it didn’t stop any business from coming my way.
If you have read all the way until this point, thank you! Maybe you want to be like me and work from anywhere and everywhere. So I will end on one final note and a push in the right direction.
Digital is booming and there is an ever-growing need for young talented nomads (aka freelancers). If you fancy a go but don’t know where to start, I suggest you head over to The Digital Nomad Project and sign up to their free online part-time course for people aged 18 to 24 in the UK. It goes through 3 core modules of Mindset, Monetisation, and Digital Skills and will set you up for a career in digital. When you visit the website too, watch out for its new branding, done by yours truly with illustrations from my good friend Katie Peck!
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