One year of freelance

I started freelancing a little bit over a year ago – see Going freelance – consider this a follow-up to that post.

What happened?

This year has been one of the most fulfilling, stressful, and rewarding of my life. I've worked with a variety of clients, old and new. I was able to push my boundaries and figure out what worked best for me.

It was stressful at first, there were a lot of things to learn about building my own business and dealing with clients, taking on more responsibilities, etc., but it was also extremely rewarding. I was able to work on projects that I was passionate about, and I was able to work with clients that I respected and admired.

Client work

I was lucky to work early on with the nice people at Odace, then with Studio Oslop on a couple of projects. Around April I joined Decathlon Digital as part of their AI Innovation & Trust team and am still part of it today, which has been a huge learning experience. On the side I've been able to continue working from time to time with my old pals at Your Majesty. At the end of the year I was lucky to help my office's neighbours, Kingdom of Something, launch an update to their website. I'm grateful for all the opportunities I've had this year, and I can't wait to see what pops up next year.

Personal projects

I've teased it to a few people during the year, but irmai is coming (soon™). Super happy to have been able to build it with my friends. I don't want to say too much about it yet, but it's been a labor of love, of learning and of imagination.

I've also written a few short articles (not enough if you ask me, but I'm trying not to force it). I've had the opportunity to help a few of my friends with their own websites, which I'm always super happy to do.

I also took the decision to get a desk at an office space, that I share with other freelancers in the west of Amsterdam. It's been a huge help to my productivity and my life balance. I'm the only dev there which honestly has been a boon and a continued source of inspiration. I could write an entire article about why I love this setup, but I'll save that for another time.

I've been able to attend a bunch of meetups and conferences, and I've met a lot of great people from Amsterdam and beyond. It's always been a source of inspiration and I'm still convinced after 6 and 1/2 years that I made the right choice moving here.

Life stuff

For the first time in my life I was able to go to Asia with my parents and siblings (Taiwan and Cambodia, two absolutely beautiful countries). I can't wait to go back and explore even more of the world.

I also turned 30 years old this year! We had a huge party with my best mate Anthelme (who was born 3 days before me), and we passed that milestone together. I had trouble choosing one photo for this article but if you were wondering what that was about, there you go. Here's to 10 more years of adventures!

What's next?

For 2025, I want to focus on a few things:

1. Travel more. I've been the most inspired when I was away from home, and I want to keep that going.
2. Create more. Whether it's code, words, pictures, physical things, or who knows what, I want to make more things that I can share with my friends.
3. Grow my network, meet more people, share more knowledge and ideas.

Oh and if you have a project in 2025 you think I could help with, I'd love to chat!

And before I log off to celebrate the new year, I want to thank everyone who's crossed paths with me this year, whether it was for a coffee, a project, a chat, a laugh, or a cry. You've all been a part of this amazing year and I can't wait to see what 2025 has in store for us ❤︎

Happy new year!