Telling my story

I help people tell their stories. It’s time for me to do the same.

Life is a joke

I’m going through a transitional period in my life. In December, I lost a major client who had provided me with financial stability. A few weeks later, my five-year relationship fell apart. That’s a lot. Way too much all at once. It feels like the ground has been pulled out from under me. On the other hand, I’ve discovered a field of expertise that’s a perfect fit for me: storytelling. A blend of three passions that suddenly fit under one name: creativity, communication strategy, and psychology. A specialization I’ve built over the past fifteen years through radio, travel, therapy, marketing, podcasts, and writing.

On a personal level, my life is in pieces. Professionally, I’ve found a clarity I’ve been missing for a long time. Last week, a client got emotional while reading a brand narrative I’d written for her. “Thank you, thank you, thank you for this.” I asked another client why they had chosen me. “Because you specialize in that narrative aspect.” In the midst of clearing away the rubble, I’m building something that feels right.

Here

There’s a city that has captivated me for over ten years: Barcelona. Every time I’m there, I feel truly alive. There’s something in the air that I’ve encountered in very few other places. A creativity, a carefree spirit, a perspective on life that shows me how things could be. There’s a lot happening on the creative front, and I definitely wanted to explore that further at OFFF Barcelona in mid-April. That festival is one of the world’s leading conferences for the creative sector. So I thought, “F*ck it,” and I took the plunge. I decided to live in Barcelona for a month. And so I arrived here a week ago with two big suitcases and a nervous wreck. I want to savor life, build a professional network, but also let my heart find some peace.

I look up

Here I am. In Barcelona. I feel out of place, without a plan, mourning certain future plans, and at the same time excited to be here. It’s a mix of a new beginning and old sorrow. It’s really strange.

During the day I walk in the sunshine; at night I cry in bed.

But I’m trying to embrace it and realize that none of that is really that strange. That things will eventually fall into place. There’s also a fear that I’m building something professionally that will end up fizzling out. I think every entrepreneur feels that way.

Barcelona is one of the few cities where I don’t look down at my feet when I’m walking down the street. I look up, at the fresh new leaves on the trees and the golden sun shining on the facades. Barcelona is the city where I look up.

When my mind gets stuck on what happened or what’s to come, this city pulls me out of it. I look up and realize that I’m here. And that’s the only thing I’m really certain of. Now, I’m here. With an aching heart and ambitious dreams.

But right now, I am here.