What's next
As of July 31st, my work contract with Rapid officially ended and that chapter of my life is closed.
It was chaotic and tumultuous. But it was also fun and I learned loads about myself, what I'm capable of achieving, and perhaps most importantly what matters to me when it comes to having a fulfilled life. It was disappointing how things ended, with the company being reduced to less than 50 people from over 200 but sometimes things happen that, plainly put, suck. You can get wrapped up in anger about how it all went down, but at the end of the day that's not going to get you anywhere.
I am grateful for the loads of wonderful and intelligent humans I got to spend my days with. I'm grateful for what I learned about APIs and developer tooling. I'm sad that we didn't get to do what we wanted to do with the Paw HTTP Client app. I'm sad the Berlin office wasn't even open a year. I'm sad I won't get more time to learn from everyone in the office.
I'm sad my dog won't live in Germany with me and be a little metropolitan Pomeranian in the country of her ancestors. Or that she won't get to hop on the U-Bahn with me.
But I'm not sad about what's next. Better things come along and I'm convinced this was a lesson. I needed to know I was capable of leaving everything behind to try something new. And the worst may have happened but the worst often leads to something new and better.
So what's next? (A "Now" List of sorts) #
I wrote about Now Lists in my newsletter. Now Lists are meant to act as a way to focus in on what's most important to you that you're focused on right now.
- Jhey and I are getting married & I'll be applying for a UK visa (super excited!)
- Figuring out the best way to get my pet to the UK and avoiding flying her in cargo
- Finishing a few freelance projects currently in progress
- Booking freelance projects for the next few months to keep some cash flow coming in
- Waiting for the print version of my book to arrive
- Building out a business site for myself & services I offer
- Establishing a routine of yoga, barre, gratitude journaling and making time for learning
- Finding all the damn shrines in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Career #
Though I have applied to a few full time roles sporadically, it's difficult because I don't want to stay in Germany.
I have a unique set of skills. The graphic designer turned web & UX designer who learned how to code and was then hired as a product manager but was doing product, design, code and developer relations for the web platform.
This has me primely positioned to offer not just design services but the knowledge to improve the performance, accessibility, and security of your digital presence. You get a designer who understands that performance metrics impacts your bottom line and can cost you thousands to potentially hundreds of thousands depending on your business.
I understand that user experience isn't just how your customers interact with your website or product and that improving UX is more than just rearranging visuals on the screen. It's the clarity of your content. It's letting customers know where they are at all times on your site. It's how your website is built. It's the file size of the images your customers have to download. It's the amount of unused JavaScript delaying your page load.
I pride myself on adopting a holistic approach to the web, ensuring that your brand, website, or product not only looks great but also performs well, remains accessible, and streamlines your customers' journey. The goal is to create a seamless user experience will leave a lasting impression on your customers, leading to recommendations and repeat visits to your site.
Get in touch if you need design and product work, whether that's from the ground up or you want someone to assess your existing site or product and give recommendations. A full list of services I offer will be coming soon. My newsletter is the best way to stay up to date with what's going on and to be notified when my new business launches before the rest of the world knows.
Thank you, next #
I am beyond ready for the next chapter. I spent July in Seattle and Phoenix and had such a lovely reset. I received so many hugs, saw everyone I love, had beautiful conversations, shared many drinks, and experienced the most disgusting heat wave in the desert. But best of all, I spent time with this one and can't wait to have her back with me soon.
Follow me on Mastodon, on Twitter or Instagram and yes I'm on Threads too. I run The Web We Want, a place for web developers and designers to submit the things they need from browsers and the web platform to make their jobs easier. Author of Design for Developers. Subscribe to my newsletter to stay up to date with me, get interesting web platform and design related links, and occasional deals on my book and other merch sent to your inbox.
