Neurodiverse 🧠

My trip to Lisbon, new vlog and embracing my creative brain

This is a new edition of my monthly newsletter. One of the biggest pluses of freelance work (and therefore freelance life) is the possibility of working from anywhere. Literally take your laptop / tablet / phone etc. with you, hop on a train / plane / boat etc. , connect to the internet and that’s it!

I don’t know how about you, but for me it’s a huge luxury.

The Menu for This Week

🌳 My Lisbon Art Vlog

🌳 Being Neurodivergent as an Artist

🌳 Something for Freelancers

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Lisboa Diaries

Just today I uploaded a new YouTube video. Have you noticed the change on my channel? What do you think about it? Do you miss the old videos or rather prefer the new ones?

Speaking of the video, I filmed it in Portugal. While reflecting on it, I realized that on every single trip I’ve taken this year, I’ve worked. Whether it was from a hotel room, a hotel lobby, or my all-time favorite - local cafés. Local coffee spots are on the same level for me when it comes to priority as local museums, and working from them is a perfect blend of experiences.

Too often, projects extend beyond their original timelines (not because of me : ). Schedules shift, unexpected edits pop up, or new projects suddenly appear (best option!). Because of this, I’ve made a habit of carving out time during my travels to ensure I meet my deadlines, stay connected with clients, and deliver all projects on time.

Sure, 'working while away' doesn’t always paint the perfect picture of rest or vacation, but I honestly don’t mind it. I love what I do, and I greet all the exciting creative challenges and opportunities that come my way with open hands.

The freedom that comes with freelance life, the ability to set my own schedule and design my days however I like, entirely makes up for any occasional discomforts.

And so, here’s my question to you: How do you feel about blending work and travel? Is it something you embrace or something you prefer to keep separate? Let me know your thoughts in the video comment section, I love to read you guys there.

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Illustrating while neurodivergent

I have never actually mentioned this publicly before today, shyly remarking it in my most recent video. I’m on the spectrum which, once I got my evaluation, makes so much sense to me and kind of puts all the pieces I was struggling with together. It just made a lot of sense and honestly, it was a bit of a relief.

I know that some of you are in a similar situation, that’s why I thought it would be a nice idea to talk a bit more about it.

As a freelance artist, this realization has helped me understand myself better. Running my own creative business has not only been a source of independence but has also allowed me to challenge some of the most common (and, honestly, inaccurate) stereotypes about artists.

I take immense pride in my work ethic and because of my autistic perfectionism, empathy and attention to detail, rarely do I come across professionals as organized and business-minded as I’ve become. That drive for precision and professionalism has not only helped me deliver awesome work but has also shaped my identity as an artist and entrepreneur.

I know some of you might be in a similar situation, either after your ‘aha’ moment, or figuring things out. That’s why I thought it might be a good idea to include a short text about it here <3

If this resonates with you or sparks questions, feel free to share your thoughts, let me know if you’d like a video about it.

Please have in mind I don’t check private messages anywhere (they’re disorganized and full of spam!), but I do always check the comments everywhere:)

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Roadmap Diaries

Today, I’m dedicating a small part of my usual publication to … talk about my husband.

There are a lot of jokes about having an artist as your life partner, but there should be even more about partners that are serial entrepreneurs with million ideas per minute.

So, there’s a new series called “Roadmap Diaries” and it contains short, few minutes each, vlogs, tips and ideas about building a tech startup.

Pedro’s idea is to slowly start sharing all the aspects of what it takes to build something, and this can apply to many - artists, business owners, entrepreneurs.

He is also giving free advice for freelancers on his channel and (because I have connections) I know that he has a lot of videos planned that could really help. Not only does he has experience in international business as he lived and worked everywhere, but also understands our struggles firsthand (cause he’s well connected too).

And he creates all this content just as a plus and because he likes it, no paywalls, no courses, just stuff that’s out there, hoping to help someone along the way.

By the way, Pedro is also neurodivergent (on the spectrum and with high functioning ADHD) so what a mix!

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