BALI TO BRISTOL

HOW BEING A ‘DIGITAL NOMAD’ HELPED ME TO RIDE OUT THE TURBULENCE OF COVID-19

MIKE BERWIN SCHOOL HOUSE 2002-2006

At the time global awareness of the Covid-19 pandemic was spreading, I was just over a year into living my #bestlife in Bali, Indonesia.

Back in December of 2018, I left New York to escape having to endure a sixth winter there and decided to spend a couple of months in Bali with the plan of returning to Manhattan after the city had thawed. I could never have imagined that I’d actually end up spending over a year in Bali and be able to fill it with so many amazing experiences. But that’s exactly what happened and I was finally feeling like

I’d laid down some solid foundations for a continued future there. Then everything changed...

Fast forward to the middle of March 2020 when I made the incredibly tough decision to leave my life in Bali and come back to the UK, my birthplace but somewhere that I hadn’t lived in for over seven years.

The combination of vulnerable family members who were and still are at risk as well as the many unknowns of what was going to happen globally made for a compelling case to ‘come home’. Within

48hrs of making my decision I had packed up my villa, said my goodbyes and was on a plane headed back to the UK.

Luckily for me, my brother James (Weymouth, 99-04) and his wife Susan opened their home (and bubble) in Bristol to me and I spent the following three months during lockdown with them and their (at the time) yet to be born baby girl, Annabel.

After a couple of weeks feeling more than a little unsettled at both my new surroundings in Bristol and the plight of the world, I got back into my flow and my work. For the past four years, that has been running my digital branding and design agency, Napkin Studio. We provide strategy, design and development services to companies, brands and individuals covering a wide spectrum of industries.

When setting up Napkin Studio I made a conscious decision to not take on the burden of a physical office space or to hire full-time employees but rather to allow myself to work from wherever I wanted and with whomever I wanted. That strategy I believe has been key in allowing me to survive during these unprecedented times.

Today’s technology that can help keep us connected and be able to collaborate when apart, I’ve been able to weather the storm of Covid-19 and come out the other side.

I know that for so many around the world that’s not been their reality and so I decided early on after returning to Bristol to dedicate resources from my agency to help those who needed design services to help their own business adjust to life in lockdown. I truly believe that the future of remote work and those who can work from anywhere is only going to increase exponentially. However it’s going to take some time for people to adapt to this new normal. www.napkin.studio

As for me, I now find myself making another move from Bristol to London and I’m excited at the new opportunities that will bring.

If you’re thinking about going out on your own or want to understand better how to set yourself up to work remotely, feel free to get in touch and I’d be happy to share my experiences.