Hello, I’m Quentin. I love tech, design, and coffee ☕️
Welcome to my first blog post. I will try to help you understand who I am in just a few lines. Let me know if I succeed :)
Freedom, a life goal.
I want to feel free and inspire others to achieve the same.
Financially free, we all know that in our world, money is a tool that facilitates life and grants us more freedom, freedom to say no.
Geographically free, I wish to be wherever I want, whenever I want, and today’s technologies make that possible.
Temporarily free, I want to manage my work time and personal time as I wish, so I can be happier and more productive.
A long journey to the life of a Digital Nomad
For the past two years, I have had this goal in mind.
Two years ago, I had just completed my third year in business school, which was largely conducted remotely due to Covid.
I found myself, at 20 years old, in my room, deciding to sit down and reflect, in a rational manner.
First step, my personal and professional assessment.
I open a Notion page (the best note-taking tool, a true second brain, but that’s not the topic), and I begin this introspective work.
What do I like?
I love being impressed by all that we can achieve thanks to new technologies. I enjoy being amazed by innovation, and Apple does it brilliantly. While browsing Apple’s website, I find everything to be well thought-out, it’s smooth, it’s pleasant.
I realize at that moment that I am feeling emotions on a website that sells phones.
With my favorite tech YouTubers, I must mention Leo Duff, as I become a true enthusiast of the Apple brand, which continues to impress me to this day.
I could name other brands that evoke this feeling in me, bringing me back to childhood, like on Christmas when we unwrapped our gifts.
Tesla is definitely one of them; I have had the chance to drive a Tesla several times, and honestly, it’s amazing.
In short, I love tech, genuinely.
Where do I stand?
At that time, I was wrapping up my third year and needed to choose a field for my master’s the following year, so I got hired as an Amazon delivery driver. I wanted to work to buy a Mac.
I have ambition; I dream a lot.
What do I want?
Being a delivery driver didn’t bother me; in fact, I enjoyed thinking that I was getting paid to drive and listen to music all day (of course, that’s not all it is, but let's say I wasn't complaining). After a week, I started to cycle through my Spotify playlists, having re-listened to all my favorite albums.
I had heard about a podcast that a YouTuber I like had created (shoutout to Techout). After catching up on the few episodes I had missed, I wanted more! To me, I had hacked life; I could spend almost my entire days listening to podcasts, and I really grew to love it.
That’s how I started listening to inspiring life stories and discovering the lifestyle of a Digital Nomad.
Wait,
Is it possible to have a life where you earn a good living while traveling and have time for yourself and your loved ones? Can it really happen?
OK, I want that.
Becoming a Digital Nomad has become a goal for me.
But it’s not that simple. To be a Digital Nomad, you need to have a job that allows it, and most importantly, you must have the ability to organize yourself and manage your time.
Second step, need for change.
So, I love tech, I have ambition, and I want to be free.
It's 2020, summer, and I finally have my long-awaited Mac.
I’m still listening to podcasts, watching a lot of YouTube videos, and I discover a fantastic tool that you all know today, Figma.
I then discover the profession of UI/UX Designer. So I can create interfaces just like the ones I love at Apple and in the tech world, using Figma, an equally enjoyable tool to work with, and this activity can be done remotely?
Well, as you guessed, I think this profession is the intersection of my passion and my dream—this is why it has become my ambition.
I wish to learn interface design. Most schools are located in Paris and Bordeaux. I choose Bordeaux because I love that city. I apply to four schools that resonate with me and offer paths that interest me.
Third step, the response to this need.
I take four entrance exams for a master’s program. I pass them all. I was not expecting that.
I choose the one which I believe is the best → Sup de Pub.
I want to start design right away, to begin learning and improving in interface design. I hear about, in the podcast Parlons Design, a method to learn this profession autonomously: challenges.
So I dive into the Daily UI Challenge. One design per day for 100 days.
Wanting to also start building my LinkedIn, I decide to post my design daily on this platform.
I did not expect such results. My best post reached 700,000 views.
This challenge, in addition to my student projects, was an excellent way to build my portfolio, which was, until then, non-existent.
I am also interested in personal development and implement sports and nutrition routines in my daily life. This helps me feel better in my body, take care of my health, and boost my self-confidence.
A field where I feel good.
I am proud today to join the adventure of Digidop, which contributes to my life goals and will, I am sure, be an accelerator for these objectives.
I am preparing a degree as a Creative Director specializing in Digital Design, it’s just a piece of paper, but still, I think it sounds impressive!
The skills I still need to acquire.
There are still major steps to take to reach my objectives.
I would like to become a recognized expert in Figma.
I want to test the Digital Nomad lifestyle, to see concretely how I organize myself and how I remain productive.
I would like to be capable of creating a website from scratch, on my own.
The action plan for the next steps in my journey.
Here’s my action plan to make the most of my Digidop experience, aligned with my life goals.
- Constantly improve on Figma and document my progress on social media.
- Take at least a week to start, in a city I don’t know, to test the Digital Nomad lifestyle.
- Train in Webflow, SEO, and automation tools, in order to have a comprehensive view of website creation in no-code.
Follow my evolution as a designer on social media.
I plan to document my entire adventure at Digidop as well as tips on Figma, Digital Nomadism, or productivity on Instagram!
If you have any questions about me or my work, feel free to send me a message on LinkedIn.
If you don’t have any questions but have read this far, thank you, and I invite you to add me on LinkedIn anyway :)
See you soon 👋
