2022. What a turbulent year. For the world. And for me.

Ever since I came back to Berlin after traveling for an extended period in 2016 I was so fed up with traveling, that I just wanted to stay in once place. That place was Berlin for the better part of six years. I've lived there before for a couple of years, and it's the place that always felt closest to home for me.

It's where I got my first real job, where I fell in love for the first time, where I started my first company. It's where most of my friends have lived, it's where I've experienced some of the most interesting times of my life, in good and in bad ways. I kinda swore myself that this time I came back to stay.

Fast forward a couple of years and here I am in 2022. Living in the Austrian countryside. The next supermarket is a mere 30min car ride away. Most of our neighbors are farmers. The contrast couldn't be higher. What happened?

The times they are a-changing.

I grow older. Not more mature, unfortunately, but definitely older. Wrinkles and grey hair can tell. My life revolves around my dog a lot nowadays and living in Berlin wasn't what it used to be. Driving outside of the city everyday in the morning, trying do dodge rush hour traffic. Not hanging out in bars or clubs anymore. Losing interest in many of the things that made Berlin so special for me years ago. It felt like it was the right time for a change.

Earlier in the year Jesús and I had already made the decision to close our physical location. Our studio space had been empty for 18 months already due to Covid and we also downsized the company – well, we didn't, but the team naturally did. Chris is still dearly missed, but we are happy for him for taking the step to fully focus on his spiritual journey looking for meaning in life beyond capitalist constructs. We also hired Milan, who has already celebrated his two-year anniversary at okay bueno by now, and we enjoyed working with him so much that we knew that we would have to become at least a hybrid studio: being paraplegic, it wasn't an option for Milan to relocate and join us in Berlin. Also, how stupid is it to occupy real estate in Berlin for no reason?

Turning okay bueno into a fully remote Studio came with lots of challenges, and I can't say we solved all of them already, but we are making it work. With this decision came a newfound freedom, and I tried to capitalize on it.

Mental breakdowns and inner peace

Moving to Austria was a crazy endeavour. It included tears on the highway and a full mental breakdown in our new home. I can't say those days weren't rough, but they were well worth it. After settling in, I found a feeling of calm. Something I haven't experienced at any other place in the world yet. I spend way more time outside. Taking hikes, chopping wood, staring at mountains. It's different. It's new. It's exciting for me. Sure, the novelty won't last. But if the feeling of calm could stay, I'd be more than content. I've started picking up old hobbies again, drawing, writing, things I didn't seem to have time for anymore. It feels rejuvenating. It feels right.

Growing the studio again

Exactly at this time of peace we decided to grow again. Life's funny like that. We took on a few new partners and large projects that we are really excited about and realized we would need to grow our design and operations team, so in November/December Dani and Charlie joined us, with onboardings in Salzburg and Berlin – these were the only times I travelled, and I can't say it was easy for me, but I'm glad I got to meet them in person (again, in case of Dani) before kicking off our collaboration remotely.

Preparing for 2023.

Honestly, I feel ready for whatever 2023 brings. Fully settling into my new home? Of course. Longer hikes? Yes, please. New projects? Sure. I won't make any predictions (I'm not a fucking McKinsey report), but I'm excited about at least some of the technologies that currently dominate the tech community, and I'm looking forward to exploring my interests in a multitude of fields.