Hello! Pleased to meet you.

I'm a graphic designer living in Rome with my partner I met while on a whirlwind trip around the world in 5 months.

Before all that I lived in Minneapolis, MN for 10 years going to University, working at many different coffee shops/restaurants, and eventually working in design. The stability I had in my full time design job was nice, but after a while I started to ask those questions, like what does it all mean? Why do I value working so much over feeling like I'm actually making decisions for my life? What am I really afraid of if I had a complete lifestyle change? Is money worth it if you never have time? My world trip definitely helped me figure some of these things out, and more importantly made me way less afraid of taking chances in those moments your heart feels inclined even if your brain doesn't.

So now instead of stability, I have an array of freelance jobs that keep me busy. Sometimes it's hard to know when to stop working for the day, but I do enjoy setting my own schedule and having time to put effort into people's projects! A fun company I started recently is called "Hip My Trip", where I make custom travel maps showing routes from people's trip (HipMyTrip.com), it's so much fun to hear about others' trips! And it's inspiring too! Also another hobby I'm fortunate to have started again is gardening. The weather in Rome is so beautiful and warm (compared to MN!) and getting my hands covered in soil after breakfast is one of the greatest joys of my day.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Currently I'm living in Rome so if I was on couchsurfing it would be for a shorter trip from here most likely. The apartment I'm staying at here doesn't allow other guests unfortunately so we can't host right now.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Some couch surfing experience, though more with helpx.net and workaway.com.

Interests

Learning, art, comedy, second cheapest champagne, hiking, internet, making things, exploring, coffee, pastries, dive cafes, nature.

• arts
• culture
• design
• graphic design
• illustrations
• coffee
• gardening
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• surfing
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Eckhart Tolle, Seneca, Dan Savage, Craig Thompson, Roald Dahl, Naomi Klein, John Waters (Crybaby!) That Thing You Do, Mark Manson, Dark Dark Dark, Grimes

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Left my stable job, comfort and happiness in Minneapolis to travel around the world. This has made me much more confident in myself and less afraid to follow my heart, and be more empathetic towards others.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can help with graphic design, branding UX, english. I would like to learn more about- camping, hiking, gardening. Also I would like to expand on any existing language I'm learning but really any other language!

What I Can Share with Hosts

Cooking skills, cleaning, english practice, graphic design help....

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Canada, Croatia, Ecuador, France, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Macedonia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Russian Federation, Serbia, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Italy, United States