I came to this place in hopes to better myself and provide designs and a creative outlook for Mercy Machines, a philanthropic adventure marketing campaign. I had a fake it ’til I make it mentality since I was lacking a professional portfolio, and I quickly learned that this was no apprenticeship. I was an associate producer and THE graphic designer on the project. We had a team of three and I was one of them, making something big out of a simple idea.

It didn’t take long until I realized I came to Bali to work for Mercy Machines, but Mercy Machines was not the reason I was there.

I began to meet people- photographers, graphic designers, bike buildings, artists who work with string, artists who work with leather, writers, creative directors, textile designers, street artists, and so on. I sat with graphic designers in hot coffee shops with no air con for hours on end. We drew, we collaborated, we worked in silence, we made things. I second-shot for photographers and was taught the secrets of the trade while exploring places only locals knew of. I was taken into artist studios and shown work only meant for the eyes of close friends. I was becoming a part of a creative community, which I had always longed for but was never able to find, and I was discovering what the word ‘home’ meant.

I thought coming to Bali would result in some additions to my portfolio and maybe turn me into a yoga guru and surf goodness, just like in the movies. I quickly realized that Bali is so much more than just that. It ended up showing me a different outlook and gave me the resources to do things I never knew I was capable of.