It’s been one of those slow weeks especially after the Sinhalese & Tamil new year here in SL.

Fortunately I work out of a location in the heart of Colombo, and close enough to take a refreshing dip in a pool at the nearest hotel.

Letting my eyes rest on the greenery and the little seating spaces around the pool, I couldn’t help but feel an immense sense of gratitude, primarily for the life I can afford to live, the portfolio of amazing clients I’ve built, especially those who’ve stuck with me for more than a decade, showing me considerable kindness and consideration, and second, for the choice i made more than two decades ago to shun the 9-5 life and embrace the life of a freelancer.

The journey hasn’t been an easy one, and in a strange way, I suppose I owe my first two employers for pushing me to a point where i knew I was done with traditional employment, at least for a good long while!

My first employer came through a family connection, primarily to discourage me from following the arts, and make me focus on the well-trodden path. The business, an NGO connected to the Worldview International Foundation, Osla, Norway. The company was passed from hand to toxic, try-hard hand, and closed down in disgrace. A literal trainwreck!

The lesson I learned? Not everyone who’s older than you is wiser than you, and most pearls of wisdom that come out of the insecure & egoisitic are worthless, especially those who pretend they can live upto the image they project out into the world.

My second employer, a hotel & travel chain, one that pressed on the unsuspecting employee, how lucky they are to be a part of their “family”. I had the immense misfortune of being in the middle of a extremely toxic infatuation, between my employer, a married, socially awkward man-brat, begging for acknowledgement, and a self-deluded individual who had convinced herself that everyone was admiring her, and used the poor attention-starved man-brats infatuation to her advantage. This lasted barely 3 months before I was handing in my registration, with the HR department casually covering it all up.

This would be my last attempt at joining the rate-race, much to the chagrin of those who “knew better”.

The next few years though difficult, were transformative. I met one of Sri Lanka’s foremost fashion designers who taught me the ropes of working for yourself. I landed several clients of my own, I completed a quite a few projects, made mistakes along the way, grew (I like to believe) a formidable work ethic, made more mistakes, all the while streamlining my processes. Technology moved fast, and only got faster, adding to the tools I had to master, as well as new markets and new business processes and standards. Most importantly, I learnt responsibility, discipline, and focus!

Now, here I am in 2025, nearly always tired, but thankful to be doing what I love, thankful I answer to no more insecure, corporate try-hards, and grateful to everyone who supported me along the way.