New here, tryna see what's up?! | Squat the Planet

New here, tryna see what's up?!

filmpunk

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I've been lurking for awhile now, super interesting community that I want to learn more about and eventually indulge myself in the same sort of lifestyle. Anyway, I'm 19, currently getting a degree in UX design. After I graduate, my plan is to apply my skills to freelance & become a 'digital nomad.' My places of interest are mainly Europe & Asia, and I'm into nature, art, music, and alternative housing & living and hope to see all of that in my travels. In the meantime, though, I'll be getting my education, learning about the various ideologies I am newly-aligning myself with (anti-capitalism, environmentalism, etc.) & what methods of activism I can do, and utilizing my summers, traveling around the US to see what works and what doesn't (any places you recommend?)

My big first trip that spawned this curiosity was when I studied abroad in Denmark last summer. It was only 3 weeks, but I've had some of the best experiences of my life. Getting a tour around Freetown Christiania, an anarchist commune there, opened my eyes in that I realized I don't need to live the conventional lifestyle that my neighbors live, that the media displays, all that BS.

Anyhow, I'm definitely no hardcore traveler like the most of you, which is why I'm looking to learn more about you guys & myself in the process, scoping out what I'd like to apply to my own life & future travels. Sometimes I feel compelled to get out, anywhere but home, but other times I'm a complete homebody. I'm pretty introverted. End game, I don't see myself traveling the entirety of my lifetime. I like simplicity, and I want to build a tiny house & grow my own garden someday, settle down a bit. But at the same time, I want to explore, to adventure.
 

Matt Derrick

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welcome! yeah, i was persuing the whole digital nomad thing for a while too until i got burned out on doing computer crap. i imagine i'll do that in the future but in a different non-tech related way, maybe teaching english or being a tour guide or anything that keeps me from being locked to a computer all the time.

anyways, i'm curious what exactly is involved with UX design... like, are you taking specific courses or learning specific software? i feel like everyone and their grandma is doing graphic design but maybe UX design isn't as saturated? anyways, i'd be interested to hear your input on it.

that's awesome you got to see christiania, definitely jealous, that's on my bucket list for sure. got any pics stories/from there (or anywhere else)?
 

roughdraft

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sounds like you are pretty thoughtful and got a good head on yr shoulders, keep following yr instinct i reckon. As well when i was 19 i had some of my best travels, so i advise you with much bias to go crazy as often and soon as possible xD bit contradictory but you already know

Please definitely share more about yr time at Christiania with us

& Welcome
 
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filmpunk

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welcome! yeah, i was persuing the whole digital nomad thing for a while too until i got burned out on doing computer crap. i imagine i'll do that in the future but in a different non-tech related way, maybe teaching english or being a tour guide or anything that keeps me from being locked to a computer all the time.

anyways, i'm curious what exactly is involved with UX design... like, are you taking specific courses or learning specific software? i feel like everyone and their grandma is doing graphic design but maybe UX design isn't as saturated? anyways, i'd be interested to hear your input on it.

that's awesome you got to see christiania, definitely jealous, that's on my bucket list for sure. got any pics stories/from there (or anywhere else)?

yeah, so with ux you essentially learn the entire adobe suite for the design basics of web page elements & typography (photoshop, illustrator). we use dreamweaver to make responsive, quick front-end pages (from adobe: "about pages, blogs, e-commerce pages, newsletters, and portfolios" so nothing too complicated) for the advanced back-end stuff, we create prototypes in axure (essentially the layout with functional animations) and let web developers handle the actual code of it. it's an emerging market. avg salary rn is around $75,000. definitely check it out if you're interested, i like it bc it's a good mix of creativity & techy stuff

i only took one picture in christiania... looking back, i should've taken more!! but, they had "no cameras" signs everywhere by the entrance, mainly because there's the infamous 'pusher street' where they openly sell weed, so of course they don't want to be identified. as a first time tourist you bet i stashed my camera away and did not take it out once

freetown.JPG


we got a tour there from a resident, and he showed us around. the entrance opens up to pusher street, where you can buy all sorts of strains of weed, & other weed products like pipes, trays, rolling papers, etc. anyway, it's no secret that this goes on in freetown, i actually was there when police raided the place. it's crazy, it's as if they have lookouts & secret code words they shout, because by the time the police got in, it was deserted and empty. it was as if it never happened. no trace of anything.

they have a little shopping area with clothes, not sure how to describe the style, but it was kind of "boho chic." they also had jewelry and my friends went crazy over it. i ended up buying a little coin purse (that had their flag, red with three yellow dots) & two bracelets, homemade, that said "christiania" on them.

they've got other shops too, like a convenience store where i bought popsicles bc it was super hot that day, & a cute art gallery with home-printed posters and various denmark-centered artworks. there's lots of artisans there, for example, someone who made their own clothes (but it was super expensive...more streetwear style), people who made these bike-carts (SUPER innovative - bikes are everywhere in denmark, they use them in christinia for incoming cargo since they don't allow cars to come in), and some metalworkers who made signs, pots, home furniture items that were pretty neat. on the tour, i was explained that everyone in christinia builds their own house (or if they don't have the skills, there's always a resident who knows) and the power and all that is managed internally. i think they do pay some money to denmark (property tax...? idk), but other than that they're independent. they have this warehouse where you buy supplies to build your house and it was pretty cool. they also have schools for the kids, a library, and a SKATE PARK. music is big there too, they have a stage where they put on concerts. all in all, amazing experience. since they're on a river, as you can see from the map, they have a woodsy area too which is an amazing bike/walking trail. sometimes you see small boats on the river.

christiania turns to a different place at night, mainly a 'party' place with LOTS of drinking and weed smoking. lots of teenagers from around copenhagen go there to blow off steam, i assume. they have bars and clubs open but i think we went on weekday so it was kind of dead, a lot of older people yelling things at us in danish (?)

yeah, so i already wrote quite a bit but that's a summary of my experience there. i'd love to go back. i remember when i left i was like... "bruh... i want to live here" haha
 

filmpunk

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sounds like you are pretty thoughtful and got a good head on yr shoulders, keep following yr instinct i reckon. As well when i was 19 i had some of my best travels, so i advise you with much bias to go crazy as often and soon as possible xD bit contradictory but you already know

Please definitely share more about yr time at Christiania with us

& Welcome

thank you! i shared a bit about christiania above!
 
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japanarchist

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Hey cool introduction and thanks for sharing about christiania! I'm planning on going there myself sometime. Since you're into alternative housing I recommend checking this really cool documentarian who makes videos all about alternative living. Kirsten Dirksen - https://www.youtube.com/user/kirstendirksen She's covered things from tiny homes to people squatting in castles!
 

filmpunk

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Hey cool introduction and thanks for sharing about christiania! I'm planning on going there myself sometime. Since you're into alternative housing I recommend checking this really cool documentarian who makes videos all about alternative living. Kirsten Dirksen - https://www.youtube.com/user/kirstendirksen She's covered things from tiny homes to people squatting in castles!
suuuper late response but yes! i couldn't recommend that place enough. and thanks, i'll have to check that youtuber out!
 

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