off the clock
The things that don’t fit in a case study.
Some are projects. Some are places, people, animals or things I’m still learning. They’re part of the same life that sits behind the work.
I didn’t arrive with a five-year plan. I built things one piece at a time.
01 / starting again
01 / starting again
A life rebuilt between Colombia and France.
I grew up in Colombia and moved to France in 2020. Moving across the Atlantic meant more than changing address: I had to rebuild routines, references and, eventually, my profession in another language. A lot of what I do now came from figuring things out one piece at a time.
Back home, Daya, Dayis and Dayo were versions of my name. In France, the way the ‘y’ sounded gradually turned one of them into Day. I kept it because it started to feel like the name of the version of me I was building here, still Colombian, just shaped by another place too.
Two cats, two countries.
Tonny stayed in Colombia with my family. Yuumi lives with me here, usually in a basket under a chair, in the sun. It’s a small, ordinary reminder that my life still stretches between both places.
02 / places that make me stop
Places that make me stop.
I’ve travelled quite a bit, including a month on my own around Europe. Doing that alone made me much more comfortable navigating unfamiliar places, changing plans and trusting myself. I still love the views that make me stop, but the travelling itself has mattered just as much as the places.
See the places I’ve visited (opens Google Maps in a new tab)
03 / making things
A branding project for my family’s company.
Conalflex is my family’s company in Colombia, and it has been around for about 30 years. As the company prepares to expand into flexible packaging, my brother asked me to help rethink the brand so it can support that next stage.
I’m working with him on the rebrand and the identity the company will use as it evolves. I’m not part of the day-to-day operations; I step in on the brand when there is something useful to move forward.
Working with family does make feedback a little less formal. Sometimes it arrives at dinner.
5 Suites: trying to make a video game with friends.
5 Suites is the name we gave our little game project. We’re doing it for fun, but we’re organised enough to keep it moving: we schedule Discord calls, split tasks flexibly and keep notes, without hard deadlines or pressure.
We all explored character ideas. My Big Gigou concept sheet became the direction we’re currently taking for the game’s hero, and I’m continuing to work on the character because I enjoy the concept-art side of it.
My role stays deliberately flexible: I help with the organisation, the Discord space and meeting notes, contribute to the visual exploration, and I’m starting to learn more about game design. I’m still a beginner on that side, which is part of why the project is fun.
So far the creature has more personality than the game.
Characters, forests, and one very serious frog.
It’s not a daily discipline. It happens when it happens, usually late. Digital mostly, ink when I have the patience. It’s where I try things I wouldn’t necessarily try anywhere else.
04 / still beginning
I like having a few things in my life where I’m allowed to be a beginner.
Practice, not expertise. I like being bad at something new.
Japanese
daily · beginner
Very much a beginner. I started because I love how the language sounds and wanted to understand a little more of it. The streak is mostly me trying not to break it.
Rhino / 3D
starting · first exercises
I want to be able to model an object, not only draw it. I’m learning to think in volumes instead of flat shapes. Right now I’m at the stage where everything takes ten times too long.
There are still things I’m only beginning to understand, and I want to learn them anyway.