I was a creator long before there was an economy for it. As a father, musician, podcaster, and filmmaker, I've never known a life not full of creation. Since 8 years old I've had a camera in my hand, and I thought that after college I'd become the professional film director I'd forever dreamed of being.
But life had other plans for me, and instead of following a focused career path I somehow managed to travel the world with no money on a thrashing journey of self-discovery. I dove head-first into life without a care for the consequences: I saw the places, experienced the people, and explored my passions.
Throughout that time, I was always busy with some new project: YouTube channels, Instagram, innumerable website projects, and I even started a non-profit to help low-budget organizations get media made.
Of course, nothing I did ever stuck. Beyond having no strategy, I also had no goals. I was fully content with living in the moment.
Now, after 15 years of flopping around the world as a digital media maker, I've finally put the pieces together. It's not just about providing value and earning a living doing what you love; it's about claiming sovereignty over your life so you can do things your way.
And that includes making mistakes.
Over the years I sold my time for money or room or board, dabbled in social entrepreneurship, explored handy (and trendy) new technologies, and even attempted to be a social media person with something to share.
It's great trying to achieve lofty ambitions for the world and all, but deep down, I was actually living in a dream land. A pure heart means very little if you're not providing value to the world.
Eventually, my chaotic lifestyle began to culminate with me surrendering to "love." After my first ayahascua ceremonies, I could recognize the lack of boundaries and self-victimizing tendencies that I carried with me, restricting me from developing any further until I finally took responsibility. I was learning to love myself.
That's about when I met a woman who helped reflect what "loving oneself" really meant. Since I was practicing what it meant to put my own well-being first, for the first time I was actually able to fully receive someone else's love. Within a few months, we had a child on the way. It was the most unexpected surprise I could have ever asked for.
Everything started to change in 2017, when the small amount of Bitcoin I'd bought back in 2014 was suddenly worth something significant. I started to feel empowered by having the weight of funding behind me, and by 2021, my new family and I were moving to Hawai'i to start an off-grid homestead.
I learned a lot out there, and now that I'm settled into the family life here in volcano land, I find that the main principle I live by is pretty simple: true freedom starts from within.
No one else is ever going to come save me, it's up to me to do the real work.
Interested in having a chat with me?
What you can find on this website.
There's a lot going on here as I transition it into a hub that supports you in building up your sovereignty. Most of it is all here to provide inspiration or entertainment value in one way or another.
Books
- The Legend of Bruce Hard (fantasy)
- Summer in a Prologue (alternate reality sci-fi)
Memoirs
- The Post-Bohemian Chronicles:
- The Ex-Backpackers of Bangkok (I),
- Transcription of Transformation (II)
- Death of a Traveler (III)
- Locked Down in Argentina 2020
- Jordan's Blog Abroad: France 2007-2008
Graphic Novels
Films
And there's plenty more where that came from (unlike time, which is needed to get the rest of it formatted for the internet!).
So enjoy yourself, and thanks for visiting! I always cherish new connections and feedback, so please feel free to get a hold of me if you so desire.
Jordan Urbs, 2023
