I’m just a Brazilian living in Austria. Working from home, where my two dogs seek attention most of the time, trying to get me out of the computer. Sometimes they win and then we go for a walk through the fields of the very small village I live in with my husband. I spend my days designing and developing websites, practicing yoga, and trying to take care of the house, although I believe I am not very gifted as a housewife.
My work as a web designer started at the end of 2017. Back there I built websites to help friends and colleagues, but then I fell in love with it. I’m always learning and improving, so I can get ideas out of the paper and be proud of myself!
I believe my biggest traits are CREATIVITY, ATTENTION TO DETAILS and WILLINGNESS TO KEEP LEARNING.
(things may get a bit poetic – don’t tell me I didn’t warn you)
I believe life is movement, discovery, evolution…
In this quest, I lived in many different places, experienced many different things. I have already graduated in Biology, studying both dolphins in nature and rats in the laboratory; I’ve worked both selling furniture in a city of 400,000 inhabitants and as a waitress in a town of 3,000; I became a scuba diver and could see the world from underwater, but I also took advantage of the warm air currents and looked at the world from above with a paraglider;
I’m from Brazil, but I always wanted to see the world. So in 2014 I left my home country and went to work on a farm in New Zealand, living in a house with way too many rooms, and enough space to have calves, sheep and ducks as pets. Later, I’ve worked and lived between the pacific islands, on a boat with about 13 other people, having the ocean as my yard. I’ve already lived in hotel rooms of Southwest Asia, seeing life pass slowly on the horizon of tropical beaches, but I also have ventured doing stunts on Aerial Silks, in Argentina, allowing the art to speak on my behalf.
I went from someone who loved a Brazilian barbecue with lots of meat, to an extreme vegan, saying no to gatherings to avoid dealing with dietary differences. I went from someone who had health insurance and all medical assistance, to someone who almost died of an unknown disease in a foreign country with an extremely precarious health structure. From being always concerned about the manicure, makeup and gym, to acceptance of my body as it may be. So yes, I swung before I found my balance.
I already taught children in a traditional school, taught scuba diving on the sea, taught Portuguese as a second language for people from all over the world, and taught yoga in parks, studios and also on the internet. I walked many paths and did many things, but I don’t want to stop.
I know sometimes I went a bit too far, to a point where I could no longer see myself and was no longer happy. I realized the mistake and stepped back, but only a few steps, enough to find myself again. In constant movement, I want to keep experimenting and learning, changing and evolving, I will not stop.
Knowledge is something that motivates me. I like discovering, understanding, learning new concepts, but also correcting old ones. Knowledge and self-knowledge are some of the beauties of life. Getting to know myself and others, understanding ideas and thoughts, looking at the world from other perspectives, sharing moments, and evolving together. That’s good for my soul and colors my life.
As I walked, I learned that there are times when we need to accelerate, but in others, life asks for calm, reflection, and patience. We all swing before we find balance.
By understanding that, I fell in love with photography. I can eternalize moments when I photograph them, I can capture feelings and allow others to access it back. Photographing important occasions also makes me wonder about what is important in life, and that’s the beauty of this art. Being a photographer taught me to look differently at things, paying more attention to details, following the light, and recognizing feelings in little gestures.
I also learned how to look for the essence of what makes something unique and special, finding and sharing what brings warmth and arouses feelings when seen, heard and explored. I use this awareness in my work as a Graphic Designer as well, as I need to bring to life a vision, more than a content. For that, understanding the essence that one wants to convey, allows the project to communicate truth and meaning.
That said, I cannot stress enough the role of Yoga in my life, and in who I am. Practicing Yoga helps me in this constant search for the essence of myself. It has been helping me for so many years, that I really don’t know who I would be today without having yoga as part of my growth. So it was natural for me to also become a Yoga Teacher, being able to share with others the benefits that the practice brought to my own life. Enabling self-knowledge and releasing the best version of each one of us, bringing tranquility, well-being, and understanding of the world. It is the essence of things that shows us if a path takes us to our life goals or not, making it crucial to access it. We all deserve to live well, happily and peacefully.
Now I’m in Austria, learning another language, experiencing another culture and another way of life. I live in a very small village with less than 200 inhabitants, close enough to Vienna with all its museums and other infrastructure that can bring me more knowledge and evolution, but also far enough to keep life quiet. Here I am in contact with nature, enjoying the landscape, noticing the changes of seasons from close by, and keeping my heart full of love for my husband and my dogs. Here I allow myself to spend time with what is good for my soul, so I can invest my energy in what is important for me.
It was always difficult for me to describe myself in just a few words. I said before that, for me, life is movement, discovery, evolution… But, life is also about accepting who we are and what makes us happy… It’s about adapting to our realities and making things work. This way, our results will always be better, as inspiration becomes an invaluable tool.
I believe that all these experiences enriched my background, bringing me maturity and certainty in what I like and enjoy doing. And the internet made it possible for me to bring it all together.
I can build a website for a company anywhere in the world, while I’m living here in Austria. And my habit of looking for the essence of things makes me able to understand the entrepreneur’s unique vision. To bring this vision to life transforms the communication with the client into something special and more real.
Also thanks to the internet, I can teach Yoga to those who speak the languages I am fluent in, so it’s not so scary to be in a country where I still do not dominate the official language. I trust that my diverse life path makes me able to understand the needs and difficulties of people with other realities.
So, realizing that my life path improved my work and gave me abilities I didn’t have before, today I can say that I love what I do, and I love that it can all be done from wherever I may be.
I’m Ali, a freelance web designer currently living in Austria. I’ve been designing and developing websites for over 4 years now, working to bring ideas to life with creativity and attention to detail. Here you can explore and know better about my work style and my way of developing projects. Get in touch if you have any questions, suggestions or if you are interested in working together.
email: contact@alirecchia.com
whatsapp: +43 664 9977-9344