It's been a while —a few years, in fact, with just a small exception— since I last shared my thoughts here. I won't go into details, but life has given me a few very good reasons to be distracted from my public writing, experimenting, and sharing.
At some point I just gave up, and stopped writing. Somehow, somewhere I stopped caring. Now it's time to change that.
Creativity comes in many forms
During this "pause" I never really stopped learning and creating—I just kept it to myself. I often thought: "Who really cares if I'm studying this or that?" and paid little attention to the fact that others might be just as curious about the same things I enjoy exploring.
Now, I realise that sharing is part of the creative process, so here’s a list of what I’ve been working on over the past few years. Some projects are still in progress, others have been shelved, and a few are just ideas waiting to be developed. Feel free to suggest new ones or ask me about any of them—I’d love to share my experiences with you!"
Freelance Work
My freelancing work has never stopped. I've been working on a variety of projects, from web development to backend and integration, spanning a lot of industries: banking, communications, mobility, e-commerce. I've been lucky enough to collaborate with some amazing people, which supported me and helped me grow as a professional.
I'm always looking for new opportunities, so if you need help with a project let me know!
(you can check my resume here)
Study
In the summer of 2021, I started a new journey in... Physics! I enrolled in a bachelor's degree in Physics at the University of Milano Bicocca, and I'm loving it. It has been (and still is) an incredibly difficult, frustrating and exciting challenge! I'm learning a lot and I'm excited to see where this path will lead me.
Also, between a development gig and an integral, I'm desperately trying to not lose my Chinese skills. I wish I could be as good as I used to be in the past, but I'm not giving up.
Music
In 2018 I created a Bandcamp page to share some of my music under the nickname Error 500 (guess why I chose this username 😅)
In June 2021 I also contributed to Klytia, a project by Effter Group from Berlin, Germany.
Visuals and other creative stuff
I have a Youtube Channel where I experiment with a wide variety of programming tools: p5.js, MIDI, synths, Sonic Pi, openRNDR, Pure Data...
Luna
In October 2021 I released "Luna", a short musical film, in collaboration with Giulia Cortese. She created the visuals and set the mood, I composed the music and programmed the graphics.
The video was generated using a bunch of technologies:
- MIDI to control characters, filters and scene transitions
- Processing to generate the visuals
- GLSL shaders to create some of the "special effects"
Visual arts, theatre and other forms of creativity
Despite all the bad news and difficulties, the pandemic, the lockdowns... 2021 was indeed a very productive year for me. I even managed to win (in 2022) a graphic contest at the department of Physics in Milano Bicocca University! Some recognition for my work, what a great boost for my self-esteem and motivation.
My winning artworks:
Risonanza
Chaos
Diffusione
Paintings and Sketches
BBetween Theatre Workshop
In 2022-2023 I attended a theatre lab at Bicocca University, in the context of BBetween.
Bbetween is a University of Milano-Bicocca project designed to boost and enhance the general skills of students, personnel and citizens. It offers a wide range of activities: performing arts, writing, sports, strategic games, languages (including Italian Sign Language).
The theatre lab was a great experience: I learned a lot about myself and others, it was super fun and I met truly great people there: creative, open-minded, diverse and supportive. I was afraid of being seen as an outsider, the "40-something Boomer-weirdo guy", but they truly made me feel accepted.
Enjoy the journey
I'm looking forward to sharing more of my journey with you. I hope you'll enjoy the ride!
(P.S. In the meantime, drop me a line if you want to chat or collaborate on something!)