Built by Curiosity: My Journey from Architecture to Independent Creativity

From a childhood fascination with making things work, to studying architecture, building an independent freelance career, and finding my next direction in an industry being reshaped by AI.

Reinhard E. Mozes

11/8/20269 min read

Built by Curiosity: My Journey from Architecture to Independent Creativity

From a childhood fascination with making things work, to studying architecture, building an independent freelance career, and finding my next direction in an industry being reshaped by AI.

It Started With Curiosity

I was born on November 1, 1993, in a small town called Sampit, in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia.

See that camera flash I'm holding? Ever since I was a child, I've been fascinated by how things work. Not just the things we can see, but also the mechanisms, systems, and processes happening behind them. I loved experimenting, taking things apart, putting things together, and trying to create something myself.

I think I was around seven when I made my first little invention: a paper vending machine.

It was made almost entirely from paper and straws. I built a working lever mechanism, and when you pulled it, a paper cup would drop through an outlet. It wasn't particularly sophisticated, but to me, it was amazing. I had an idea, figured out how to make the mechanism work, and turned it into something physical.

That feeling stayed with me.

I didn't necessarily want to become an artist, an engineer, or an inventor. I just loved creating things and understanding how different parts could work together.

Why Architecture?

During my teenage years, I moved away from my hometown to attend high school in Yogyakarta. It was a big change. I met more creative people, discovered different perspectives, and started understanding what I really enjoyed.

I loved art, but I also loved mechanical and technical things. I wanted to create something visually interesting, but I also wanted a systematic process behind it.

Honestly, I never really considered going to art school. I felt that something purely abstract wasn't quite what I was looking for. I wanted a creative discipline with structure, logic, and a way of thinking that I could follow to develop an idea.

Then I discovered architecture.

What attracted me wasn't necessarily the buildings themselves. I was more interested in how people think when they design something. How do they approach a problem? How do they organize spaces? How do they turn an idea into something that can actually exist?

Architecture seemed to sit right between creativity and systematic thinking. That was exactly the combination I was looking for.

I spent four years and seven months studying architecture, eventually graduating in 2017 with a Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) in Architecture.

Little did I know that graduating would be the beginning of a very different journey.

No Job? Fine. I'll Make Something.

Around the time I graduated, Indonesia was introducing new professional requirements for architectural practice. One of the pathways involved gaining several years of professional experience in an architectural firm.

I started applying for jobs. I went through interviews, contacted several firms, and tried to find my way into the conventional architectural career path.

But nothing really happened.

I wasn't from a wealthy family. My education had been funded by my mother, who worked incredibly hard selling traditional food. She would wake up around 2 a.m. to prepare and deliver orders by 5 a.m., then return to the stores in the afternoon to continue her work.

That's how we managed to get through those years.

So, after around four months of waiting and unsuccessful job applications, I thought: Fuck it. Let's make something.

I decided to create a fictional portfolio.

These weren't commissioned projects. They were my own concepts, developed to show how I approached design problems and what my work might look like if someone gave me an opportunity.

I published them on Instagram and Behance, created my Fiverr profile, and started looking for clients.

For the next four months, I continued producing work without receiving any orders. I didn't have much money, but fortunately, I could temporarily stay at my sister's house in Bogor, West Java.

Then, eventually, I got my first major opportunity.

I collaborated with a creative director from Atlanta on a historical computer museum project. For me, the payment was significant. More importantly, it gave me a chance to work with an international creative team and prove that I could contribute to something beyond my fictional portfolio.

That first major project changed things.

I had money to support myself, more confidence in my abilities, and a reason to keep going.

Independence Was Always the Plan

After that project, I decided to move to Bali.

I wanted independence. I wanted my own space, my own routine, and the freedom to organize my working hours without disrupting the people around me.

Working with international clients meant that my schedule didn't always follow normal office hours. Sometimes, when everyone else was getting ready for the day, I was just finishing work and preparing to sleep.

Moving to Bali gave me the independence I wanted.

Then COVID happened.

While the world was going through an incredibly difficult period, remote work became more common. For my freelance business, 2021 turned out to be one of the strongest years.

I received more projects, built relationships with long-term clients, and started getting noticed by more people. My freelance work was no longer just an experiment to survive after graduation. It had become my actual career.

I continued working independently, eventually spending time in Jakarta and building relationships with clients through Fiverr, Upwork, and direct collaborations.

I never really entered the conventional 9-to-5 working environment. Since graduating in 2017, freelancing had been my full-time profession.

And honestly, I enjoyed that freedom.

Choosing Family Over My Next Big Plan

In 2021, my father passed away.

At that time, I was already living in Jakarta. After his passing, I started returning to Sampit every two or three months to visit my mother.

I also needed to maintain my working setup in both places, so I built two desktop computers to get the best performance wherever I was working. I wanted to make sure that I could continue handling projects without being tied to one location.

I managed that arrangement until 2024.

Then my uncle, who usually accompanied my mother in Sampit, passed away too.

It was devastating. I had actually been making plans with some friends in Bali to establish our own physical architectural studio. It was something I was looking forward to, and we had already discussed how we might make it happen.

But life had other plans.

My brother and sister already had families of their own. I was the one with the flexibility to work from anywhere, without being tied to a company or office.

So I made my decision.

I left the plan to build a studio in Bali behind and returned to Sampit in 2024.

If something had to be sacrificed, so be it. My mother came first.

I had already lost my father while I was away. I didn't want to look back one day and regret not spending more time with my mother while I still could.

I'm not going to pretend that this decision was easy or that I spent every day feeling emotional about it. That's not how I deal with life. Sometimes I make jokes about difficult things. Sometimes I just get on with whatever needs to be done.

But the decision itself was clear. I wanted to be there for my mother, and I had the flexibility to do it.

So I went home.

The AI Era: Is This the End of My Freelance Career?

For a while, things continued to go well.

Then, around June 2026, I started noticing something unusual in my freelance business.

The number of inquiries through Fiverr and Upwork had dropped significantly.

In the previous year, it wasn't unusual to have two or three people contacting me in a day. But from July onwards, the situation became very different. Until November 8, 2026, I had barely received new projects through those platforms.

Most of the work I was getting came from existing long-term clients returning with new projects.

Naturally, questions started coming into my head.

Is this because of AI?

Are people now doing their own 3D modeling and visualizations with AI tools? Are clients changing the way they approach design projects? Are the skills I've spent years developing becoming less valuable?

For the first time in a while, I genuinely started questioning the future of my career.

Is this it? Is this the end?

But then I remembered something about myself.

I've always been interested in understanding how things work. When something doesn't work, my instinct is to investigate it. I don't immediately accept the situation. I want to understand the mechanism behind the problem.

So I went back to the basics.

What makes people find me? Why did they contact me before? What makes my services visible? And perhaps more importantly, what have I been missing?

One thing became obvious.

For almost nine years, my professional identity had been built primarily around freelance marketplaces. Fiverr and Upwork were where clients found me, evaluated my work, and decided whether to hire me.

But what happens when those platforms change?

What happens when the way people search for freelancers changes?

And what happens when someone wants to learn more about me beyond a marketplace profile?

I realized that I needed something of my own.

Building My Own Place on the Internet

That's why this website exists.

reinhardmozes.com is my next step toward building an independent professional presence, somewhere I can put everything together in one place.

My projects, services, experience, design approach, and the things I've been working on over the years.

I want people to be able to find me through more than just a Fiverr or Upwork search result. I want them to understand what I do, explore my work, and see the different ways I can contribute to their projects.

This is also why I'm updating my other platforms.

I'll be working on my Instagram presence, Behance portfolio, Fiverr and Upwork profiles, and exploring other freelance opportunities such as Toptal. I'm currently going through its screening process.

I know that simply having a website won't magically bring clients. It takes time, consistency, and effort to build visibility.

But I need to start somewhere.

And if it takes me eight hours a day to build this website, so be it.

At least I'm building something that belongs to me.

AI Is Here. So Why Not Learn It?

There's another thing I've been thinking about.

If AI is changing the industry, why should I only see it as an enemy?

I could spend all my time worrying about whether AI will replace my skills. Or I could start understanding how it works and figure out where it can actually help me.

I've always enjoyed learning new tools and experimenting with technology. AI is simply another thing I need to understand.

I don't believe we can just remove it from the equation. It's already changing how people work, create, and solve problems.

So instead of avoiding it, I'm exploring ways to incorporate it into my workflow.

You'll find tools and technologies such as OpenAI, ComfyUI, and other AI-assisted platforms mentioned throughout this website. I'm still experimenting, learning, and figuring out how to use them effectively.

I don't expect AI to do all the thinking for me. I want to understand what it can do, where it falls short, and how I can use it to improve the services I provide.

For me, adapting is much more interesting than complaining about change.

There's Another Side of Me: Project Prometheus

If you explore this website, you'll also find something called Project Prometheus.

It's still under development, and eventually, it will have its own dedicated website.

The idea has actually been in my head since around 2017.

The name comes from Prometheus in Greek mythology, the Titan associated with bringing fire to humanity. I like what that story represents: knowledge, discovery, and the willingness to give something valuable to others.

For me, Project Prometheus is about learning, experimenting, creating, and sharing what I discover.

Not everything has to be about making money.

Sometimes I spend hours developing something simply because I want to understand how it works. Sometimes I create something just to share the process with other people. I don't always expect a financial return from the time and energy I put into it.

Project Prometheus is where I bring that side of myself together.

Architecture has taught me more than how to design buildings. It has given me a way of thinking: understanding problems, breaking them into smaller parts, organizing information, testing ideas, and finding solutions.

I apply that way of thinking to almost everything I do.

Take billiards, for example. I enjoy studying the mechanics and fundamentals of the game, developing training methods, and creating tools that help players understand it better.

I'm also interested in RC drifting. I've designed and 3D-printed custom chassis components, developed my own lighting modules using microcontrollers and AI-assisted coding, and experimented with electronics and mechanical setups.

I enjoy figuring out how things work rather than simply buying something ready-made.

That's also why I've developed and sold custom billiards training tools, and why I plan to create digital products, e-books, and downloadable 3D models in the future.

These interests might seem unrelated at first. Architecture, billiards, RC drifting, electronics, 3D printing, and coding.

But to me, they share something in common.

They're all opportunities to learn, experiment, and solve problems.

Project Prometheus will be the place where I share more of that journey.

It's not just another business. It's a space for the things I enjoy learning and creating, even when there's no immediate financial reward.

So, What's Next?

I don't know exactly where all of this will lead.

Maybe this website will bring new clients. Maybe Project Prometheus will grow into something bigger. Maybe I'll discover new ways to combine architecture, technology, and other interests that I haven't even considered yet.

I do know one thing: I don't want to stop learning or creating.

I started out as a kid who wanted to understand how a paper cup could fall out of a handmade vending machine.

More than thirty years later, I'm still doing essentially the same thing. The tools are different, the projects are bigger, and the problems are more complicated. But the curiosity is still there.

I chose architecture because it gave me a structured way to turn ideas into something real. Freelancing gave me the freedom to explore that independently. And now, in an industry changing faster than ever, I'm building my own platform and learning new ways to work.

This website is my next step.

Not a declaration that I've figured everything out. Not a promise that everything will work perfectly.

Just another project, another experiment, and another opportunity to build something.

Let's see where it goes.