
HI, I’M JEF VAN DE GRAAF
Not Jesus.
Seriously, no one’s here to save you.
Sound familiar?
Go to school. Get a job. Marry someone nice. Buy shit you don’t need. Raise kids you can’t afford. Then… what? Die unhappy and burn in hell because, oops, you picked the wrong religion?
That’s a cute formula for living.
But it’s not the one for me.
I was a black sheep. A misfit that flirted with nihilism to cope with other people’s expectations. I would numb myself with distraction and wore self-destruction like armor. I imagined ways I’d like to die—but only because I didn’t know how to be alive.
Guess what?
I know I’m not the only one.
Maybe you’ve felt it too. That quiet ache in your chest when the world goes still. Like a flicker of truth that slips between the cracks and appears only when you stop pretending everything’s fine.
Of course, you can try to ignore it.
Maybe there’s some forgotten corner of yourself to bury it. Maybe you can spend the rest of your life running from it. Or maybe it’s damn well time to stop and listen to the voice inside that asks:
- Who the fuck are you?
- How did you get here?
- What are you really chasing?
- Why do you feel like you don’t belong?
- When did you start living this lie?
- Is this really the life you’re meant for?
- Where the hell are you going next?
That’s what my website is about. A place where I unpack my stories, my lessons, my achievements, and whatever else I need to do to survive in business—and in life.
If you’re figuring things out too, welcome.
I hope this helps you make sense of the long—and often lonely—road ahead should you be brave enough to…
Escape into the Great Unknown
Ready? Start Here ➞Escape
verb
To face discomfort with courage. Leaving the familiar in pursuit of something real. A conscious act to build the life you were meant to live.
Escap-ism
noun
To numb, delay, or disappear. Distracting yourself from truth, pain, or purpose. A self-made trap that takes you nowhere.

MY PERSONAL STORY
Rōnin by day.
Copywriter by night.
I sold all my belongings and booked a one-way ticket to Japan in 2016. Throughout my travels, I cycled across 7+ Asian countries, built a few businesses, failed multiple times, learned some new languages, got deported from Indonesia, and more.
I’ve been writing articles on JefvandeGraaf.com to share my life experiences and provide you with helpful information on freelance copywriting, website marketing, and digital nomad life.
By no means do I consider myself to be an internet “guru” luring you to purchase a get-rich-quick scam with false claims of earning millions of dollars and an Instagrammable lifestyle. I have no time for that bullshit and neither do you.
Here is a place with honest and unfiltered advice on the world as I know it. It may not be perfect – but – my greatest hope is to help you on your journey in life as you escape into the great unknown.
Want more of me in your life?
- Connect with me on Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and TikTok.
- Click here to receive my F*ck It Newsletter
My craziest adventures.
- Hitchhiking from Toronto to Vancouver Island for 8 months with only a backpack, tent, and guitar (2010)
- Cycle touring from Toronto to St. John’s + fundraising for Boost: Child & Youth Advocacy Center (2012)
- Cycle touring South East Asia — i.e., Japan > South Korea > Taiwan > Philippines > Indonesia > Malaysia > Singapore > China > Hong Kong (2014 to 2018)
My academic accolades.
- BSc. Honours Biomedical Sciences | Double Minor in Biology & Psychology from the University of Waterloo (2012)
- Certificate in Applied Counselling | University of Manitoba (2014)