Why does every creative need a side project?

Passion projects serve as a rescue rope that can alleviate work-related stress

This week, I wrote an article for Campaign Middle East about cultivating the habit of developing and exploring side projects and why every creative should have at least one. There are a couple of reasons, but you should avoid complacency at all costs as a creative. Creatives that look for the path of least resistance undermine their potential.

Passion projects serve as a rescue rope that can alleviate work-related stress, rekindle lost passion, breathe new life into creative thoughts, and improve mental health. They’re the playground where a graphic designer morphs into a photographer, an art director transforms into a blogging guru, and a copywriter becomes a novelist.

Things now

?? Do we collaborate too much?

Stella Garber makes a great point about excessive collaboration. Collaboration tools have made teaming up on projects the norm but at a high cost. The surge in meetings, Slack messages, and emails adds unnecessary complexity, leading to decision-making chaos. We're bogged down by collaboration overload, cluttering our schedules and focus. I completely agree. Maybe we do collaborate too much, and less collaboration can have a more positive impact on productivity. There's this myth that more people can lead to better creative output. Although quantity may be a factor in creativity (more ideas can lead to better ideas), having more people does not always correlate with better quality or output. There's a line of diminishing returns where decision-making is negatively affected. Ultimately, excessive collaboration erodes decisions.

?? Sound on!

Sound and music are crucial elements in evoking emotional impact, establishing the atmosphere and setting, and enhancing the narrative. Recently, I was captivated by the exceptional compositions and sound effects crafted for this piece by David Bessler, monkey-land, Hardcuore, and PRIO. Truly remarkable.

?? A new Atari 2600 will play your old cartridges

Atari is set to reintroduce its iconic console in the form of the Atari 2600+, which will be available in November. This new version is an 80 percent smaller, HDMI-outputting replica of the original console and comes with a 10-in-1 game cartridge. Notably, the Atari 2600 Plus supports the 2600 and the 7800 game cartridges. While the design remains mostly true to the original, with features like wood paneling and a light-up Atari logo, it now includes HDMI and USB-C ports. Nostalgic.

?? Clock plays a song with the current time in its title

Russell Samora from The Pudding created an innovative clock using the Spotify API. Every minute, it plays random songs whose titles feature the current time (via Flowing Data)

?? Dollhouse is inspired by female design pioneers of the 20th century

Architect Marialaura Irvine has created a dollhouse, inspired by some of the great masters of the past, to display a tactile range of paints by Italian surface specialist Matteo Brioni.

?? How the Booksellers of Paris Are Preparing for Next Summer’s Olympics

From the Paris Review: “We’ll of course have a few books,” they said at Les Traversées, “but in a corner.”

“We are not going to decorate the bookstore,” said Anne-Sophie Hanich, managing Les Nouveautés.

“The Olympic Games,” said Gildas, his first name, at Les Traversées, which is half-buried in the hill of the rue Mouffetard (“I detest my family name”), “are not the most important thing.”

“We have other things to think about,” they said at Le Merle moqueur, on the rue de Bagnolet. “We have other problems right now.”

Illustrators This Week

Adrian Bauer

Adrian Bauer is an accomplished German-based art director and illustrator whose captivating designs are a feast for the eyes. His art style is characterized by intricate forms, explosive colors, and mesmerizing textures that captivate and enthrall.?

Kelsey Robinson

Kelsey Robinson is a multifaceted artist and designer based in Milwaukee. With a passion for branding, motion graphics, packaging, and print, Kelsey's work stands out for its vibrant colors and diverse styles.?

Adam Rosol

Adam Rosol, also known as Adxmboni, is a gifted 3D artist based in Litomě?ice, Czech Republic. His work masterfully blends surrealism with elements of clothing and portraiture. These digital artworks stand out for their visually striking and thought-provoking nature.?

Daniel Sulzberg

Daniel Sulzberg is a multifaceted illustrator based in Santa Barbara, California. Drawing inspiration from his 80's childhood, he has a penchant for vibrant, detailed, and positively wacky artworks.?

Rafael Nobre

Rafael Nobre, a seasoned graphic designer and illustrator from Rio de Janeiro, has spent over a decade creating striking designs for the editorial and advertising sectors.?

Gwil

Gwil, also known as Gwilym Devey, is one of those unique artists who takes inspiration from the world around them and creates magic out of it. Based out of Warkworth, New Zealand, this incredibly talented artist is renowned for his distinctive style, bold lines, and vibrant colors.

Ovadia Benishu

Ovadia Benishu is a talented freelance illustrator and comic artist in Tel Aviv, Israel. From a young age, his love for drawing was unmistakable and was fueled by his fascination with animated shows like Batman and Tintin.

Have a great week!