Uploaded December 2018 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Sharing a holiday gift making tradition from my design studio and why I think side projects can transform your work and portfolio. Side projects are a reminder that your entire creative life isn’t tied to a singular project, rather who you become as a designer, as a person, is the result of winding path as you travel from one idea to the next. I’ve found it liberating to slip between definitions of who I am professionally. I’m an architect, yes, but I’m also a typographer and a filmmaker, a paper cutter, a UX designer, a writer and a photographer.
And this is why I love side projects so much, they allow you to identify as any or all of these things. There’s no pressure to perform or even to share the results, the lessons can be all yours. You’re the creative director, you set the constraints, the budget, the schedule; it’s all up to you.
Your side project may be as simple as making a holiday card or it could be as life-changing as this YouTube channel has been for me. That too started as a side project. Side projects add dimension to your creative life and at some point you may discover that your side project has become your main focus. This jockeying for attention amongst opportunities means you’re always left with fulfilling, interesting, engaging projects to work on each week.
Cheers my friends…wishing you happy holidays and a prosperous 2019…!
See all the materials + tools used to make this DIY gift on my blog: thirtybyforty.com/blog/a-gift-in-the-making
// GEAR I USE //
CAD DRAWING TEMPLATE:
* Download here: thirtybyforty.com/autocad-template
ARCHITECT'S TOOLKIT:
* Architect + Entrepreneur Startup Toolkit: thirtybyforty.com/SPL
ARCHITECTURE ESSENTIAL TOOLS:
* thirtybyforty.com/archi-gear
PHOTOGRAPHY GEAR:
*thirtybyforty.com/my-photo-gear
MUSIC I USE:
* thirtybyforty.com/music
#diy #sideprojects #diyholidaygifts
-~-~~-~~~-~~-~-
Please watch: "Making a Site Model - The Outpost Project"
youtube.com/watch?v=VsJrDScS5ZI
-~-~~-~~~-~~-~-
Sharing a holiday gift making tradition from my design studio and why I think side projects can transform your work and portfolio. Side projects are a reminder that your entire creative life isn’t tied to a singular project, rather who you become as a designer, as a person, is the result of winding path as you travel from one idea to the next. I’ve found it liberating to slip between definitions of who I am professionally. I’m an architect, yes, but I’m also a typographer and a filmmaker, a paper cutter, a UX designer, a writer and a photographer.
And this is why I love side projects so much, they allow you to identify as any or all of these things. There’s no pressure to perform or even to share the results, the lessons can be all yours. You’re the creative director, you set the constraints, the budget, the schedule; it’s all up to you.
Your side project may be as simple as making a holiday card or it could be as life-changing as this YouTube channel has been for me. That too started as a side project. Side projects add dimension to your creative life and at some point you may discover that your side project has become your main focus. This jockeying for attention amongst opportunities means you’re always left with fulfilling, interesting, engaging projects to work on each week.
Cheers my friends…wishing you happy holidays and a prosperous 2019…!
See all the materials + tools used to make this DIY gift on my blog: thirtybyforty.com/blog/a-gift-in-the-making
// GEAR I USE //
CAD DRAWING TEMPLATE:
* Download here: thirtybyforty.com/autocad-template
ARCHITECT'S TOOLKIT:
* Architect + Entrepreneur Startup Toolkit: thirtybyforty.com/SPL
ARCHITECTURE ESSENTIAL TOOLS:
* thirtybyforty.com/archi-gear
PHOTOGRAPHY GEAR:
*thirtybyforty.com/my-photo-gear
MUSIC I USE:
* thirtybyforty.com/music
#diy #sideprojects #diyholidaygifts
-~-~~-~~~-~~-~-
Please watch: "Making a Site Model - The Outpost Project"
youtube.com/watch?v=VsJrDScS5ZI
-~-~~-~~~-~~-~-
