Side Projects & Hobbies

In Chapter 5 of Steal Like an Artist, Kleon talks about the importance of keeping your hobbies and not necessarily just focusing on one thing. I agree. I think passion and experiences fuel everything that I make. He talks about using your procrastination as inspiration. My side projects are everything. In fact, they are how I've ended up involved in so many vital aspects of my life. For instance I like to collage. A lot. My collages got me an art studio which connected me with many other local artists that connected me to PechaKucha which lead to me volunteering as a graphic designer and organizer with them. I am passionate about art and it fuels what I do in design.

I never do nothing when I'm doing nothing. I am constantly on the move because I like new experiences and new visuals. This can mean something as mundane as walking my dog or something more exciting like driving to a nearby town to explore their thrift shops and try food I've never had before. So yes, I'm doing nothing, but my mind is always absorbing new information and new experiences that I can draw from later.

One of my biggest side projects is making collages. I love to cut and paint and draw and reconfigure. Here are a few examples:

Our next project for class is to create a catalog. When I say I absorb things around me, I sometimes mean that literally. I like to take physical examples of graphic design when I can. Here are some beautiful catalogs that I collected over the last week (I have many from before but these are more exciting!) in New York. I think that they all convey large amounts of information in a clean, organized and contemporary way.