Making Time for Personal Projects

Talk given at LocalHosts

As designers, we love to play. We have heads full of ideas, but sometimes it can be difficult to find the time to execute those ideas. This is a talk about my experiences of "making time for personal projects" and some of the rewards that came with them.

Transcript

1. Hi, my name is
   GARETH STRANGE
   @garethstrange
   

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2. I eat lots of
   VEGETABLES
   

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3. DYLAN
   
   That’s Bob Dylan
   

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5. Graduated from
   THE ATRIUM
   

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6. Designer & Illustrator
   Since 2009
   

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7. My role at Bluegg
   BRANDING

   DESIGN FOR PRINT
   
   WEB DESIGN
   
   ILLUSTRATION
   

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8. The amazing powers of
   ILLUSTRATION
   

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9. INTERESTING IDEAS
   
   +
   
   FACETIOUS
   
   =
   
   ENGAGING
   

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10. On explaining why we prefer white
    turkeys, over their darker cousins
    Showing how long
    turkeys live for
    Before the Christmas turkey – peacock, goose
    and swan was the bird of choice in Britain.
    Henry VIII was a big fan!
    letstalkturkey.org.uk
    

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11. At first glance
    I thought this poster
    was trying to raise
    awareness of Western
    Australia’s shark cull
    

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12. What on Earth is
    FRACKING?
    

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14. I will choose
    this way every
    single time!
    !
    !
    !
    dangersoffracking.com
    

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17. How we work
    PERSONALITY
    
    ENGAGING
    STORYTELLING
    
    COMMUNICATE
    
    FUNCTION
    

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19. Bluegg Culture
    Hi, we're Bluegg. We design
    websites for all devices,
    digital solutions and
    brands. All bursting with
    personality. Our coffee's
    pretty good too.
    

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20. Scheduled
    DRINK BREAK
    

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22. It’s not how good you are,
    it’s how good you want to be.
    Paul Arden
    

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23. Your brief:
    DESIGN A
    
    BOB DYLAN
    
    POSTER
    

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24. Making time for
    PERSONAL PROJECTS
    

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25. Personal Projects can be rewarding for:
    YOURSELF
    
    YOUR EMPLOYER
    
    & YOUR FRIENDS
    

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26. Only for my
    best drawings
    

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27. My walls are not bare
    They are full of art and
    illustrations by people I
    admire and who inspire me
    

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28. BECAUSE WE’RE NOT IN
    
    IT JUST FOR THE MONEY
    
    right?
    

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29. The sooner you understand why, the sooner
    you’ll be on your way to creating actual value.
    Sean McCabe
    

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30. Things I wanted to do:
    Be a better designer
    Improve illustration skills
    Make prints
    Web design
    Learn how to code
    Calligraphy
    Make signage
    Hand typography
    Read lots of books
    Take more photographs
    Make furniture
    Letter pressing
    Life drawing
    Make my own fonts
    !
    !
    Get back into painting
    Get better at DIY
    Cook adventurous food
    Draw stupid ideas I get
    Friend’s greeting cards
    Screen printing
    Try out new software
    Take dog for better walks
    Cycle further and faster
    Draw on Munny
    Customise picture frames
    Decorate the house
    Start blogging
    Public speaking?!?!
    

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31. !
    A HEAD FULL
    
    OF IDEAS
    !
    but, not enough time
    

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32. I had time to watch 86 hours of this
    Twice
    

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40. Everyone has the same
    24 HOURS
    

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42. As an experiment
    I designed a
    Valentine’s Day
    card and put it
    up for sale…
    

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44. Why are you so late?
    

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45. Urm… I was drawing
    Allen Ginsberg
    

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46. Share
    You never know who will see
    

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47. A project from the
    UNITED STATES
    

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48. Wunderlist
    The app that
    remembers all
    my ideas for me
    

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49. Something that always inspires me is
    TRAVEL
    

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50. A trip to
    YOSEMITE
    

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51. It turns out the bear was
    actually a pretty friendly guy
    

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52. The new Kellogg’s box
    A place I could share
    my best drawings
    Thanks again Paul!
    

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53. THIS WAS A
    
    WEBSITE FOR ME
    
    !
    so, what did I want from it?
    

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54. #ALMUNECAR
    

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55. 35 Inspiring
    Portfolios Blog
    Which increased
    traffic and enquiries
    

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56. HELPING STUDENTS
    

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58. MY WEBSITE GOT STOLEN
    

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60. Reasons for yourself:
    Makes you happy
    Develop your techniques
    Learn new skills
    Keeps you sharp
    Nice freelance work
    Raise your profile
    Chance to help others
    Inspires others… hopefully
    

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61. I WAS DEVELOPING
    
    MY TECHNIQUES AND
    LEARNING NEW SKILLS
    !
    I could take this stuff to work
    

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62. Great relationship with
    THE BOSSES
    

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65. Designers need to play
    AND I ALWAYS
    THOUGHT WE
    WERE ALLOWED
    

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66. I’m always amazed by agencies who stop their
    designers doing freelance work and personal projects.
    @tomalloyd
    

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67. Companies with our industry spend
    thousands of pounds sending staff to
    conferences and workshops to develop
    their skills, introduce new ways of
    thinking and inspire them.
    !
    Why stop the stuff that’s free?
    

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68. TRUST
    

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69. Reasons for your employer:
    Improves the skills that you can take to work
    Can help projects go smoothly
    Clients get better work
    Better relationships
    More trust & higher morale
    

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70. HOW CAN YOUR

    FRIENDS BENEFIT?
    
    !
    That’s up to you
    

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71. My friend, Phil and
    his incredible beard
    !
    (Yes, that’s a top hat)
    

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72. My friend, Phil
    and his moustache
    !
    (No, it wasn’t even November)
    

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74. Keynote doesn’t
    support animated
    GIFs, so here’s a
    video of the GIF
    !
    so, I’m going to
    have another drink
    

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75. WHAT’S THE CURRENT
    PERSONAL PROJECT?
    
    !
    As soon as this talk is done
    

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76. Things I wanted to do:
    Be a better designer
    Improve illustration skills
    Make prints
    Web design
    Learn how to code
    Calligraphy
    Make signage
    Hand typography
    Read lots of books
    Take more photographs
    Make furniture
    Letter pressing
    Life drawing
    Make my own fonts
    !
    !
    Get back into painting
    Get better at DIY
    Cook adventurous food
    Draw stupid ideas I get
    Friend’s greeting cards
    Screen printing
    Try out new software
    Take dog for better walks
    Cycle further and faster
    Draw on Munny
    Customise picture frames
    Decorate the house
    Start blogging
    Public speaking?!?!
    

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78. Cal-LYRIC-graphy
    

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79. @garethstrange
    

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