Why You Should Start a Creative Side Project

It is too easy to get sucked into the daily grind of your 9-5, or let’s be honest your 9-7. As a full-time digital designer it is difficult to find the time and energy to do absolutely anything else. This is how I felt for a very long time.

There have been countless mornings when I have woken up, made my coffee and started my commute to work thinking “WOW I feel like I just did this” – because I did. When you are investing all your time creating for someone else, this is a feeling that can be all too familiar. How can you get out of this mentality? Start creating for yourself.

Here is how working on creative side projects changed everything for me:

#1 I feel more fulfilled.

Why did you decide to be in the creative field? I can guarantee the answer isn’t – “To make an agency or business money.” It is because it is your passion, because you love creating, because you can’t see yourself doing anything else. It is easy to forget this. Working on a creative side project for yourself provides a sense of fulfillment and helps you remember why you started creating in the first place.

#2 My black and white world became a lot more colorful.

Working on creative side projects provides you with perspective and opens your eyes to options, yes options. It is easy to feel trapped, especially when you have financial obligations or a family to support. However, you never know what your side project could turn into and just the thought of this can shine a new light on your life.

#3 It makes you a better employee.

When all you do is work for someone else, it is easy to become burnt out, resentful, or unmotivated. Working on a side project makes you a happier person which in turn makes you a happier employee.

Take a step back for a moment and remember that you are in control of your life. Don’t let your job become your life. Years from now you are not going to remember the hours you spent creating for others but the hours you spent creating for yourself.