Taking a look at current skills and areas to progress.
What would you like to be doing that you are not doing in your work? How important are side projects and are you currently working on any?
It is really interesting to hear thoughts from other designers/artists on this question. These are some notes taken from the lecture in where these questions were answered.
Simon Manchipp, SomeOne
Really enjoys current work - finds it very diverse and there is so much variety so is overall enjoying what he is currently doing.
Always had side projects on the go throughout career and can really see value of them. Now everything feels like hustle. Although no projects on the go at the moment SomeOne are always looking at inventing their own products, our their own software.
Sam Winston
Loves what he is doing and would find it hard to be doing anything else.
Has basically made a full-time career from side projects. Also anything can be a side project and Sam talks about turning the 'fun stuff' into work*. A new idea being the next step up for a side hustle.
*"This is going to be a just a game that I’m going to play with some friends, I’m like, ‘oh that would actually make…, that would work as a Kickstarter."
Kristoffer Soelling & Tom Finn, Regular Practice
Most of the things they'd like to be doing they are already doing. Anything they wish to be doing they try and make happen.
There is something about authorship and side hustles.We're trying to find out how to, what to do and how to do it, because as a thing that defines who you are, shapes your identity.
Sarah Boris
Would like to be experimenting more with different materials. Also would like to collaborate with product designers. You can learn a lot from collaborating with others.
Side projects are really important for the practice. They really define you as a designer. A side project is you from the beginning to the end with no compromise, with no client interjection. It's exactly what you want it to be.
Adrian Talbot & Julian House, Intro
Can't think of anything creative but being able to work on more personal projects is important. Also getting outdoors more.
As designers we need to create don’t we? A personal project feeds back into what you do, doing the day job. You feel validated as well as it fulfilling your creative needs.
The very constant thought from all that they really love what they do and most of the practitioners are doing what they want to do. It is also agreed that personal projects are important and they feed into who you are as a designer and it your professional work.
Process Model
What are my key skills and areas I wish to develop? I found it much easier to write what I wish to develop - I think because there are so many aspects to design so there is so much to learn. I have listed below what I think are my current skills/ways of thinking but also areas I wish to develop.
Final Outcome
I chose to create a diagram for my process model. I tried to find slight links from my current skills to the skills I want to progress.
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