Sharing a side project of mine and a holiday tradition I have in the studio. Side projects - for me - are a reminder that my entire creative life isn’t wrapped up in a singular project, rather who I become as a designer, as a person, is the result of a long winding path as I travel from one idea to the next. I’ve found it liberating to slip between definitions of what 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 me to be any or all of these things. There’s no pressure to perform or even to share the results, the lessons can be all mine. As the creative director, I set the constraints, the budget, and the schedule.

Your side project may be as simple as making a holiday card or it could be as life-changing as my 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 transformed into your main project. This jockeying for attention amongst opportunities means you’re always left with fulfilling, interesting, engaging projects to take on each week.

Materials List *:

• Letterpress Paper

• Letterpress plates - custom designed by 30X40 (Eric) + fabricated by Boxcar Press

• Vellum

• Glassine envelopes

• Gray Cardstock

• Cedar Shavings

• Red embroidery thread

• Chrome Eyelets

• Guitar String (18 gauge nickel)

• Letterpress machine (the original machine you see in the video is no longer available, the link brings you to the cassette which I really like and would work with many machines available on the market today.

• Scissors (new favorite)

Cheers my friends…wishing you happy holidays and a prosperous 2019…!