{"id":1843,"date":"2017-06-14T14:25:02","date_gmt":"2017-06-14T04:25:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emmakateco.com\/?p=1843"},"modified":"2018-08-26T01:10:43","modified_gmt":"2018-08-25T15:10:43","slug":"on-the-creative-life-side-projects-the-future-of-design-10-things-we-learned-at-the-design-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emmakateco.com\/on-the-creative-life-side-projects-the-future-of-design-10-things-we-learned-at-the-design-conference\/","title":{"rendered":"On The Creative Life, Side Projects & The Future Of Design: 10 Things We Learned At The Design Conference"},"content":{"rendered":"
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Words: Brooke Zotti<\/em><\/p>\n A couple of weeks ago, Emma and I took a flight up to sunny Brisbane to immerse ourselves in two days of unbridled creativity at\u00a0The Design Conference<\/a>. Needless to say, our decision to take time out from the busyness of studio + everyday life, and to dedicate time for learning was well worth the trip!<\/p>\n As the third conference (held annually by the guys at Analogue Digital Agency) this year\u2019s two-day event featured presentations from a series of creatives hailing from near and far, and from a range of different disciplines within the design industry. It was a wonderful chance to connect with like-minded people and just be surrounded by the creativity of others.<\/p>\n After emerging from the bubble and compiling our creative ah-ha\u2019s and other rushed notes scribbled, here are ten key takeaways we brought back and would love to share with you \u2013 on side projects, dream chasing, the future of design and everything between, in the pursuit of a creative life.<\/p>\n [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n Clich\u00e9 or not, a common theme running through basically all presentations was the need to do what you love – and love what you do \u2013 in life. If you really care about what you do, it will show through in your work. You can either show up to a meaningless job and collect a paycheque, or you can get involved \u2013 really involved – and make a difference.<\/p>\n Deene Poole said it best: I\u2019ve never met a designer who said \u201cI want to be fucking average today\u201d \u2013 we all want to make better and do good for the world.<\/p>\n It was also especially nice to hear that it\u2019s officially never too late to start doing what you love. Camille Walala\u2019s story was inspiring for those lost with choosing a career, struggling to finding a passion or even just trying to hold down a job. The trick is simple: keep searching. Don\u2019t worry about what people will think of you changing directions a hundred times over, be stubborn, and never give up until you find the love.<\/p>\n The importance of work \/ life balance was discussed heavily over the two days. While it was emphasised that making time for the things we love outside of work is important, even to the extent of scheduling in cooking, or a beach walk into a Google calendar like you would a client\u2019s due date \u2013 a creative career ultimately means that it becomes a part of your identity. All of the creatives presenting were advocates of the notion that when you love your work, it doesn\u2019t feel like work and so work-life balance doesn\u2019t really exist \u2013 It\u2019s all just life.<\/p>\n As Mike Tosetto said, \u201cI go from something I love, to something I love. It\u2019s all life, it\u2019s all work\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Lauren Hom shared with us that when you can create things that are real and raw, people will relate to your work, because emotions are a relatable feeling. That\u2019s why emotions are such a golden place to draw inspiration from for your projects. Did you have a fight with your partner? Are you hangry (hungry-angry)? Did you lock your keys in the car?<\/p>\n For the majority of the time, whatever you\u2019re going through, other people have been through too. You\u2019re not special \u2013 and relatability forges connection.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Every day you are surrounded by inspiration for work, products and projects. Here are a few practical, instantly accessible ways to find inspiration:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Each creative has their own unique process of creating, and we should value that process rather than focusing purely on success. Rather than measuring your success based on financial success, or how many likes or followers you have gained in the process, consider other metrics of success: Did you learn a new skill? Did you love it?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Passion projects are really important in our creative practices, as they allow us to get the type of work out there that we really love. Once these projects are in your portfolio, more often than not, there is a snowball effect, and you will attract similar type of (paid) work, so start doing the work you want to be given!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Create your own job and opportunities, rather than trying to find something already existing. You don\u2019t need to fit into a category. There is no longer a need in this modern age to be boxed in by a particular niche of design or art. We are all creatives\/designers that can use a number of mediums to produce the work that we want to put out into the world.<\/p>\n As Dean Poole put it,\u00a0“Design is like sport without an umpire. You need to make up your own rules as you go.”<\/em><\/p>\n Much of Camille Walala\u2019s work, in turning plain white, dull buildings into beautifully colourful artworks as a job \u2013 drove home a clear message \u2013 we all need to play more! Further, don\u2019t edit yourself as you go, too much, just play, have fun enjoy the process over the result, and see what comes of it. And never stop making stuff!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While getting your inspiration from a number of different sources before you start working is a key part of being a creative, be mindful about what media you are consuming.<\/p>\n Once get your inspiration, go deeper, far deeper! Spend 30+ more hours creating, so that what you end up with is uniquely you, and YOUR work.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There was a LOT of discussion about how the world is changing \u2013 rapidly – whether we\u2019re ready for it or not. Prue Jones shared with us the shocking reality that by the year 2025, machine and human intelligence will essentially be indistinguishable. Currently, technological change doubles every 18 months\u00a0and the pace of change will never be as slow as it is today.<\/p>\n So what will we do, when most jobs are being done by robots? With the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), at the moment, it\u2019s a case of having more questions than answers. Questions like\u2026 how might we maintain or increase our sense of identity as humans? How might we educate our children to live in this world? How might we live beyond the concept of money, and capitalism? How can we keep human civilization civilised?<\/p>\n And there is only really one answer that do have, on how to tackle all of this: with very, very conscious and human centered design!<\/p>\n So all in all, there has never been a better time to be a designer. The future is for creativity. Anything logical will be taken over by AI, so it is our creativity and willingness to adopt new technologies that will keep us relevant and purposeful.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Words: Brooke Zotti A couple of weeks ago, Emma and I took a flight up to sunny Brisbane to immerse ourselves in two days of unbridled creativity at\u00a0The Design Conference. Needless to say, our decision to take time out from the busyness of studio + everyday life, and to dedicate time for learning was well… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2884,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmakateco.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1843"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmakateco.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmakateco.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmakateco.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmakateco.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1843"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/emmakateco.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1843\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmakateco.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmakateco.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1843"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmakateco.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1843"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmakateco.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1843"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}1. Give yourself permission to do what you love<\/em><\/h1>\n
2. There\u2019s no difference between work and life. It\u2019s all just life.<\/em><\/h1>\n
3. You are not special!<\/em><\/h1>\n
4. Inspiration is everywhere<\/em><\/h1>\n
\n
5. There are so many metrics of success<\/em><\/h1>\n
6. Passion projects are GOOD.<\/em><\/h1>\n
7. You can create your own job\/opportunities<\/em><\/h1>\n
8. Don\u2019t take yourself too seriously<\/em><\/h1>\n
9. Practice your art with rigour<\/em><\/h1>\n
10.\u00a0The world has never needed creativity more than it does right now<\/em><\/h1>\n
And, some closing takeaways:<\/em><\/h1>\n
\n