Nate Burgos's Blog, page 10

Pride, Work and Necessity of Side Projects: Ngaio Parr Launched “Make Nice” to Elevate and Inspire Creative Women

What are you working on—on the side?

In my “spare time,” I’m the founder and director of Make Nice, an Online Community and Real Life Un-Conference for, by and about Creative Women.

I built Make Nice as a way to, well…make nice. To make things easier and better. To provide practical advice for working in the creative industries, promote the importance of a thriving and supportive professional ecology and foster an ongoing dialogue between women.

The online platform provides the immediate and muc...

Pride, Work and Necessity of Side Projects: Designer Rebecca MacDonald’s Mentoring, Collaborating, Consulting and More

What are you working on—on the side?

Over the past year, as a side project, I participated in the AIGA Chicago Mentorship Program this past spring. It was a great way to meet other designers like myself in the local design community and flex my creative muscles outside of my typical design job. I created a group project with a team of 8 other individuals. When we started, there were no rules as to what the project could turn into. We only had a few limitations, which were money ($50...

Pride, Work and Necessity of Side Projects: Designer and Photographer Bekka Palmer Beautifully Transforms Threads and Ropes into Ethically Made Textile Products

What are you working on—on the side?

My side project is a small business called Closed Mondays. For my day-to-day, I am a freelance commercial photographer, which, to most people, sounds like a great creative profession. However, I needed a creative outlet from it. After doing photography for a few years and really getting into commercial work, I felt like I was losing touch with my most creative side. I ended up getting a studio in Williamsburg that would be able to work for both businesses a...

Pride, Work and Necessity of Side Projects: Designer and Hand Letterer Libbie Bischoff Educates People on Being More Eco-Friendly in order to Save The Fucking World

What are you working on—on the side?

My current side project is Save The Fucking World —an ongoing lettering project focused on global warming. It’s my way of sharing easy tips for people who are too overwhelmed by the thought of becoming more eco-friendly. I began with really simple advice and am gradually shifting to more complex life changes. It is easy to think that nothing the average person does will have an impact, but if even a few people use these tips, it will make a big difference. I...

Countering the Dominant Narrative of Turbulence at the 10th Cusp Conference

A perennial perk of each annual Cusp Conference is the jetstream of sound bites. At the tenth anniversary of this gathering last September, there were plenty. The words that followed me consistently after two days enriched with presentations were from Kevin Coval, a poet—specifically a “BreakBeat Poet” stemming from his love of Hip-Hop—and activist. In his presentation about having an appetite for poetic language—working it to teach inclusivity and argue for it, Coval proclaimed, “Counter the...

Pride, Work and Necessity of Side Projects: User Experience Designer Kat Vellos cultivates optimal conversations through Better Than Small Talk

What are you working on—on the side?

I have so many side projects! I actually keep a list in a notebook of ideas and projects I want to do, and I explore them one after the other. Some have stuck around for my entire life, and some I’ve been satisfied to move on from after a few months. For the past couple years though, one of my ongoing side projects has been Better Than Small Talk.

I created Better Than Small Talk as a way to foster community, reduce isolation and inspire more open, authentic...

Street Artist JC Rivera Champions His Commitment to “Doing the Work”

At the start of his June 2017 talk at Chicago’s CreativeMornings gathering, Puerto Rican street artist JC Rivera revealed that he didn’t make a habit of speaking publicly. “I paint, and that’s what I do. Pretty sure this is going to be the only time I do this, ever.” This sentiment is shared by many creative types who would rather do the work than talk about it.

The Bear Champ is a recurring character in Rivera’s work, sparked by his childhood dream to become a boxer, but not pursued due to hi...

Pride, Work and Necessity of Side Projects: Writer Keah Brown launched emboldening hashtag #DisabledAndCute on Twitter

What are you working on—on the side?

I have many side projects that turned into my main projects. There is the hashtag I created [February 2017] on Twitter, #DisabledAndCute, that has brought me amazing opportunities and has since then grown into a larger initiative. There’s also my creative work outside of journalism: I write essays, fiction and poetry. After these things take off or are well-received, they join the everyday work I do.



How do you manage to work
on your side project(s)?

My planne...

Centering on Design that is Positive and Enriching to People: User Experience Researcher and Designer Stephanie Lawrence

Stephanie Lawrence is a Market Researcher turned User Experience Researcher and Designer. Is was through her article “Design Ethics in Practice” that I discovered her work. Here, she elaborates on the meaning and relevance of user experience design, especially in the development and building of Web-based tools.

How did you reinvent yourself from being a Market Researcher to a User Experience Designer? Was there an experience that compelled/nudged you to start engaging your path toward becoming...

Pride, Work and Necessity of Side Projects: Designer and Educator Jamie Cavanaugh Activates Lifelong Learning for the Global Design Community at Design Higher

What are you working on—on the side?

In March 2017, I started my side project, Design Higher, a website focusing on lifelong learning for designers. For over ten years, as an Interaction Designer and an Associate Professor in the Graphic Design program at Santa Monica College, I’ve witnessed first-hand the need that both students and designers have for information, resources and advice on how to succeed—and thrive!—in design careers.

As the field of design continues to rapidly evolve, multiple...