Nate Burgos's Blog, page 18

Pride, Work, and Necessity of Side Projects: Erma Tijerina’s laser cutting, sewing & more

What are you working on—on the side?

One of my favorite side projects is laser cutting. Whether I’m laser cutting a custom notebook cover, posters, earrings or special cards—I love the process. Laser cutting allows me to play with different mediums (so far, wood is my favorite), and get away from my desk.

My goal is to continue iterating and then bringing a few lines of crafted items to market. I’ve previously sold some of my laser-cut coasters and earrings at a holiday market in Houston, and...

Pride, Work, and Necessity of Side Projects: Melanie Richards’ honoring of creative women, a pattern library, weaving and more

What are you working on—on the side?

A couple months ago, I wrapped up my longest-standing side project, Badass Lady Creatives, a blog and directory which celebrates women working in design and related fields. After 3 years of profiling incredibly talented designers, artists, illustrators, developers, etc., I’ve decided to move on to some other projects.

Right now, I’m working on a couple things: putting together a pattern library (here’s some examples of what I mean) that I can use as a jumpin...

Pride, Work, and Necessity of Side Projects: Lara Stein Pardo’s Mapping Arts Project

What are you working on—on the side?

I think I should first start by saying that I don’t see my projects as ‘side projects,’ even if they aren’t what I work on every single day. As someone who works across fields of art, anthropology and the web, all of the work I do is broken down into ‘projects.’ I work on them to varying degrees depending on the needs of the project, external factors like collaborative deadlines or grant deadlines, and a general timeline for a project’s progress.

In any case...

Pride, Work, and Necessity of Side Projects: Tiffany Tseng’s good eats-inspired endeavors Tasty Snacking and Eater’s Digest

What are you working on—on the side?

I’m fanatic about discovering new culinary experiences, so many of my hobbies involve food in some way. Two major side projects around food that I’ve maintained for several years are Tasty Snacking and Eater’s Digest.

Tasty Snacking is a snack review site (that’s also on Instagram and Twitter) where I document all of the snacks I get a chance to eat. Snacks provide a fascinating cultural lens into regional tastes, and I’m always seeking unique and unexpected...

Making in the Moment: Charles Adler at 54th monthly CreativeMornings in Chicago

Charles Adler’s work on Kickstarter has had a profound effect on the worlds of art and design. His latest effort is Chicago-based makerspace Lost Arts. In June, Adler spoke at the 54th monthly gathering of the CreativeMornings Chapter in Chicago about his influences and where he finds himself, creatively.

The best part of Adler’s talk was when he talked about the culture that inspires him. It’s an eloquent preamble:

“I want to talk today about this moment that I feel we’re in. This moment...

Pride, Work, and Necessity of Side Projects: Jodi Mack’s Rock-Climbing App

What are you working on—on the side?

My side project is a digital guidebook for a rock climbing crag near Seattle. My goal for this app is to take advantage of features that exist in the digital world in order to create an uncomplicated, intimate, and valuable experience for intermediate to advanced climbers. You can read more about my process.

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

This particular side project was something I did between jobs, but I do come back to it periodically to...

Pride, Work, and Necessity of Side Projects: Nicole Zhu’s Reading, Writing and Chronicling—at a Proactive Pace

What are you working on—on the side?

My longest-running side project (now in the middle of Year 3) is reading 52 books in 52 weeks. Last April, I also participated in #The100DayProject run by Elle Luna and “The Great Discontent”, and wrote 750 words every day for 100 days. Then in November, my sister and I collaborated on a project called “write your sibling” in which we mailed each other handwritten letters each day over the course of 30 days. (If you can’t tell, I’m really into numerical pro...

Pride, Work, and Necessity of Side Projects: Shannon Downey’s Seriously Badass Women and Badass Cross Stitch

What are you working on—on the side?

I have two substantive side projects.

The first is my website/community Seriously Badass Women, which I created to celebrate the seriously badass women that I meet everyday who are doing unbelievable things with their lives. I wanted to provide these women with an opportunity to talk about what they do, but more importantly, share who they are and what they believe. They are complex humans and their success lies far deeper than their careers. More than just...

Pride, Work, and Necessity of Side Projects: Independent Designer Coleen Baik’s Storylines and Illustration Series

What are you working on—on the side?

I recently wrapped up my #100DayProject, #100DaysOfStorylines. Every day, I created a simple line drawing and titled it based on a story it evoked. The point was to focus on the joy of making and engagement of imagination rather than painstaking labor toward a predefined end. I took the project on at the last minute on a whim, but it quickly became something I looked forward to every day. There really is a story in everything. I loved how much it gave back...

Food, Creativity and the Unusual: Unique Dining Experiences by Midnight Kitchen Projects’ Sonia Yoon and Chef Catanzariti

When I first met Sonia Yoon, she worked as a project manager. Afterwards, she became an independent producer and designer for cultural advocates. Her current project is Midnight Kitchen Projects, a collaboration with Chef Giuseppe Catanzariti. Quickly, within three years, she transformed herself. Though the roles are different, art is the continuity. In partnership with the Chef, she explores the convergence of food, imagination and the unconventional. Together, they give memorable experience...