Here are four reasons you should keep your side project(s) simmering on the back burner while also working on potentially less exciting paying projects.

1. Side projects are great opportunities to pursue creative freedom.

2. They allow time for experimentation with new tools.

3. With the help of social media and self-promotion, you can share your work with a broader audience.

4. If all goes well, you may be able to quit your day job!

As a seasoned graphic designer/creative director, I’ve always maintained a side project or two. For example, during the pandemic, I created a series of posters for our home’s front windows and local distribution. One thanked first responders, the second emphasized the 6 feet distance rule, and the third promoted the familiar local sequence of numbers 1-4-3 (I Love You), which refers to our local lighthouse*.

Whether you’re an artist, writer, photographer, designer, etc., always maintain a side project. It will help keep your creativity flowing and give you something to work on during the stretches between paying projects. You might also find that the side project turns into a full-time gig!

*Minot’s Ledge Light is a lighthouse one mile offshore of the Massachusetts towns of Cohasset and Scituate, located southeast of Boston Harbor. The lighthouse flashing signal cycle is 1-4-3, corresponding with the letters in the phrase, “I Love You.” As you stroll about the South Shore, you will witness this sequence of numbers prominently displayed on apparel, souvenirs, and signage.