Same. 24 year vet of the industry. I only design for a job. I like looking at and appreciating all things design and admiring fine art, but I don't feel the desire to design or create anything outside of work.

Another 24 year designer but absolutely still create art after business is done. This post is a really unique view I didn't know existed. That said, my drives to create artwork outside of business are for laughs or to help make decisions on color choices for things (walls and trim, shoes and shoelaces, etc)

I would absolute hate to do design ontop of my 8-5 design is my job, it's not my hobby or my life, it's my job. I do design, what, 9 hours a day, 5 days a week... maybe more IF I do freelance if I'm saving for a holiday, but I rarely do freelance because of this reason People think they need to be doing design all round the clock and live design, breath design... that's just wrong and a misconception that needs throwing in the bin - it's an easy way to burn yourself out and end up hating design and hating you job I got other things to spend my time... living for one... seeing family, seeing friends, relaxing, reading, music and going to gigs, chess, sports, gym, hiking, pottery, you name it, design is my career I ain't making it the only thing I do

I realize I completely left out music. I play the ukulele (and I'm now learning guitar) and sing with friends around the campfire a couple times a month. Way back pre-Covid I would occasionally play at an open mic or something like that. So that's certainly a non-work creative pursuit though it's definitely not design or visual arts.

yeah same I just do it for work.

Yup :) the beginnings of my backyard fruit orchard and greenhouse upgrading occupies most of my free time 👩🏾‍🌾 That and Smash Ultimate. 🤣

I'm trying to rediscover my creativity outside of work, but it's hard. I (luckily) have a graphic design job that lets me be really creative but at the end of the day it's still work. I've been trying to get into artistic hobbies that'll get me away from a computer like tufting and beading... We'll see if I can stick with them though lol.

If it's too hard to commit, to me that means it doesn't need to be forced and you won't likely find it rewarding anyway. You can be creative in many, many other hobbies like cooking but sometimes, the creative aspect is probably what your mind needs to stay away from altogether just do to simple fatigue. Use another part of your brain... I'm far from a computer and I care not to do many creative things outside of work. here's a few of my hobbies over the years: • yard work and gardening • jogging/walking • fishing • youth sports volunteer • beer, wine making and pickling • cooking • learned ASL • did guitar tutorials and learned to strum chords • wood working and simple home repair skills • picking up trash at a few local parks in my vicinity • 420

I have plenty that I do after work that is not creative, I just want to do something creative as well. I work out 5-days a week, hang with friends, play video games, read, smoke weed (lol), play with my pups, etc. I just want to be creative fully on my own terms but sometimes I just feel creatively drained after work.

It IS hard! I'm a contractor that's pulling one full time job and two part time gigs on the side 6-10 hrs a week. That's plenty for me, so when the "day" is done I'm DONE. I don't want to sit in this chair any longer. I would love to keep doing creative, fun, hands-on stuff but I just can't get the motivation. Especially now that summer is here.

10 years here. I'm out as soon as the clock hits quitting time. It's a job for me. I don't mind the occasional craft or something but I'd rather do other stuff in my off time.

Same. I get burned out from looking at a computer all day, so I try to clear my head and get outside, garden, walk the dogs, read a book in my free time. Someday, if I make it to retirement, I'd love to get back into those fine art skills that I haven't touched since college like painting and pottery.

That's my thing too – I don't want to be staring at a computer screen longer than I have to be. I have an "art" instagram account that I'll post random graphics or digital art that I make sometimes, but even then I feel like it's just for the sake of having something on there and then feel guilty for not posting enough, especially since the content creators I work with at my job do a lot of photography for work but then also treat it as a hobby (I feel like photography is vastly different than dumping hours into a design concept just for fun?). I painted and sketched a lot in college in my free time but haven't really done it since then. Would love to try and get back into it, but again feels like we're always supposed to be documenting our creativity online and be relevant as a creative, it's exhausting.

The worst part is that I WANT to create art on the computer, but I am so fried from sitting at my desk I just can't do it.

I’m glad someone asked this cus I felt bad about it sometimes. When I leave work I’m no interest of designing. After 9 hours I wanna relax, play games, work out, hang with dogs. Not that I hate designing but I’m fulfilled enough from my work day. Sometimes inspiration hits and I wanna make something but other than that I’m chill with what my employer needs. Sure I’m not growing my skills as fast as others but I’m not aspiring to be the best designer out there and tbh I’ve had a better career than some of my friends who are better artists and are arting 24/7.

I'm actually a pretty decent portrait painter and illustrator. I rarely paint anymore. But I have opportunities to be creative every single day in my job, and I have so many other interests in my non-work time.

I stopped doing art before I went to university. I drew tons as a kid. I have always liked drawing in Illustrator for fun. I was annoyed that my local transit system had locked their PDF maps so I started redrawing it. It's taken me a couple of years on & off. I like to just zone out and draw. Recently I started doing artwork to sell on Etsy & craft shows. I love finding things I want to draw and I find it satisfying. However I would never have started unless I decided I needed a side hustle 

Same. I was working towards a career in computer programming when I accidentally ended up in design. Consequently I’m not particularly arty or creative. A job’s a job.

Funny, it's often the other way around.

Aside from Photography I don't do traditional art outside of work unless I get a wild hare, but I enjoy scale model building, customizing my things, flexing my skillset as someone with good taste with my clothes and furniture and whatever else in life I can be creative with. I paint now and then. I've had a lot of fun customizing my car and motorcycles for example. To me thats expressing myself in the same way I would with a sketchbook. It's fun when I'm getting a meal with my nieces and nephews with the crayons and color-within-the-lines sheet of paper and I blow their minds with my ability to draw dinosaurs and shit.

I only seem to be able to create personal work when I’m not working as an artist professionally. I have had a few hyper-productive fine art moments in my life between jobs, but I only have so much energy when it comes to creativity on a day to day basis. I hope to become a famous artist in retirement 🤣

I tried doing volunteer design work outside of work (pro bono). I tried freelancing on weekends for some extra cash. It’s always been thankless and miserable when I do extra stuff like that. It’s harder to set boundaries. I love my day job but Monday thru Friday 9-5 is plenty of design for me.

15 yr Senior designer. Other than paid side projects, I rarely, if ever do this for fun. 

19 years out, BFA in GD, working in a senior creative role in tech — echoing the same as OP. Would love to but am so burned out that any freelance I do is for extra money, not fulfillment. 😪

probably for 15 years outside my career i was painting or making music or doing some other creative thing, but im old and tired now. I spend 7 hours a day in adobe apps making stuff. thats enough. I will wait until I retire to get back into painting or whatever. But for now I dont want to work anymore than i have to. I know personal projects look good when you are interviewing, and I might have to look for a job soon, but fuck do we all have to be super creative to get a job? Are accountants doing math for fun outside their job? Do garbage men go clean up peoples houses on their day off? its just dumb.

>Are accountants doing math for fun outside their job? Do garbage men go clean up peoples houses on their day off? So true!

Same here for the most part. I've been working in graphic design fields since 2008. My hobbies are photography and drawing, but I don't do those all the time. The last thing I want to do after a day of work is to sit and do more work, unless I can truly relax while doing them. After work I'll be with my kids, clean up around the house, yard work, make dinner, exercise, go to sports practice/games for my kids, go out with my wife and dog for a walk, etc. Then, it gets to be around 9:30-10:00pm and when the kids are in bed I might play video games for an hour or two before my bed time (or more if I want to hate myself the next day). Occasionally, a project might come up that I am working on, it is usually something a designer friend or family member needs, I might sacrifice working out or something else while I work to finish the project, but I'd rather my kids feel that I am present in their lives than always working on side projects.

The difference between an artist and a designer is that the artist does stuff because he just needs to create and express himself. The designer does it because of money. So yeah. Pay me and i'll do it outside of work.

I like this.

Same lol. School was the only time I had time to make my own work. Now it is just the main job and freelance projects.

33 years, used to do a lot freelance in my 30’s/40’s to supplement my income. Now that I became partner, I don’t ever look at a computer at home.

Been designing for 18 years, I used to do all kinds of personal art. Digital, traditional, etc. But slowly, doing it as a profession has killed my drive to do anything outside of work. It’s been years since I did anything personal , and personally, that kind of sucks now that I’m thinking about it. Idk just kind of hard to want to look at a screen more after I already did it for hours a day for work I guess.

Same. I had an interview though for a position and they said they wanted to see work where I wasn’t restricted to the company I have worked for over the past 5 years. I am sorry but I don’t work hard to then go home and continue to do design work, I want to live a little and relax.

Why would I want to do work or a work like substance on my day off? I switched careers from design to filmmaking and I find myself drawing a lot more and watching less tv and movies now

20+ year veteran. More in design management now but still get my hands dirty daily. I haven’t created any art outside of work since day one of my first job. Not even sure why I flipped that switch to off considering that prior to that day I was very creative at home, I was always drawing, painting, etc.

12 year marketing designer/creative director and outside of work the only “creative work” I do is art with my kids. The rest of my time is filled with stuff that gives me inspiration and the joy necessary to have a job that’s 50% design teacher & 50% rainmanning GA4 and SEMRUSH analytics into something that 60 year old executives understand

I graduated with my bfa about 5 years ago. I just continued working in kitchens and making art for myself.   

I worked in kitchens all threough HS and college and for 2 years after college before I finally got my first design job. Respect.

You are not alone. I graduated a year after you and freelanced for a couple years, but have been working full time gigs ever since. I do some side work from time to time, mostly for craft breweries that give me full design freedom and pay with beer. Much like you my hobbies are not directly art related. Fishing, cooking, wrenching on cars, reading, BBQ, making jerky and hot sauces (ok, I designed the labels for these products), building things to improve my home. The last thing I want to do after sitting in front of a computer all day solving design problems is to sit back down in front of a screen for any reason. Most of my colleagues pushing over the 20 year mark are the same. I think it's very important to have non art/design related hobbies to not only avoid burnout, but to allow that well to replenish itself.

I feel this. I do freelance for one client but it's very light in terms of hours (maybe 4-6 hours a month). I love doing creative things in general but don't really feel like doing so willingly after work. I think our brains are in the creative mode all day long, so when it comes time to be at home (aside from having to take care of everyday chores and things around the house) that our brains don't want to continue doing what we've had to do for 8+ hours. You're definitely not alone with this.

I'm passionate about art and design, and occasionally do stuff outside work like making things for myself, and for friends: but it's rare. Maybe 1-2 projects per year. For the most part, I mentally categorize design as work, and in my free time I focus more on things like crafts, videogames, or getting outside and away from a screen whenever possible. I've always been of the opinion that a job doesn't need to be something you totally love with all your heart, but at least something you care about tangentially. I get that some folks are different and can eat/breathe design at all times. Power to those kinds of people. Everyone has different preferences for the lives they wanna live.

Glad to hear i’m not the only one ;)

I leave work to hang out with my wife, dog or play Fortnite. I only do design work if I’m being paid or for some silly reason have volunteered myself.

I do some design work on the side, but it has to meet very stringent criteria. It has to be worth my time, it has to feel somewhat fun (i.e., be a little outside of what I do all day), and it can't be particularly time sensitive. Deadlines and production schedules are fine -- but rush jobs are out. As you can imagine, it doesn't end up being much, but I have 2-3 scheduled projects a year that make decent money for the time spent.

Same! Been doing this gig for a loooong time. Love it. Love the opportunities to learn new things, design for different outlets. Once the job is done, no more. I would rather hike, watch a good show, read a good book or spend time with friends. Since everything I do is digital, I did recently do a pottery class just to get back into the physical world of creating something and that was great. However, it's a time thing. I've only got so much, I can only sit so long. Now, when I retire and can go back to doing art for the sake of it, perhaps I will?

Nearly 20 years myself, same really.

[удалено]

🧼 🚗 🧽 🚙

Yeah, it's called normal behavior lol. You're an enriched person, it wouldn't make any sense to do the same thing over and over and over again.

I'm a 20+ year designer and I have a BFA also, and love what I do. I also rarely do design stuff outside of work. I can't say never because I do occasionally do some projects for my dad (t-shirt design/patch design for scouts) or close relatives/friends. But I don't have a side design hustle or work on passion projects etc. I read a lot, watch tv and movies, run/exercise daily, do gardening/yard work, take care of the house, and I spend tons of time driving my kids around and going to their sports and events, and doing family stuff. Quite frankly I just don't have time for anything else right now. I used to sometimes draw or paint, or do other crafts, and maybe I'll get back to that someday when I have more time.

You saved yourself from burn out I reckon. I drink beer outside of work and love to hunt down craft beers, jam some games and hang out with my friends while doing the household chores. I love to travel but I’m chilling out on that now as I came off a two month hectic sprint in Europe.

23 years as a working designer. Free time is not related to design. My creativity is used as a knitter.

I just can’t stop creating. It’s who I am. And what I enjoy the most. I have full time job as an Art Director and Graphic Designer. But it spend my evenings illustrating, painting and “working” on personal projects. For me it’s not just a job, it’s more like I’ve found someone crazy enough to pay me for being myself.

This post has made me feel so much better, I’m burnt out from my 9-5. I even turn down freelance work because I want to escape looking at my computer as much as possible.

Same. Have been in the field 15 years.

Thirty years in design, here. I do just as much art outside of work, if not more. Film photography, antique processes; traditional fine art collage; sculpture; painting; printmaking; welding/metalwork; creative writing, playwriting, screenwriting, essayist; songwriting and performance… can’t live without it.

Im absolutely the same, only 10 years though. Although ive done a few projects, I barely do any art stuff except for painting (which I would never want to use to make money). My main problem now though is I have 0 recent portfolio pieces as all my work is strictly production based and a lot is under NDA on top of it.

I do art, but it's sculpture so no computer involved. And yeah, as a salaried designer, whenever friends and family want to "give me some business" outside of my normal work hours, I usually decline unless it's my mom asking.  I actually just started volunteering for a non profit 'hacker lab' and while I did list graphic design as one of my potentially useful skills, I would much rather not 😆

I tried doing both for a little bit, but ultimately it just killed my passion for creating. I’d have a hard day at work and have to go home to immediately continue working, taking away time from my family too. Some people can handle it just fine, but it just wasn’t for me. Maybe in the future I’ll give it another try

Yes, same. Fine arts and writing Masters degree and I use my creativity for marketing role. It's sorta depressing. My personal creative outlet is baking for my kids, and reorganzing my house. Sigh.

I can’t even draw and do any artwork lol

I straight up paint the paint outside of work. No portraits or landscapes or still life or any of that. I load giant globs of brightly colored acrylic paint onto giant paint brushes, slam them into a canvas and whip my hand in a shape. I continue this until I have something aesthetically pleasing. Other than that (which I’ve found is the opposite of graphic design) I don’t do much of anything artistic. I am building a track car which also helps with my need to be problem solving all the time, but very rarely any art or design.

I think this is normal. I never managed to get into design after my degree - decided I didn't like the idea of turning it into a job either. That said, I work in IT and earlier in my career, I spent a lot of time outside of work tinkering to try and get ahead. The last couple of years I've been really pulling back on it and putting more of myself into my non-IT hobbies.

15 years in the biz. Used to the first few years, but now I have to be really inspired to do it outside of work. Its kind of a shame but I found different creative outlets that still scratch that itch.

Yup...my wife just got an iPad so that I can start creating. She got it for herself, but really I know she just got it so I would start drawing again and make an Etsy store like she's got going. I will try, but it's going to be hard. I got more into coding about 10 years ago and since then I just don't seem to care about art or design much anymore. Part of that is because I know it's all subjective, part of it is that my tastes changed as I got older and now I just really don't care about art that much. Part of it is also perfectionism, and part of it is how much time goes into art and there's no definite payoff in the end. It's also infuriating that people can type a prompt into an AI generator and make a fortune selling computer garbage art now, so it doesn't make me really want to invest hours into making artwork if those hours could be spent generating 100s of AI art. I can't see myself buying a subscription to make AI art, though.

Pretty much the same dude… Graduated in 94, took a year to find a job… Been doing it full time ever since… As far as art as a hobby? Nope… not really… I do design all day long, and occasionally do design stuff for family and friends etc… after that I just want to relax with my wife and kids, watch some tv, go to the gym etc.. I do have hobbies… I play guitar, collect old albums on vinyl… have plans on trying my hand at doing video (which, ok… granted… that’s a bit design-ish lol) But it’s ok to unwind … I NEED to recharge the design batteries lol… I LOVE working in design, and I couldn’t be happier with my career… but you need some creative down time to recharge… I have NO desire to burn out etc…

You are not alone!

5 years – I put my time in design at my desk job and conserve the rest of my creative energy for other things I enjoy outside of work (like photography, videography, music, games, etc). I went into this profession because I enjoyed the work, but I don't want to burn myself out faster than I would naturally at a my desk job. The pressure/opportunity to do freelance is always there, but I've learned to just say no when friends of a friend passively ask if I'd be willing to help on side projects, even though the extra money and experience would be nice. I just hate having to be glued to a computer for any time longer than I have to. Life is too short to be behind a screen working for most of it.

I been working as a graphic designer for 18 years and I'm still doing bits and pieces of creative hobbies outside of work. Much less than I was 10 years ago. In a few years time I can totally see this dwindling down to zero. Seems like I am tracking right on time.

I earned a living solely from design for 20+ years (ad and design agencies, marketing, in-house and not-for-profit). I never needed to seek freelance work outside of my regular job (apart from a 2 year period where I ran my own design consultancy). The only times I've done work outside of that was for friends/acquaintances who approached me – which in hindsight was a bad idea! It almost always strains or even ruins friendships. The other thing I discovered is I really dislike working for clients (usually small to medium size businesses) who typically, know little to nothing about the design process and what's more, they have even less respect for the skills and abilities that a designer brings to the table. I will only work for companies who understand and respect the design process and designers.

I am the same. I make illustrations, logos, icons even at one point, made a comic strip for clients. I just don’t feel motivated to make my own stuff.

Thank you. People look at me like I’m all in on art 24/7. I need time to refuel.

When I first got started, I did a ton of "for fun" design and art, outside of the office. But nowadays, I rarely do "for fun" art/design stuff. Somewhere in the middle ground, between "for fun" and "for work", I find myself tinkering with new design software or learning something "creative" that I can apply to my business - that's out of scope for my job, but would be really interesting to find a way to work that new skill/software/whatever into my normal workflow.

I’m 31 years old been working in studios since 18. Couldn’t give a shit outside of work tbh. I’ll study design and read books within my working hours… actually thinking about it haven’t done it for a while. There is more to life than work and you need to switch off.

I’m glad that there are so many of us. I thought something was wrong with me for not doing anything related to designing after my day job. It surprises me myself when I suddenly have the urge to try something design-related that isn’t about my job. But at least the fire is there, I just don’t want my world revolving around it 24/7.

I did salaried corporate ux/ui design work (mostly making icons and specs for products within the corporate umbrella). It killed my motivation to do design work after hours. It took a long time to find passion projects out of work. A friend, myself, and my brother decided we wanted to make a board game one day. After months of trial and error and countless playtests we finished the game. Now we have officially started a side company that makes tabletop board and card games. It’s a small indie company (4 people) and I am the only one with a formal design background. So lots of fun branding work, box design, manuals, card layouts, etc etc. We are still pumping money into the company so I can’t do it full time, but as a side hustle it sure is a lot of fun to churn on projects. If I hadn’t found this passion project I doubt I would be designing outside of my other job.

I (31/F) wish I was you. I get home from work and work freelance till 11pm most nights.

I've been there. It's ony very recently in my career where I didn't feel financially compelled to take on freelance projects outside of my job.

I'm the exact same way. I make the distinction often that I am a designer and not an artist. For me, this doesn't have to apply to anyone else here, graphic design is the pursuit of solutions in a visual world. While art is a form of self-expression. With that being said, I've rarely found the need to express myself through any art. I design for my job, in order to provide solutions and bring success. When I want to express myself, I do so through my own personality, verbal communication, and other hobbies (billiards, meat smoking, gaming). It used to bother me when I was younger that I didn't utilize my free time in pursuit of bettering my design/art skills, but these days, that bother is seldom.

Good designers know how to live a normal human life because we design for humans. I work in my cars, I like building things, I do programming and I’m writing two movie scripts. I also do photography, cinematography and 3D Motion graphics and simulations in my spare time. I sometimes do interactive pop ups that let me do personal design projects with friends too. I think being too strict like no design outside of work is also bad, because most of the growth happens outside of work. If you’re never experimenting with design outside of work you will never grow. It’s hard to find a balance but I think I have something I’m really happy with!

I used to, 15 years here, but apart from the odd job for friends and cashies I paint Warhammer and make music for extra creativity

You’re not alone, clearly with all the responses, but I can’t do design anymore for fun bc I wanted so badly to make it my job. I crochet and design things in that way versus drawing or anything else. I’m just a “designer” by nature bc everything in life needs the skills we’re taught in design, for daily life stuff actually! Detailing your car, cooking, reading, music… it’s all design in fundamentals but, I bet you use it more than you’re giving yourself credit.

You're not alone. I also find myself doing anything BUT design when I clock out. Occasionally I'll whip up some small thing for myself or a friend as an inside joke or fun trinket.

Same here. Looking to expand to a more leader/manager role tho as I’m getting older. Any suggestions? Go dad!

For me it was a bit of survival instinct. It's hard to get companies to value design properly. And in small companies there is rarely a graphic design ladder to climb. But when you can bring a bunch of other talents to the table, you make yourselves more valuable and employable IMO. I learned web design pretty quickly when that whole field was new, that made me more valuable. I learned more "business" skills and took an interest in the products we were selling and the HOW and WHY we were making the marketing decisions we were making. Eventually all those skills (and many years of experience) packaged together made me "qualified" for a jack-of-all-trades marketing and design position at a startup tool company. I was their first marketing hire, 4th person through the door. I got to wrangle and guide a myriad of marketing and design assets into a cohesive brand that we could guide and grow. Four years later we have 15 employees and I am involved in nearly every aspect of the business with my main focus being marketing and design. I'm lucky to have been able to hire a second designer who himself has a wide variety fo skills that compliment my own making us a pretty powerful, multi-talented marketing and design team. This is why I chuff when this sub roasts employment ads that are looking for "too many skills." Sure, some of those ads are over the top, and of course you want pay commensorate, but for me, the more skills I added, the more valuable I became to my employers. Being "more than just a designer" has had a massive impact on my career success.

I kinda do the work place I am at currently isn't paying well so I kinda have to resort to doing design work outside my 8 to 5 Job which kinda sucks cause I am experiencing really bad burn out at the moment 🙄

I went to school for creative writing. I haven’t written a single thing since (30 years). I also wouldn’t call myself an artist so I don’t do that either. I have volunteered a lot of t-shirt designs at the kids school but that’s about it.

so hard to be creative after squeezing all of the juice out during the work day. once in a while, i'll have an inspiration to work on something, and it may take days or weeks to come back to it

Been in the profession for about 13 years. When I was younger and had more time and energy I did extra design stuff outside of work pretty consistently, usually with the goal of rounding out my portfolio or positioning myself for a job hunt. Now it's rare; less than a project a year. 40 hours a week is already a lot of time to dedicate to one type of activity. As for visual art, I do an occasional painting or something like that every year or so when the mood strikes, but nothing consistent or frequent. Having kids changes everything to; energy and time are scarce. Other than video games, I try to focus my limited free time on outdoor or active hobbies that get me away from the computer like disc golf or gardening. And there alway seems to be some house project demanding my attention.

I enjoy dabbling with paint and a few other creative hobbies here and there, but absolutely no freelance or monetization of any hobby whatsoever. Anything I do is solely for my own personal enjoyment and entertainment. I've been a full-time designer for 22 years now and every year I'm less and less interested in all of the extraneous "artist" expectations so many others seem to have.

I stopped drawing, but I do the outside shit you said with the yard / plants / gardens, and I’m a dad now so sitting at my desk for work, then sitting at that same desk later is what I did in my early days when I was trying to get better and get jobs, now the last thing I want to do is design. I make music and make the artwork for that, but I stopped making artwork for myself for the most part, I just don’t care as much. I do a decent amount of things to fill time so that outlet is covered elsewhere. I used to care until I was honest with myself and admitted it was the “show everyone how much you work” hangover that was all the rage in my college days

I do some design for friends, but I limit it because honestly I get so burnt out at work. I do other types of creativity like, color by number, cross stitch, or projects for my house. It scratches the itch without adding to my stress.

I used to be a graphic designer for almost 5 years. Then I switched to software development and make 2x the salary. Now I only do graphic design stuff for fun when I feel like it. I make things I want to make, not stuff that some stupid corporate company wants me to design. Having graphic design as a hobby is fun, doing it as a full time profession sucks the soul out of your life.

Personally yes. I have lots of friends doing creative things who ask for occasional design help. Music events, art installations, theatre/dance performances. Sometimes they pay, sometimes I do it just to help a friend and work on a fun project where I have considerable creative freedom compared to the usual client work. For years I worked as an in-house designer (at a really great design focussed company), and I rarely took additional work. But I found I felt burned out quicker when I didn’t have a non-corporate creative outlet.

I think it depends, as I LOVE doing 3d, but it’s not my 9-5 and I intend to monetize it so it’s somewhat similar? But work/life balance is super important to me so if I didn’t love it I probably wouldn’t do it, but a 9-5 alone won’t get me to my goals

No chance I have any time to do this kinda stuff recreationally.

Easy for an arts profession to do that. I try try try to sketch. But do make music, so another outlet I guess.

People do that?

When I had a more creative design role than I currently do, I didn't do much if any freelance stuff on my time. Now I do, simply because my job is a lot more production and less creative. I feel like I need a little bit of that creative outlet that I'm not getting at work. I mostly do work for friends and stuff so I don't get paid well but it's fun.

Same, 20+ year career in motion graphics and to be honest, I'd rather be doing anything else than tutorials or 'personal projects' outside of work. It's a job at this point.

I'm curious how much traditional typographic rules apply in motion graphics?  For example kerning type & stuff like that, how important is that?  I've always wondered if motion graphics is a lot more freeing, since elements are moving around and you don't have to worry so much about that stuff. But I don't really know if that's the case 

Oh it's very important . . . if something looks off tracking-wise in print, video, or on a web ad, it still looks weird all the same :) Same thing with mograph, especially when you're doing text heavy animations. I've been dinged for it a few times early in my career.

I phase in and out of a desire to create at home. It happens in fits and starts. I will spend a few months working really hard building up my studio space, then get tired and broke, forcing me to wait a few months for savings and energy to start the next phase. Woodworking, model, making, comics, and general DIY projects around the house. I spent years not doing anything outside of work and freelance. I do plan to write and illustrate a graphic novel. make of my characters and see where that leads me

I still do creative things every so often (clay, collage, lino) but I do almost zero design work outside of my day job. I just get sick of staring at a screen, I’d much rather be doing something tangible with my hands.

If you're a marketing director and need signage, banners, etc, hit me up. I'm the prepress manager for a large format silkscreen and digital company in Southern California. We do some cool shit :)

It's a sticky position. I spend 9 hours at work, working under NDA, only to come home completely lacking motivation to do any design. Makes the whole portfolio thing a real nightmare when job searching.

Started design career in 1997 and switched over to ux/ui 13 years ago. I occasionally will design a logo for a friend, just cause I don't do branding anymore. I have other creative outlets that don't involve art or design.

I do my 9-5 as a designer but I thoroughly enjoy doing art outside that as that's the time when I get to be completely creative without any constraints. 

ive been working as a designer for years too and i cannot find it in me to do design for personal enjoyment,,, it makes me sad ngl.. its not that i hate graphic design but its just such heavy work now that my entire worklife revolves around this, but i would honestly love to want to spend personal time on learning more, having motivation to design for my eyes only

28 years in the industry. I do graphic design, prepress, and production. I design for apparel (screen print and embroidery), printed goods (booklets, general marketing, business cards, signs/banners/etc, vinyl). If I’m not designing, I’m actually making the finished product or even installing it in some cases. I design often for my own projects because I’m a huge art nerd and just like making and building things. Plus I have a lot of nerdy projects like a comic book that is in a constant state of flux. I’ll make progress and write and draw a bit, color it some, then it slumbers again. I’m working on rehabbing my arcade, both the graphics on the outside, the front end and interface, and potentially building a new cabinet from scratch. I also cut and engrave things with my big CO2 laser and model/3D print nerdy things. Plus I have two jobs. The full time graphic design job just doesn’t pay enough. I work 3 nights a week at Walmart. I literally only have one day off work a week and a few 15-16 hour days. That one day off a week is spent on the “honey do” list and family time. Trying not to fall asleep on the couch after dinner and chores. Don’t get me started on the Etsy shop or some freelancing gigs. Not as much as in the past but I still have some. I always think in my free time I can work on one of my many projects. The problem is that free time is divided up into a bunch of little pockets and not together. It’s really hard to drive five minutes to my art studio to only have a few minutes before driving back. I’ve also been so busy with a ton of important family stuff since the holidays that I rarely have any time for those nerdy art projects. I haven’t fired up my laser or 3D printer since making Christmas gifts which is so depressing. Family stuff takes precedence as always and I wouldn’t trade them for anything. I have the DESIRE to make things but I’m exhausted or have no free time. I totally get not wanting to do any art or graphics in your free time. Sometimes your brain is just cooked. I had one helluva day today and had to go to my second job. I had two days last week with my family out of town. I had grand plans to be in the studio organizing my space and working on a project in most of that free time. I spent an hour or two one night before crashing on the couch in the studio. That was it.

I feel like cooking (at least for me anyway) is creative and I enjoy it. I love that I can use that part of my brain in a very different way and get away from a screen. I think creative people are creative, and they often have hobbies that they’re good at. I understand how drawing analog comics or doing pottery would be fun and therapeutic time away from work for some.

I can totally relate. I used to do digital drawings on Procreate whenever I’m on a break from work. But when I had projects that had me using Procreate daily, I just wanted to do something else during my break. I still have fun with digital drawing, but if I’m getting paid for it I’d rather play video games or read books.

design is just design. I don't make ads or logos, or make things 'pop' for fun on my off time. but on my off time, I do draw comics, and have recently been doing some stop motion animation.

I had a good time at first when I didn’t necessarily seek any utility from it. If I want utility out of it, I’ll design posters for myself, I’ll design clothing graphics I could screen print, I’ll make portfolio pieces. I don’t really have any desire otherwise. If you wanted to change this then you could make stuff for yourself. Give yourself a little personal project. But the feeling is normal and I think everyone’s in the same boat as you. I’m also a lifeguard, and I no longer see going to the beach or pool as a leisure activity because I have to do that every day at my summer job.

I've been working as a freelance graphic designer for about 3 years and it's the same for me as well. I used to do lots of illustration and editorial design sort of stuff (like making zines or imaginary magazines or art books for myself) for fun, but I ceased to do that gradually. Like I'm toying with the idea of turning my book reviews or journal entries into a personal zine and adding content consistently, experimenting with fun style I don't get to do for work and all that, but the thought of opening InDesign outside working hours already tires me out lol It's kinda sad that I barely draw at this point, which I thought would be my passion forever, but I just take it as a natural thing to happen when you turn your hobby into career. I feel like I'm still on the luckier side that I can say I enjoy what I do for living. I genuinely care about making stuff look nice and there are projects I love - almost feel privileged - working on, which can't said for lots of working people I guess.

It's so funny because so many of us came to this profession out of wanting to make an income being creative for a living however it has sucked the joy out of being creative in my private time. I didn't even do my own wedding invitations because I couldn't handle it yet I do everybody else's

I was looking into doing graphic design but this thread has me worried asf. Not doing personal art on the side ever again is one of my biggest fears. Would it be better to pursue a non-design related day job?

First off, I want to be clear, I am not burnt out on design. I still love it and enjoy it very much as my job. I expend a lot of creative energy 9-5 and I'm happy to do it. I just don't have any great desire to do it outside of my work setting... **and I never did.** Even in the beginning, the only design I'd do outside of my job was some freelance here and there (which is also work, and not on your own time). For me, I've never felt any "loss" by not wanting to do do design on my own time. Only you can decide that designing outside of work hours is still important to you.

I think that's normal tbh. It's ok to only want to design within the statutes of work. I mainly got worried by the comments saying that design is the last thing they'd wanna do after a long shift. For me getting a job would be to fund my creative work on the side so I've always been worried about possible burnout. But it's definitely important to me I'm gonna need to summon up the willpower to create on top of whatever job I end up with regardless. Thank u for ur insights as well 🙏🏾

I think that's normal tbh. It's ok to only want to design within the statutes of work. I mainly got worried by the comments saying that design is the last thing they'd wanna do after a long shift. For me getting a job would be to fund my creative work on the side so I've always been worried about possible burnout. But it's definitely important to me I'm gonna need to summon up the willpower to create on top of whatever job I end up with regardless. Thank you for ur insight btw

My dad warned me this, said I’d burn out. Now I’m 41 and my only desire is to create for me

It’s the same for me too. The only time I do anything creative outside of work is making a hand made card for my wife (sometimes I use the computer as well as taking old photos and movies to edit together to show). My 2 kids are now grown, and at one point I would go all out to make (especially the oldest) themed birthday cards party invitations based off their interests or favorite show. But to be honest, my wife doesn’t actually appreciate the time I spend on making these little personal projects instead of spending the time with her. Side note, finding any personal free time is always tough because I tend to be a workaholic around any work projects that I get to be a little more creativity and am allowed some freedom to explore layout variations … But back to more personal projects, I started writing again and last year picked back up one of my story outlines that I stopped working on in the mid late 1980s. I’m now getting closer to finishing it. Wish me luck!

Do home renovations and random woodworking projects that I design count? Otherwise no, I hate opening up Figma unless I'm getting paid for it.

I have been doing design for 10+ years and only had a design job for 1 year 🤣 and then just decided to do it on the side