The things we do for love

Reflections from my decade of creative side projects

"Art and love are the same thing: It's the process of seeing yourself in things that are not you." — Chuck Klosterman

Ten years ago, as a new graduate, I could not find paid work in my chosen field of journalism.

As well as applying for countless roles, I did odd jobs, unpaid internships, and commuted for hours to do underpaid copywriting gigs.

Then it struck me—if I couldn’t find the job I wanted, I had to create it.

It’s now been exactly ten years since I started my first labour of love. In June 2014, I shared my first interview for Extraordinary Routines—a self-devised project where I spoke to creative people I admired about how they built the life they wanted, and what that looked on a given day.