In the spirit of this year’s conference theme, we asked our speakers to share how they embrace their time when they aren’t working.
Adam J. Kurtz, best-selling author & artis
All of my hobbies are tied up in art or capitalism in some way. I was a designer in-house, and my hobby was side projects, and then the side projects became the job, and now it’s been 11 years… do I even have a hobby? I guess the practices are just the things that bring joy: rest, food, music, sex, travel. God this is so boring and normal, I love it.
Andrea Rodriguez RGD, creative designer & mural artist
I make it a point to get outside and travel whenever I can. I love visiting botanical gardens and exploring new places, both close to home and around the world. I also enjoy sketching plants and observing wildlife, especially tropical species that reconnect me with my Colombian roots. Exercise is another important reset for me. Whether it’s an F45 class or simply going for a walk, stepping away from my desk helps me return with a clearer mind and fresh perspective. Outside of work, I also love painting on canvas, sewing, and spending time with my cocker spaniel, Paco.
Alex Lampe, co-founder of Wiedemann Lampe
I have a five-year-old daughter who continually challenges the way I think and see the world. The woods become a fortress, the climbing frame becomes a rocket ship, a fallen branch becomes a magic wand. She reminds me that creativity starts by imagining what could be, not accepting what already is.
Beyond that, I’m an observational street photographer, always looking for stories hidden in everyday moments. It sharpens my visual wit and trains me to notice things people would normally walk past.
Benji Wiedemann, co-founder of Wiedemann Lampe
I have two very lively boys, aged eight and ten. Anyone who’s been there understands exactly what I mean. Children have an extraordinary ability to pull you into the present moment. They’re a brilliant reminder of what’s truly important when I find myself getting swept up in the work vortex.
And if you think client feedback is tough, spend an afternoon with my boys. You’ll leave with a whole new appreciation for your clients.
Diana Varma RGD, design educator & podcaster
I get out of office by moving as far away from my normal routine as possible. I find that being in new spaces—both physical and mental—helps a lot. Taking social media sabbaticals 2x/year for a month or two at a time and turning on my out of office notification to manage expectations (and then actually leaving the tech at home!) is a game changer for realigning with my priorities.
Guillermo Flores Pacheco, art director, illustrator & designer
In addition to designing, I’m also a musician, composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist. It’s a great way of channeling my emotions and expressing what I can’t convey through design. I’m currently working on my new solo project. Exercise is part of my daily routine; it keeps me focused and is a good way to disconnect from work. I also really enjoy going out for a nice cup of coffee—it’s a kind of ritual where I can meditate and be with my thoughts.
Lauren McConnell, creative business & ADHD coach
If it’s summertime, you will find frolicking in the sunshine. It might be a patch of grass, a beach, a patio, or just walking & people watching, and accidentally spending too much money in cool indie shops.
I love meeting people IRL. I try to put myself in situations where I can meet new people at least once a week by attending cool community focused events, or having coffee with someone I’ve only just met. Meeting other creative people is my biggest energy booster – I leave with a brain full of ideas… what creative do you know who doesn’t love that!?
I am also a rabbit hole nerd…I have several library books checked out at any given time, and there is some kind of elaborate serial-killer-mindmap connecting the dots between them all.
I’m also a reality dating show expert, and a wig enthusiast (neither of these things are related 😉).
Lee Eldridge, designer, educator, researcher & author
Usually by finding another place to make a mess. I like making, well, pretty much anything – photography, prints, fabrication… particularly working on projects that involve physical materials. Anything that requires tape, clamps, glue, paint, test prints, and an apology to whoever has to clean the table afterwards is usually a good start!
Teaching also helps to get me out of my own head: Most students haven’t been mentally ground-down yet, and are very good at asking questions that expose rules we have all been following for years (without really remembering why). And sometimes some of those rules turn out to be kind of dumb when you re-examine them…
As much as I would like to be: I am not especially good at sitting quietly in nature and waiting for inspiration. But give me a rotary tool, some offcuts pulled out of a recycle bin, and a mission to make something and I’ll be centered in no time!
Maggie Chen, principal product manager at Ada
Getting away from screens and doing physical things that nourish my mind and body. My favorite ones: aerial silks and cooking. Silks grounds me in my body, and sometimes my best ideas arrive when I’m hanging upside down. Cooking activates all five of my senses, and I’m able to articulate my ideas much more clearly after a good meal.
Marjorie Malpass, founder & CEO of Nerve Strategic
The number 1 thing that gets me out of the office is travel. I do an annual week-long writing retreat to a different Canadian city, this year it’s Montreal.
To be in a city that is both familiar and unknown, to be alone while surrounded by a creative ambience, I reenergize my love for the meaningful work I do for my business.
For me, giving myself this time is a gift, and while I do write for a few hours everyday, I also walk, bike, visit friends and have great meals.
Martina Flor, lettering designer & author
I can’t help but see the world through the lens of letterforms. One of my favorite practices is simply walking through a city with a camera. I photograph street signs, storefronts, handwritten notes, menus, painted walls, and all kinds of lettering that most people walk past without noticing.
Getting out of the office also means spending time with my two children. They remind me to switch lenses and see the world through theirs. Suddenly, I notice things I would have overlooked as an adult.
Rachael Seatvet RGD, graphic designer, art director, illustrator & maker
If the activity I am doing can technically be done outdoors, you’ll find me outdoors doing it.
Robert Smith RGD, branding expert, author & speaker
For me walks, film, music and country drives keep me inspired and grounded. They inspire me, and open my eyes to new and different experiences.
Valentina D’Efilippo, information designer
For me there are really two ways of getting out of the office.
The first is not about physically leaving at all. It is about stepping outside the demands of commercial work and making space for a different kind of creative practice: drawing, painting, visualizing a new set of data because I am interested in telling those stories, or experimenting with sound and other senses. Much of my self-initiated work has happened outside paid working hours—still at my desk, but with a completely different aim. The driver is pure curiosity. There is no client brief, no approval process, and no immediate commercial outcome. It is simply time to experiment, play, take risks, and follow my curiosity.
The second approach, which is equally—if not more—important, is to genuinely leave work behind: email, Figma, Slack, LinkedIn, Instagram. Everything. I used to think that mastering my craft meant devoting more and more time to it. Now I understand that it also means protecting the time when I am not working or creating.
