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During the recent IDSA National Conference, it occurred to me that we as designers spend an awful lot of time talking about what we do at work. Well, what about what we do outside of work? Designers are highly creative people;
they have got to be into some cool stuff on the side. Why not showcase some of the hobbies and interests designers have beyond their studios? Luckily, Core jr., along with a few chapter chairs from IDSA, agreed with me. After posting
a few requests for participation, I was able to gather about fifteen submissions. Check them out:
First, is a Spanish woman with a really cute (no other way to say it!) hobby: Christina Rodriguez, a graduate student at Domus Academy in Milan, loves to blow bubbles. She carries a bubble maker in her pocket or bag everywhere
she goes. She has been into bubbles since she was a kid and says that blowing bubbles allows her to quickly create a little fantasy and share it with others. She also made a good point about learning from children, especially on
topics that involve creativity. I could not agree with her more. Chrstina Rodriguez
| Another designer with a unique hobby is Darin Hager, a shoe designer in Boston Massachusetts. Darin collects tin and mint containers. He started using Altoids to have fresh breath for a woman he was dating but
he quickly got hooked on the packaging. He has collected over 140 different mint containers including some that he picked up while traveling all over the world. He has them proudly displayed in a china hutch in his dining room.
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Darin Hager: |
| For two somewhat meticulous hobbies we have Eric Fickas, a Senior Designer at Priority Designs. Eric is into comic book collecting and model building. Both of which he says are "all consuming"
projects. Eric has been collecting a vast array of comic books for the past 15 years. He avoided the topic of notable or valuable issues by simply saying that he collects for other reasons, mostly outstanding artwork or writing.
He also never intends to sell his comic books so valuable issues aren't really a concern of his. His second hobby is model building. His subject matter is typically sci-fi and more often than not, Star Trek. Eric will often
spend six months to a year on a model. However, it can pay off: he has won numerous awards. |
Eric Fickas: |
Another designer with a penchant for collecting is Robert Lotufo who owns a design and manufacturing company in Chattanooga Tennessee. Robert is an antique collector. He attends auctions a few times a month to collect items for
his own collection along with items that he then sells in an antique store. He works in the store about three days a week and says that it is a great excuse to pursue his passion. Robert
Lotufo
| For a hobby with a much shorter turnaround time,
we have Casper Thijssen, formerly a Senior Designer at Denso
International. Casper is a sand sculptor. He loves it because
it is a readily available and cheap material. Which makes it
great for underpaid designers. Sand sculpture is Casper's current
hobby but for about a year Casper was a professional sand sculptor.
He traveled all over the world producing sand sculptures in
Singapore, Holland and the Canary Islands (where he recently
won first place!), letting him meet some really interesting
and creative people from all over. That definitely gets my vote
for cool job award. |
Casper Thijssen |
Another designer with a truly creative hobby is Brad Zeig from Santa Anna, CA. His hobby is more a lifestyle that a traditional hobby. When Brad is not working for an electronics manufacturer, he lives in an artist colony. He produces
sculpture in the workshop, jams in sessions with fellow musicians, and develops quite a bit of black and white photography. Brad spoke at length on how his lifestyle helps him maintain balance in his life. The creative releases
he has at home keep him from getting focused too intensely on his work. If my living situation could create the kind of balance Brad has, I would probably not feel the need to write this article. Brad
Zieg
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When Jonathan Fu submitted his hobby to me, the first thing I noticed was that his email was from a domain called Phatnoise. With a name like that, I knew this one would have a cool hobby: Jonathan spins progressive house
and trance as a DJ. He's been into music for most of his life, from '80s techno to '90s trance, and loves how it can drive people's moods. If you remember the last time you were at a party with a really bad DJ, you know exactly
what Jonathan is talking about. www.phatnoise.com
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Jonathon Fu |
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I don't know what it is about DJs and their cool domain names. Gabriel Carlson, a cofounder of SuperHappyBunny.com, spins as "Angel Gabreel." He loves to create an experience with music. In his words, he exposes
people to his music "...to give them time to be happy and smile and sweat." Gabriel points out that music produces an immediate emotional response. People hear it and they just react. They don't have time to think
about it. He says being a DJ is like being a designer in that it is all about elevating an experience. Coming from the man whose company created "bubbles" that carries a lot of weight. , www.superhappybunny.com
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Gabriel Carlson |
| Krister Gustafsson of Sydney Australia has a hobby that is also all about interpretation, but the interpretation is an entirely different animal. In fact, it's even a different century. When he is not running
a one-man design firm, Krister is involved in a society called Uppsala. They perform historically accurate Viking reenactments. These involve reproducing small villages along with some Braveheart style combat. They meet once
a week for crafts and combat practice and with other groups for full reenactments a few times a year. They also travel to high schools and fairs for demonstrations. His group consists of fourteen members, each having a role
in the village. Krister fills the dual role of a tax collector and soldier. He gets to carry two axes into battle! |
Krister Gustafsson |
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Another designer with a slightly anachronistic hobby is Lou Iannone, a designer from New York. About six times a year, Lou competes in the Scottish Games. They consist of seven events, all of which involve throwing heavy
objects including, among other things, a hammer, a sixteen-pound bag of hay, and a telephone pole. Lou says he enjoys it because of the "rush" he gets when all of his strength is focused on throwing something heavy.
I can only imagine. I've never thrown a telephone pole but sure sounds like pure Freudian Id rearing its ol' head!
Lou is the guy in the middle, carrying 200 lbs in each hand had and walking as far as he can. (83 feet on this try)
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Lou Iannone |
| Matt Lazich, president of 3D Industrial Design, also has a testosterone-rich hobby. Matt restores and races cars. He has a fully restored '69 Trans Am, a customized '70 Bronco and a '96 Viper GTS. Matt loves the
compliments and the camaraderie between car guys. He likes the research and meticulous nature of restorations along with the expressiveness of a customized car. He loves going to the car shows. He says that's where you finally
get recognition for all your hard work. While he does not show the Viper, he enjoys racing it and even has a few trophies to show for it. When he drives it on the street, people stop, look, even take pictures. He says it's like
being a celebrity. Matt, have we got a bumper sticker for you! www.3dindustrialdesign.com |
Matt Lazich |
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Perhaps a more feminine submission comes from Daily Gist. Daily designs power tools for Porter-Cable / Delta. What strikes me about Daily is how much adversity she overcomes with her hobby. Daily has been an insulin dependant
diabetic since she was nine years old. Daily also runs a marathon or a triathlon almost every year. She tells us how difficult it is to follow a rigorous training schedule (with daily work-outs and a high carbohydrate, low
fat diet) with an extremely high metabolism while also maintaining a consistent blood sugar level. The event itself also gets a bit tricky. Marathons are stressful enough on a person's body. Most people have enough trouble
without the complications of dealing with blood sugar. Our hats are off to you Daily.
Daily (on right) with her running partner Ellen Turner running a marathon in Maui.
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Daily Gist |
Another designer with a physically demanding and disciplined hobby is Leon Pfeiffer. Leon designs furniture accessories in London and also practices Chow Gar Praying Mantis style Kung Fu. He likes the full immersion that Kung Fu
requires. You must enter such complete concentration that it is impossible to even think about work. That is why he literally carves time out of his schedule so that he can practice three to four times a week. He spoke of the importance
of maintaining a balance between his life and his work so that design does not completely take over. We agree completely. Leon Pfeifer
www.leonhard-pfeiffer.com
More physical demands are placed on Steve Montgomery by his hobby. When Steve is not running bioDesign or teaching at Art Center, he is a professional grade ballet dancer. Steve dances almost every day. He was into gymnastics as
a kid and theatre shortly after college. He ended up dancing and tumbling in a few productions and originally took ballet to help him with his dance steps. Full time ballet was a natural progression. He even danced professionally
for a few years. He loves the fact that ballet is an art form that also keeps you in shape. He is currently preparing for the obligatory Nutcracker performances during the holidays. He plans to keep performing until someone tells
him to stop and rehearsing until it is no longer possible. Steve Montgomery
| The last submission is by far the most admirable. Dale Frye is a designer in Ventura California. Dale has a few hobbies including racing sprint cars and sailing in regattas, but what is really interesting about
Dale is the artwork he creates. Dale creates paintings of sprint cars and yachts and sells them on the Internet. He then gives all of his proceeds to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. In fact, when you buy a painting from Dale,
you don't even make the check out to him; it goes directly to LLS. |
Dale Frye |
So there you have it. Fifteen designers, fifteen cool hobbies.
I'll end by noting that, once I started writing the article, I got
six more submissions. I'm sure there are even more interesting hobbies
out in the community. If all goes well, you'll be able to continue
reading about them in later editions of Designer Down Time. [ see
the second instalment here
]
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Darwin's first hobby is cooking. He got started when as a child he
developed a taste for breakfast food. He started out with Omelets and has since graduated up to dinner parties. He is currently working on Northern Italian cuisine.
His other hobby is a project he is working on with his dad. They are
building a 45 foot steel yacht from scratch. They bought a set of plans from a reputable company in Florida and had the steel laser-cut in Holland.
They are welding it together piece by piece. The project should take about three years to complete. He says it's not unlike building a model except that some of the pieces weigh 700 lbs. Thankfully, they own a small crane.
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