Should we all be doing artistic side quests to keep us energised?

In my early twenties, some of the most fun I had was creating illustrations for a design stock website, iStockphoto.

I saw that I could make side money by creating and uploading hundreds of illustrations that designers could use worldwide.

It was fun because I had an ‘excuse’ to experiment with many creative ideas.

I would sometimes create three illustrations in a day. Some were rejected, and others accepted, going on to make hundreds of dollars.

It was exciting.

Some of my early iStock illustration uploads.

I see many stuck people who would benefit from a parallel creative or artistic outlet of some kind. They’re bored, doing monotonous work, or lacking alternative creative expression opportunities.

You could even be doing work others might envy but still have a silent need for additional creative variety.

I’ve neglected this again for a while, but a recent chat with a friend made me realise the power of regular artistic endeavour.

• Start a side project writing flash fiction.
• Start watercolour painting on…