Do you have a side project or pet project you’re working on? It seems to be a pretty common thing for someone in a creative industry to have something on the side they are working on. Weekends are the perfect time to work on the side project because most of the time you’re able to work uninterrupted by clients. Often clients expect you to be working on their work during the normal work hours, so you don’t want to try and sneak in a few hours when you should be doing their work. Client work is certainly important, it is how you pay your bills. Taking time away from that might not be the best option.

When working for someone else, we generally don’t have complete and total control over what we are doing, we are usually making some compromise to make the client happy. That’s where the side project comes into play. You can do anything you like, experiment, learn and make mistakes. Not only is the side project a great outlet for your mind to wander but you also might learn something new that could be valuable for future projects. Whether it’s about new technology, the industry, or marketing. That was one of the reasons I decided to put together the iPhone application, Invasion Of The B-Movie Posters. It was something that allowed me to explore a space I didn’t know much about and allowed me to learn a thing or two about having to deal with customer service.

A side project also helps raise your visibility online which can make it a powerful marketing tool. The community loves to hear and see what you’re working on and how those projects take shape. Friends and colleagues are more likely to talk about your side project then anything you’ve created for a client. I’ve seen this a lot with the “Jake & Brad Show You” videos that Jake Williams and I have been putting out. People seems to really dig them and I get a lot of people telling me how much they love those.

So this weekend set aside some time and allow yourself to have a creative outlet that isn’t your “Job”, you might find it beneficial.