Personal projects work

So do them!

Nov 14, 2025

Accessibility written in black on a white rectangle — Image from Rive

A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog for Rive about accessibility in animation on how we can all make small changes to improve our work. Check it out at this link.

It was very much a labour of love, as I got to work with Rive and talk about things I find very important. Anyone who’s listened to me over the past few years will know how much of a fan I am of Rive.

But what was really great about this all was that Beard Trimmings landed me the gig. Yes, this very newsletter you’re reading!

Rive put out an open call for blog writers and I threw my hat in the ring. I’ve never written “professionally” so it was a long shot. As I was scrambling to find examples I was hit by the most obvious thought.

“Eh, you’ve been writing a monthly blog for 2 years now”

So a quick intro and a link to the newsletter was sent. And luckily, they loved Beard Trimmings! It was specifically mentioned, and then again during editing, as a good example of my writing. Look at me, paid writer on the CV now!

When I started Beard Trimmings, it had two goals. One, to talk to people directly without being beholden to any social media platform. And two, to help me communicate better. But at the end of the day, it was soley for me.

But personal projects get you work. Always have, always will.

We’re creators. And in your downtime, if you’re not creating something, what is the point?

Whenever other motion designers/animators tell me they’re quiet with work, I want to know if they’re working on any personal stuff. It baffles me how many of them don’t, and in fact won’t. I think it’s a huge wasted opportunity to not learn something new, make that thing you’ve wanted to for ages, or even simply to keep your skills sharp.

I know the fear of not having work would usually lead people to blanket email or post on LinkedIn straight away. But I firmly believe showing what you can actually do is the best calling card you could give a potential client.

To be clear, I’m not talking about spec work, which can fuck right off. I’m talking about if you want to make interactive animations, make an interactive animation. If you want more 3D work, make something in 3D. If you want longer projects, try a short film.

I never planned for Beard Trimmings to be any kind of financial avenue. But I found I liked writing every month and then when the chance came about, I was ready.