Side Project Sessions is for you if…
✓ You know what you need to do, but struggle to make the time to do it.
✓ You crave a quiet, distraction-free environment to get work done.
✓ There’s an idea or creative project you are not able to get to in your 9-5.
✓ It’s been tricky getting started or over the finish line with a project or task.
✓ You don’t have a deadline for your personal work and need some accountability.
✓ Procrastination has been getting in the way and you could use some peer-pressured productivity.
✓ You have lots of ideas and need time to unpack, prioritise or plan.
✓ You feel behind on life admin and want some time to play catch up.
✓ You want to connect with humble people exploring their projects, ideas and creativity, but without the pressure to network or share your work in progress.
✓ You’re curious!
FAQS
Q: What is Side Project Sessions?
A regular event series offers accountability, space, time, and a regular routine to help you take your idea further (or at least help you knock a little off your to do list!)
Whether it's writing a novel, starting a blog, creating an illustration project, or tinkering away at a creative idea, having concentrated pockets of time is key to taking your project to the next stage.
Q: How does it work?
Something phenomenal happens when you surround yourself with other creatives working on their projects – you're guilted into working on your project too!
Side Project Sessions utilises a time management technique to help you get into a state of deep work to focus on your labour of love, prioritise, find accountability and have fun with your side project.
Q: Do I have to have a side project?
You don’t have to have a fully-fledged side project – the event series is about creating time for anything you’re putting off, big or small. Some things people work on during the sessions include:
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Novels
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Emails
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CVs and resignation letters
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Life admin!
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PhDs and study
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Tending to Bonsai plants!
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Catching up on reading
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Photography editing
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Illustration projects
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Comics
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Blogs
And much, much more!
Q: Do I have to sign up for a memebership?
Side Project Sessions is kind of like a gym for your productivity, but without the membership fees or lock in contacts.
While you do have to register to attend each session, how often you come along to Side Project Sessions is up to you!
What to expect
+ Distraction-free work time
Working solo on your project can be difficult. To help keep you accountable, as a group we will work through three sessions – 45-50 minutes of work-time paired with a 15 minute break.
+ A mix of creative disciplines
Illustrators, writers, designers, photographers, philosophers, scientists, teachers, academics – our definition of 'creative' is broad and we welcome all side projects and ideas.
+ Introvert-friendly environment
As the main priority of the event is to focus and get work done, how much or how little you engage with others around you is entirely up to you!
What not to expect
+ We do not offer advice on making money or “hustling”
This event series is not about "the hustle" or how you can monetise your idea – it's about creating a space and carving out time to work on your ideas and see where they lead you.
+ We do not pressure you to share your work or network, network, network!
You will not be put on the spot to share your idea or "work the room" – this space is just for you and your project, without the pressure.
Who is behind the sessions?
Side Project Sessions is the brainchild of Melbourne writer Madeleine Dore.
Through her popular interview project Extraordinary Routines, Madeleine saw first hand how starting a side project of your own can help make traction in a creative career.
She is a big fan of the philosophy: "If you can't find the job you want, create it."
Equally, she understands the pressures and challenges that came along with finding the time, motivation and confidence to get something started or keep up momentum.
Madeleine also brings countless insights and strategies for managing a side project straight from the successful creatives she has interviewed – Zoe Foster Blake, Tina Roth Eisenberg, Chaz Hutton, Lisa Congdon, Rachel Burke, and many more .
Through Side Project Sessions, Madeleine wants to bring people together to help them get out of their own way and create extraordinary things.