September 20, 2017

Pride, Work and Necessity of Side Projects: Designers Rashi Birla and Nicklesh Soni share Photo Essays about Their Wanderlust



What are you working on—on the side?

Found Nouns is our discovery of the people, places and things along our travels. We use a combination of photos and words to create photo essays that share those discoveries. Sometimes, they are very specific, about a person or a favorite meal, and other times can be about several days in a region or city.

How do you manage to work on your side project(s)?

We spend so much our time traveling taking photos and journaling, that focusing our creative energy on Found Nouns allows us to create something more rich and beautiful. During down-time abroad, we begin editing and writing, which forces us to slow down and reflect upon our time in that place. We both take the photographs, but Rashi takes on the heavy lifting of editing, while Nick writes, designs and curates the website. When we are not traveling, we use the time to catch up on the backlog of photos and posts that have piled up.

Why have a side project?

It’s important for both of us to always learn new skills, and Found Nouns is so closely related to our design work—this side project has taught us complimentary skills that we use more and more in our regular jobs. It’s an opportunity for both of us to experiment without worrying about failure or deadlines. Most importantly, it’s a chance for us to work on something together, which we don’t get to do much in our daily lives.

• • •

Diptych courtesy of Rashi Birla and Nicklesh Soni.

• • •

Read more about the joy of side projects.


❤️ Donating = Appreciating: Design Feast is on Patreon!
Lots of hours are put into making Design Feast—because it’s a labor of love to provide creative culture to everyone. If you find delight and motivation from the hundreds of interviews, including event write-ups, at Design Feast, please consider becoming a supporting Patron with a recurring monthly donation.

Help keep Design Feast going and growing by visiting my Patreon page where you can watch a short intro video plus view my goals and reward tiers—starting at $1 per month. Starting your patronage today matters—it’ll help Design Feast continue to be an exceptional service, integral to the creative community.