Recharge Time. Creative Diary.

As we settle into December in the world of Jamhot we can feel the time to switch off for a little bit edging closer by the day. We'll soon be closing up the studio for a couple of weeks break as we do every year to recharge the creative batteries so that we're ready to take on '23 when it comes.

This year has been a strange one. On the one hand it's felt pretty long. At the same time it's flown in.

A year of two halves for sure.

The first few months of the year felt challenging as we kicked up to full speed in the studio after the pandemic years, but the hangover from covid was still evident for a lot of our clients. We found that quite a few projects from the year before ran over into the start of this year meaning we were having to say no to some new business offers in order to properly give those other project the care and attention they deserved to get them over the line. That obviously had financial implications for the studio which brought its own kind of stress, especially following a couple of challenging years. But we knew it was important during this phase just to be patient, and not jump to take on too much more new work until we has finished the projects we were committed to. It would have ben easy just to take the cash and divide our attention, but it didn't feel true to our commitment to do the best work we possibly could.

On reflection the first half of this year felt a little bit like treading water, which was challenging as I think we were all still struggling to regain our energy from the couple of covid years that went before and thought that Jan would bring a fresh start with new momentum.

Luckily, around the summer time, there was a welcome and very noticeable shift in energy & pace.

Projects started moving quickly and we were then freed up to welcome some nice new clients into the studio, meaning that over the last few months we have been lucky to work with a new Scottish Distillery, Scotland's National Space Agency, a leading hotel & hospitality group and a historic live music venue. As new client wins go we couldn't have asked for much more, with varied projects for interesting people. Exactly what we dreamed of when we set up the studio in the first place.

So as we end this year it feels like things are really picking up pace for the studio and we're starting to get into a really good flow.

As we look to next year we know that there will be fresh challenges in store for everyone and we want to be in the best possible shape to help our clients tackle these head on. Luckily, it feels like design and creativity is more important than ever to ambitious organisations, and the folk that are open to embracing change will always be able to find new opportunities amidst the flux.

But before we get set for '23 there's the very important matter of taking a few weeks off to rest and recharge. Speaking to other folk in our industry, and also with our clients I think everyone is feeling the same this year and very in need of a break.

Next week we are tidying up the bits and pieces that need done before the end of the year, then we're shutting up shop and switching off for a while. And given that, I think now is a good time to put a temporary pause to these little diary posts. I can feel myself running out of steam as the year draws to a close, but I think I might write some more in January when we are back in action as it might be a nice way to start the new year.

I've enjoyed writing these entries over the last few weeks. Although I was writing for my own amusement and to kick start my brain thinking about the future, a couple of folk have been in touch to say that they read a few of them. I found that quite scary initially, and started to second guess what I was writing before realising that was daft. It was never the content that mattered, just the fact that I was firing ahead and doing them in the first place.

So until '23 the creative diary rests, and to anyone who might have read a few of them - thank you very much. Wishing you an great festive period and all the very best for the new year from the studio crew. 

Jamhot x

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Graeme's writing this little creative diary as we celebrate running Jamhot for 15 years and look towards what the future of our creative & design studio holds. We're writing these for our own amusement, but if you do find yourself reading along then a big hello to you.