What do creatives do with their time off?

From gardening to learning Japanese, CR speaks to four creatives about their hobbies and pastimes to find out why they do them and how it feeds into their work

There has been much research about how hobbies can help in reducing stress and improving your overall wellbeing. However, for many people working in the creative industries, they’ve already made their hobby their career. Like drawing? Become an illustrator. Love film? Go be a director.

Here CR speaks to four creatives who have managed to make room for a hobby or pastime outside of their day-to-day job, to get an insight into what they’ve gained from it and how it’s become an important part of their lives.

Thibaud Hérem: Gardening 
French illustrator Thibaud Hérem is known for his richly detailed architectural drawings executed with precision. He started gardening in 2014 but feels as though his passion for nature has been with him for a long time. “I didn’t have a garden growing up but I did work at my uncle’s farm every summer and loved it,” he says. Hérem lives in London and his love of all things green was reignited when his flatmate at the time was given a seed sowing kit but had no interest in doing anything with it and so had a go himself. “I tried my chance and it was a total success,” he explains. “Maybe five trees sprouted and I became fascinated.”