James Early
Independent Creative Director and Brand Strategist
What, if anything, are you doing differently?
Work from home is nothing new for me, but work from home with three sons is a whole other story. Luckily, two of my sons don’t wake up until midday while clients have become accustomed to seeing my younger son pass by during Zoom calls. In the past, I would crank through the day with a more or less normal work schedule, while now my calls are interspersed with trying to keep the peace between feuding brothers and explaining why we can’t have Chipotle for lunch every day.
Are you staying creatively active?
My client work actually hasn’t slowed down. Things in motion tend to stay in motion as they say. On the personal side, I’ve been feeling a bit grounded. Travel photography has long been a hobby of mine. I enjoy tracking down and photographing faded roadside attractions and outsider art. My wife and I had been tracking these adventures on Instagram using #wanderingearlys. While traveling has been limited, I’ve been looking back at the homes of outsider artists that I’ve photographed through the years and contemplating what aspects could be brought into our home.
How are you sparking yourself creatively?
Our family vacations have long been a way to experience new places and force our kids to hang with their parents. Social distancing, however, has kept us all in pretty close proximity for a while now. I’ve been energized by the creative ways in which the kids have adapted. Our youngest, for example, has crafted an amazing arsenal of intricate weapons out of packing tape and cardboard.
