Last October, I picked up a random branding brief for an alcoholic kombucha called Zūcha. There wasn't a client behind it, no deadline, and no guarantee anyone would ever see it. I just wanted to challenge myself with packaging and treated it like a real project.
A week later, someone came across it. They reached out and asked me to design the packaging for their own product.
That project reminded me that personal work isn't separate from client work. Sometimes it's the bridge that gets you there.