National Creativity Day: What we create

We work in an inherently creative industry. It’s exciting to surround ourselves with innovative technology and imaginative games. That creativity doesn’t end when we leave the office – all of our staff follow creative pursuits after hours, whether that’s writing, drawing, photography, figure painting, or any other number of creative endeavors. We chatted to some of our staff about their favorite creative hobbies they use to unwind and express themselves for National Creativity Day.

Taking the stage

Theatre can bring together all kinds of individuals who share a creative spark, for both audience members and actors. One such actor is James Williams, our network account manager.

“I’ve been involved in theatre for almost 25 years, and my passion for the industry has only grown over time, to the point where I even did a degree in Musical Theatre,” says Williams. “Creating a character, telling a story, the creative freedom of being part of a theatre production, and entertaining an audience is what keeps me wanting to do show after show.”

Williams has performed in a wide range of plays and musicals, from Spring Awakening to Shrek: The Musical.

“Being able to escape the stresses of life into a make-believe world is worth the hours put into learning all the scripts, songs, and choreography that goes into being part of a show,” he says.

Picking up the pen

The act of creating can be relaxing and tranquil, even meditative and restorative. Our senior marketing manager Verity Silvester is a fan of calligraphy, using it to create cards and gifts for friends and family.

“Calligraphy is amazingly good for mental health, as it really makes you zone out for a wee while and focus on pen and paper, rather than a screen,” she tells us. “It’s annoying when you dip your pen into your brew rather than your ink, but it happens.”

Our head of platform products, Elspeth Hinde enjoys the written word, too. She crafts science fiction novels, finding the act of writing to be an excellent creative outlet that helps her recharge after a day of work.

“Writing sci-fi novels allows me to explore new worlds and ideas which are floating around in my head,” says Hinde. “I can take a ‘wouldn’t it be cool if’ idea and build upon it, throwing different things at it to help shape my view of the world and open my eyes to new perspectives.”

Her work doesn’t stop there. As a game master for her role-playing comrades, she also spends time creating immersive worlds and lore for her heroes to explore on game nights.

“Creating a campaign and then running it for friends is everything! It allows my creative mind to escape, gives me the outlet I need and then also engages friends and allows me to share the enjoyment of the world I’ve created with them.”

Capturing the atmosphere

Phil Jones, our digital media sales professional, has found his creative calling in photography, music photography to be specific. The music and movement of the artists at the gigs Jones photographs lend the finished product an incredible energy.

“I love the challenge of trying to capture those one-off moments that make live music such a special occasion,” Jones says.

At Publisher Collective, we pride ourselves on passion, whether that’s in gaming or story-telling. If you’re passionate about gaming and want to join our team, you can check out our open positions here.