Graphic and web design can be lonely work. Tucson Digital Arts Community (TDAC) is dedicated to making it a little less solitary.
The group draws as many as 80 electronic media artists for workshops, presentations and general information sharing. Put a slash at the end of those functions and add the word “party.”
That’s right, in a city with more designers than local clients could possibly hire, direct competitors get together regularly to share a drink and talk about how they assembled this Flash animation or that WordPress blog.
“It’s working out really well because everyone likes to share,” said Tim Bowen, creative director of web design firm Creative Slice and the group’s coordinator. “Mostly who shows up is a lot of competing web firms. But if you’re good, it’s okay, and it’s a much more fun way to work.”
Bowen said he met several of his contractors at TDAC meetings. It’s social networking, (mostly) minus the computer monitor.
The New Year brings change to TDAC. A new group website, TucsonDigitalArts.com, is slated for release with a job board and member profile pages, and membership is expected to expand.
“We’re interested in creative people,” Bowen said. About 75 percent of current members build web sites, but more events focused on small business management and 3D design are planned.
TDAC also has a new home in the Spoke6 building at 439 N. 6th Ave. near Sixth Street. Spoke6 (Spoke6.com) is a co-working space and another Bowen project. Freelancers can rent daily or monthly desk space and spend their days surrounded by other creatives, rather than alone in a dimly lit home office.
Zocalo’s Jamie Manser is looking forward to having a desk at the co-op. “Working at home sounds great, until you’ve done it for too long,” she said.
