Out of Office is a home for creative living. Explore our upcoming creative experiences and programming here. Turning Creative Living into a careerBuilding an orbit that leads to opportunities and the life you want to live.
I believe most people who feel stuck aren’t in the wrong career — they’re in too small a container. In a lot of recent conversations, I’ve been hearing more and more people who want to find a way of working that feels more true to themselves — one that gives them more flexibility and freedom to make space for all the different parts of who they are, whether inside or outside of work. And what they’re often missing is seeing possibilities.
Early on in my career, I was struck by this feeling of what’s possible. When I moved to London fresh out of university and walked through the streets of Shoreditch — where, at the time, creative energy was buzzing — I felt like the whole world was out there for me to explore. Making up the courage to walk into “hip”-looking buildings, knock on doors, introduce myself, and leave my CV to find an internship. And this sense of what’s possible is what I love most about creative entrepreneurship. The possibility of building on opportunities as they unfold. With my work, I’ve made it my mission to help people who feel a little stuck rediscover this sense of possibility. Whether it’s creatives or teams in a company who feel detached, disconnected, demotivated, or lacking inspiration — helping them feel energized, a sense of belonging, and creatively inspired again. Or people who are depleted from their work and career, and want to find a different way to work and live that feels more expansive, creative, and energizing. In a world driven by speed and productivity, we often end up following the path of convenience and sameness. That shows up in daily life — think ordering food on the couch rather than taking the time to go shopping and cook a nice meal with family or friends. In our careers, just following a pre-defined path. And culturally, it often feels like something we face everywhere: so many objects, places, brands, and things in our homes all look the same. Our culture is optimized for sameness, and somehow we’re surprised that it feels empty. In daily life, this often means days and weeks pass where we’re not doing anything beyond staring at screens, trying to push through the day, squeezing in some “productive” work between a bizilion meetings, grabbing a quick lunch eaten at our desks, and after work maybe rushing to the gym or a yoga class, then a dinner with a friend — or crashing on the couch. This way of living misses two huge opportunities:
That, to me, is the magic of creative living. It’s about diversifying our lives, spending time outside of the daily rut, and seeing the world as your studio — and everyday life as your creative practice. Here are some things I’ve learned over the course of my career, turning creative living into making a living :) Get out there and talk to peopleThree examples. I landed my first internship in London at one of the city’s biggest agencies at the time — Albion in Shoreditch, in the same building as Soho House — by walking floor to floor and knocking on agency doors. I’d briefly looked them up on my phone (this was pre-social media, nowhere near LinkedIn as it exists now), and landed my CV in the hands of a creative director by knocking on the door on the second floor, where the creative team sat. After I mentioned I’d just moved to London from Austria, he said his wife spent a lot of time there — a small connection that made them consider my CV, which led to an interview and then my first internship. I met an amazing illustrator and designer, Sebastian Curi by taking a different route home after a yoga class. Instead of staring at my phone and rushing back, I noticed a beautiful sun-lit studio where Seb was sitting with his daughter and dog. I stopped, and we started talking. I landed my first contract with Dropbox after inviting a Design Ops Manager, Michelle, whom I admired from afar for her work with so much dedication to building creative community, to a virtual session of mine. After that, I pitched some ideas for creating a tool for their Design Blog and team, which led to a first collaboration. Just a few weeks after kicking off the project, Michelle asked me if I wanted to work for them as a contractor, to run the Design Blog and take over Design Community Programs from her and a colleague of hers. This led to a 2-year collaboration, a follow-up project where I built Dropbox Design’s external presence. Still one of my fav stories and projects.
Purposeful Collaboration = Community BuildingSomething I’ve talked about at OFFF and in a recent talk I gave for a coaching community: for me, the way I’ve built meaningful relationships as an adult and grown my professional network — with people who genuinely inspire me — is through creating a collaboration. That’s what I did with my handbook, Reimagining the Nature of Work. Instead of writing it all myself, I invited collaborators I’d been wanting to work with to co-write different chapters with me. It was so much more fun, brought in different perspectives, and made the booklet far better than if I’d done it alone. It also gave everyone a meaningful reason to meet, talk, and create together — even in a busy world. The same was true for a Field Guide for Third Spaces we created with Out of Office, and a report I worked on for the Kyu Collective — where I curated and interviewed people across the collective about their hybrid and remote work strategies. That project led to building a community of practice where people could exchange learnings and challenges across the organization. A purposeful collaboration, because there was a real output: something published externally that positioned the collective as a thought leader around workplace culture and the future of work.
And most recently, this approach took on a new shape in my own life. After becoming a mom, I found myself reflecting deeply on how I wanted to spend my time moving forward. I realized I wanted a part of my work to be rooted in collaboration with people around me, less laptop-bound, and more connected to my passion of being out in the world — scouting, discovering, curating. So I evolved Out of Office around that and now collaborate with artists and creatives, visiting them in their studios, interviewing them, establishing workshops, and partnering with brands and companies around all of it. A more hands-on, human, and expansive way of working — and one that finally felt like all the parts of me had a place. Put something out into the worldIn probably 8 out of 10 times someone asks me — or a friend or collaborator — how we met, the answer is this newsletter/Out of Office’s Instagram. Having something out in the world opens a door into your world. It gives people a sense of what you’re about, something they can resonate with, and naturally draws in people who are aligned with you. For me, it’s brought in some of my most meaningful collaborations. A new friend reached out about a year ago, and since then I’ve invited her to speak at one of my cohorts, and we recently shot content together in Barcelona — you’ll see it soon. That’s the thing about building something around a theme or idea that’s bigger than just you: it creates connection without it ever feeling salesy. It’s not a pitch. It’s an invitation. It’s also one of the most generous ways to reach out to someone you admire. Asking someone to be on your podcast, contribute to your newsletter, or be part of a project you’re building — that’s something people will almost always say yes to, because it offers them something too, rather than just being an ask with nothing in it for them. You don’t need to have it all figured out before you start. If there’s a creative project you’ve had in the back of your mind, this might be your sign to give it a go. Work in publicMy friend Victoria once asked me to be her “just do it” coach. Other friends have told me the thing they admire most about me is my ability to dream of something and actually bring it to fruition — to imagine something and turn it into a real thing, unpreciously. So this is a big one and feels close to my heart. While everyone needs to find their own version of this, and figure out how much of themselves they want to share publicly, I’ve found that working in public — sharing the process, giving glimpses behind the scenes, letting people into what life as a creative founder actually looks and feels like — gives people a much better sense of what I do and who I am. Especially as generalists and multi-hyphenate creatives, where it’s often hard to clearly communicate what we do, because it’s so many things at once. But when people can see your process and what inspires you, they appreciate it — they might learn something, and they’ll think of you the next time it becomes relevant. The most creative thing you can do is how you choose to live. I could keep on writing and going on about this, but in the theme of working in public, this is a starting point of what I’ve been reflecting on, which I wanted to share with you all. If this is something that resonates, our next Community Cohort will focus on this topic. Check it out. Remember: It’s your life, and you can do whatever you want! If any of this resonated, come find us over at Out of Office — a creative platform for people who want to feel more inspired and connected, offering tools, artist-led experiences, and programming that help you see your world — and yourself — with fresh eyes. On the Out of Office Substack, we share ideas, stories, and tools on creative living: how to build a work-life that feels inspiring and energizing. From stories of people who’ve created a way of living around all the vibrant, varied parts of themselves — without following the standard path — to practical tools and practices for a more creative daily life, and monthly reflections and notes from the field. This is your invitation to step outside the ordinary. You can find more at getoutofoffice.network Alice Katter is the Founder of out of office network. Originally from Austria, Alice is a global citizen, having worked and lived in Vienna, London, and NYC. In between, she has spent months investigating life in Mexico, California, Italy, Barcelona, to name a few. She has a background in psychology, brand, and marketing and over the past years has been focusing on workplace connection, community and culture design for creative networks and companies such as Dropbox, Adobe and kyu collective. She believes in the power of fostering a culture that is not only driven but also leaves room for exploration, play, and living life to its fullest. These beliefs led her to launch Out of Office Network in 2019, and publish her book “Reimagining our Nature of Work” in 2023.
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