A different kind of deadline:
Amber Wolf Studios goes international
21 September – 8 October 2026
Every now and then, something comes along that takes you out of your usual routine. For me, that happens to be a trip to Greece, representing South Africa at an international sporting event.
From 21 September to 8 October 2026, Amber Wolf Studios will be taking a short break while I travel to Corinth, Greece to compete for South Africa at the Shotgun World Championships.
It’s not exactly the kind of thing you’d expect to see tucked between brand strategy, website builds and design deadlines. But that’s precisely why I wanted to share it.
From the studio to the shooting range
Running a creative studio means being comfortable with deadlines, pressure and making decisions when there isn’t always a straightforward answer. Sport is not all that different.
Competing at an international level requires preparation, discipline, consistency and the ability to stay focused when the pressure is on. There’s no room to improvise when it matters. You put in the work beforehand, trust your preparation and then perform when the moment arrives.
Sound familiar? The same principles apply to good design. A strong brand isn’t created by throwing a few nice-looking ideas onto a page and hoping one sticks. It takes thought, preparation and a clear understanding of what you’re trying to achieve.
The finished result might look effortless, but there is usually a lot happening behind the scenes.
A little reminder about doing things differently
Amber Wolf Studios was never built around doing things the conventional way. It’s a studio built around thoughtful work, meaningful partnerships and creating brands that have a reason to exist. Taking a break to pursue something outside of design might seem like a departure from that. For me, it’s actually part of it.
Creativity needs perspective. Good ideas don’t always come from sitting behind a screen. Sometimes they come from completely different environments, different challenges and experiences that have nothing to do with the work you normally do. So I’ll be swapping the studio for the shooting range, Cape Town for Greece, and design deadlines for a very different kind of pressure.
I’ll be back at my desk on 9 October, hopefully with a lot of stories and probably a very long list of emails.
Until then, wish me luck.
— Chantelle
Amber Wolf Studios
