"Honesty is the best policy"

I am what you could call a late starter to the graphics industry. After 2 years doing a Business and Technology degree at Sheffield Hallam University I decided to re-evaluate the direction my life was taking. I looked back through my folders of work from my course and realised i had spent most of the time turning my friends names into graphic logos. This was not surprising considering designing and drawing was and still is a real love and passion of mine, however I had never considered it as a career until this point. I relocated to do a two year New Media Design foundation degree in Manchester. This ranks as one of my top 3 decisions of all time.

During my second year i had really got into it and continued to develop my skills but didn't get any industry experience which provided me with an intense reality check when i finished my course. I worked in non-related full time jobs after my course simply because i needed the money, and did freelancing whilst applying for design jobs in my spare time. Unfortunately I just couldn't get my foot in the door at an agency, and i couldn't afford to work for free.

Eventually i had a nice bit of freelance experience under my belt, doing bits for friends and clients. Needless to say i learnt most aspects of print the hard way. After a few years applying for advertised jobs I realised that the saying "fake it until you make it" does not apply to the design industry. I simply did not have enough experience or big enough freelance clients for anyone to take a risk on me. Its at this point i realised that "honesty is the best policy" is a much more appropriate idiom, and that maybe i needed a fresh approach to realise my dream.

Now I am very upfront about my lack of studio experience and even though it has been a long journey, I continue to move forward, learn new skills, new software and have faith that i will find the right employer, even if that means working for free whilst i learn my trade. Wish me luck!

Month/Year: March 2010
Type: Honesty