Creative career paths aren\u2019t always clean-cut. Go to uni, get a degree, get a job in your field \u2013 easy, right? Yeah\u2026 not quite.<\/p>\n
Some people hit the ground running. Others, like me,\u00a0 get stuck at the start line.<\/p>\n
I always knew I wanted to work in design. But honestly? I wasn\u2019t very good at it.<\/p>\n
I landed an internship at an agency in my second year of uni \u2013 a chance to prove myself. But a few days in, I could feel it \u2013 they weren\u2019t happy with my work. I was falling behind. Everything I delivered felt subpar.<\/p>\n
I left that placement feeling useless. Questioning whether I\u2019d made a huge mistake. Racking up student debt with nothing to show for it.<\/p>\n
And at the same time, I was battling a drug addiction that started in second year, and escalated fast when life began spiralling.<\/p>\n
Final year flew by, mostly thanks to a haze of benzos, painkillers and dissociation. Somehow, I scraped through and graduated. But I felt broken.<\/p>\n
No jobs. No direction. No self-worth.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s wild what happens when someone believes in you. And even wilder when you start believing in yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
So I went where a lot of people go when they feel stuck \u2013 retail.<\/p>\n
I bounced between stores for eight years. I was good with people, but felt like that skill would never get me anywhere. The work drained me, and my addiction worsened. But somehow, I stayed afloat.<\/p>\n
Until one day during lockdown, I nearly overdosed.<\/p>\n
I was just lucid enough to feel myself slipping \u2013 heart slowing, breath disappearing. And I pulled myself out. That was the day I got clean.<\/p>\n
When the numbness wore off, I woke up. I wanted something more \u2013 something I could be proud of. Something I could own.<\/p>\n
(It was around this time that I was also diagnosed with complex PTSD. Instead of seeing this as a setback, I used my new knowledge as additional fuel to my fire.)<\/p>\n
By what still feels like fate, I messaged an old uni mate just as a role had opened at his studio. He saw value in the one thing I had \u2013 my people skills. The ability to build relationships, sell ideas, and get people excited about the work.<\/p>\n
That message changed my life.<\/p>\n
Suddenly, I was working in the creative industry \u2013 not as a designer, but as someone who could champion creativity, fuel the studio, and connect it to the right people.<\/p>\n
And it clicked. I\u2019d found the thing I was meant to do.<\/p>\n
Four years on, I\u2019m now helping to shape another studio with the amazing Jack Last.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve built something I\u2019m immensely proud of. We work with incredible brands, deliver quality motion graphics, and the inner designer in me still gets a kick every time I see a new project come to life.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve travelled the world, met the most inspiring people, and finally feel like I\u2019ve found my place.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019d told me five years ago this is where I\u2019d be, I\u2019d have told you to pull the other one. But grit and determination, paired with a bit of luck and support, can change everything.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s wild what happens when someone believes in you. And even wilder when you start believing in yourself.<\/p>\n
So I guess my message ahead of World Mental Health Week is don\u2019t give up on yourself. I was close once, but use that anguish and frustration as fuel. You never know where you might end up.<\/p>\n
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health issues, Mind has a guide to where you can find help<\/a>. The charity also has a specific resource for those fighting drug or alcohol addiction<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Jimmy Gordon is head of partnerships at OK Social,<\/a> and co-host of the Months in Motion podcast<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n