5 Things I Learned That I Would Now Tell my Younger Uni-Self

Hindsight is a wonderful, wonderful thing. But FYI is even better... Instead of you having to work this all out yourself Honey, there is no need — I've been there and got the t-shirt! This is what I learnt at Uni that I would now tell my younger Uni-self:

1. IF SOMETHING DOESN'T WORK, THAT'S OKAY!

Trial and error is key in our creative journeys. I mean did you see the first version of FYI I did?! Looking back now I’m like that was never gonna work. But I learned from it, moved on and now look where we are! You are not Donald Trump, if you fuck up - the whole world isn’t gonna know! Learn from it and try again.⁣

2. DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT

We can spend so much time fine-tuning something or not even doing something because of the fear of it not being right or perfect. Such as a project idea or reaching out to a certain person. Just get it out there, test it and build from it. I’ve spent hours meticulously planning something and it’s been a total flop. But sometimes I’ve randomly put something out and it was a huge success. Just go for it and see, because you just never know!

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3. NO ONE ELSE IS YOU

You are you. No one else is you. No one else in the WORLD has your exact skills. Cheesy quote time, but it’s seriously bang-on; ‘No one is you and that is your power’. You just gotta find your thang and it doesn’t matter how long it takes. When you're not feeling confident about your skillset — just remember that you are digitally native and your digital capabilities are needed by SO MANY. Especially now — from Tiktok to LinkedIn, you got this.

4. DON'T BE SO HELL-BENT ON YOUR PATH OR DIRECTION

I am actually still learning this now. When you are open to change new and exciting things will come! It’s good to have a clear direction but be open to new opportunities too. That means if something doesn’t work out, it doesn’t hurt as much. Go with the flow a bit more Honey.⁣

5. ESTABLISH YOUR STRENGHTS AND STUBBORNLY STICK TO THEM

At Uni academic writing wasn’t my strength, so when dissertation time came - I had a meltdown. Then I had to get my s**t together and focus. So I was like 'Okay, I know I can design. I love fashion magazines. Editorial is the industry in which I interned, so how can I make this work?'. The outcome was: comparing issues of Cosmopolitan from 1970 to present and creating infographics based on my findings. These infographics were risqué; think pie charts made of boobs. Why? Because I had to get their attention with what I could do best.