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 are key in our creative journey. 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 are 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.