Love the Journey.

Derin Adetosoye

Content Creator and Presenter

Encouraged to study maths, economics and biology, Derin spent her school days torn between two paths. After doing some work experience in banks, she decided to take a business management course at uni. But at the same time, she was building up a successful YouTube channel. Should she take the academic route, or leap into the unknown world of content creation? This is how her journey’s played out so far – and what she’s learnt along the way.

Options in school play a huge part in shaping what you do in the future.

Just do what you enjoy, because if you don't do it, then later on in life, you're going to want to explore it. So, you might as well just try and give it a go as early on as possible. I do think if I had pursued the creative subjects, which I was initially looking to do, then potentially I would have found my feet within this industry a lot quicker.

“You need to focus on your education and getting an academic degree.”

I would say teacher-wise, they were less supportive of my YouTube channel. At the time, ‘content creation’ was still a relatively new thing. Their focus was on providing advice that would open doors later on – in terms of more traditional careers. It was definitely an interesting one to navigate. But I stuck with my YouTube channel throughout school, despite the advice.

Take opportunities that are in front of you and really make the most out of them.

Whilst at university, you're exposed to so many amazing things: clubs, societies, events. I think it can be easy to look at them and say, “Oh, I'll do it next year…” but getting into these quite early on in my first year really showed me the importance of networking and putting yourself out there.

I think the beauty of YouTube is you're able to see everyone's journeys and how they're growing as a creator.

Quite early on into making videos, I was able to see that if you kept at it and if you were successful, it could be a legitimate career. As my channel grew and I was getting more opportunities, I realised this could potentially be an avenue to go down. Funnily enough though, at the same time, a lot of people were saying that – not just for me, but in general – it's a short-term thing and it can't offer longevity as a career. In those days, I was quite cautious of that. But when we saw the rise of the influencer a few years ago and we saw people buying houses from their careers online, people took it a lot more seriously. And I did as well. It meant that I was able to fully embrace what I was doing and really take it up to the next level.

Allow yourself to be open and explore all of the different avenues.

I think with content creation or even being a creative, it's so easy for you to think I need to have this one area of expertise and stick with it. But I would say looking back at my career, the thing which has impacted it the most is my resistance to staying in one niche or pigeonholing myself. To anyone out there who is in a similar position where they have loads of different interests, don't be scared to do all of them and just see where they lead you.

Back yourself, believe in yourself, and keep on going.

If you have something that excites you and brings out that light in you, that's what you should be following – regardless of if there are naysayers. Just hold onto the fact that what you're doing is what you love and keep on going. Because trust me, when you overcome those hurdles and you're able to do what you're doing every day for a living, it's the most rewarding thing ever.

Doaly

Movie Poster Designer

Growing up with two older brothers who were into films, Doaly’s bedroom walls were covered in posters – from Indiana Jones to Back to the Future, and more. Even if he was too young to watch them, he was fascinated by the characters and created his own stories with them. Fast forward past a successful career as a web designer, and it’s no real surprise that Doaly found his true creative calling designing Marvel movie posters. Looking back at his journey, here’s his advice to you.

The story is the pivotal part of what you're doing.

I think you can draw a pretty picture and that's great, but if you can draw a picture that has a story behind it, and someone can read something into it, that's the important thing. That's the thing that keeps you coming back for more, or keeps you looking at that image for more than five seconds. You want to do half the work and let the audience do the other half. If you can draw the dots and they can connect them, that's the best piece of work that you can do.

Create as much work as possible.

During the initial struggle of getting your first job, there are lots of ups and downs. If you don't have commercial experience, then I would say do self-initiated briefs. Set yourself a brief that would exist in the commercial market and start producing work from that point of view. Make sure your portfolio is geared towards the industry you want to work in.

Make yourself stand out from the crowd.

I remember interviewing several times before I finally nailed my first job. One of my first interviews was in London at Saatchi and Saatchi. As part of my initial covering letter, I left half a joke at the bottom. So the first thing they asked me when I got there was, “what's the answer?”. Just try and make yours that bit more interesting than the hundreds of other covering letters.

After that first official gig, I didn't really look back.

I was constantly working, whether it was on self-initiated posters or actually getting commercial work in for myself. It got to the point where the work I was doing on posters was rivaling my day job as a web designer. And I had to make that choice. I decided – let's just go in on Monday morning and quit that, and let's go full steam ahead on this side of things.

As a freelancer, you're always after that next project.

One of the key things I had to do was market myself and social media was the big thing that I was doing. Every little sketch and drawing I did, I posted it on my Instagram. Even if you scroll through my Instagram profile now, you'll see my very early work from when I was just doodling on post-it notes at work.

Use social media to your benefit, but don't worry about the likes so much.

Social media – there's two sides of it. Yes, there's the side where you're feeling like you're a slave to the algorithm, but the other side is you can get your work seen by a lot of people – like art directors. They do go on Instagram, they do go on Twitter, and they do look for new talent. So, get your work out there as much as possible. Don't worry about how many likes it gets. The quality of the work has nothing to do with the likes. Just produce the work and hopefully the right people see it.

Look back to your work from a day, two days, or a month ago.

If you're producing better work, you know you're getting further in what you want to do. So I love setting myself a brief. If it’s a superhero movie poster, I'll try and draw it without actually putting a superhero in it. Just because I want to give myself that challenge. Can I tell the story without the pivotal characters? Do I need to draw the actor or can I just draw the character in a sense? Setting yourself these briefs is a big part of it. You always want to try and up what you did last time, or find a new way of telling that story.

Samuel Douek

Music Video Director

It made sense for Samuel to study architecture. He was good at physics and maths, and he was always imagining what his dream home might look like. Architecture offered the perfect way to combine his creativity and scientific side. And his parents fully supported him as they knew it would offer a stable career. But sometimes the reality of your dream isn’t what you’d expected it to be. Now a music video director, Samuel shares his journey and explains how, and why, he changed direction and hasn’t looked back.

I wanted to become an artist and pursue something that I wanted to do.

I'd say the biggest test of whether I'd made the right decision to quit architecture – that’s seven years of higher education – and become a filmmaker was when I'd got a job in a bar and I was tasked with cleaning the toilets. That was the point when I realised, I've got a distinction in architecture. I could have a good career. But actually, that's not what I want. I don't want to do nine to five, or nine to nine and slave away for someone else's dream. And yeah, it was terrifying. But £8/hour cash in hand can get you pretty far. You can pay your rent, and you can survive. So, it was worth it.

I think taking risks is an inevitable part of pursuing your dreams – or achieving anything really.

You don't really get anywhere without trying to do something different to how it's been done before. I think it’s often really hard for people to take risks, especially if you've been working for years and you're very stable. That doesn't mean that you can't take it. I do think if I had continued with architecture, I probably would have still taken the risk at some point, because I'm not an architect. It was never for me.

There's so much opportunity to not only have a career, but to be successful and earn money in many different creative forms.

It's hard to pinpoint when I decided to leave architecture and overcome my fear of pursuing something really creative. I think I’d got as far as I could. I loved studying architecture. But the reality of practicing it was kind of boring to me. I found it a bit stifling. The design aspect is only about 5% of architecture. The rest is planning applications, building regulations, and dealing with developers, and for me it wasn't inspiring. But I only realised that once I went into the professional world.

You really don't have to go to film school to become a filmmaker.

Often, when I don't know how to do something, I'll just guess and hope that it turns out for the best. Or I’ll consult directors of photography, or gaffers, or animation specialists who know more than me and can advise me to make the best decisions. If anything, I think it's an advantage to come from a completely alternative background.

Rejection is a part of any creative journey. And it's a very normal part.

It's something that I really struggled with at the beginning. When you're making music videos, you have to pitch on every project. It doesn't matter how successful you are. As a director, you are competing with other directors to win. The good news is, if you do win, they make your idea. But you can come up with this great idea and think it's the best thing, and then a label turns around and says they don't want to make it. You get used to it though. And to be honest, I can't really think of any other coping mechanism other than exposure. You get used to rejection and it gives you a really thick skin.

For young people looking for a mentor today, I would say, “just to reach out to someone”.

If you follow them on Instagram or you know their work, you can very easily track them down. And flattery goes a long way. I think there's room for everyone and I love supporting and encouraging the younger generation. Reach out to someone you respect and admire and ask them to go for coffee and give you some advice.

Ross Tulloch

UX Designer

Super traditional parents. A school with no focus on art. And a year at uni spent studying economics. Not a path you would expect to lead to a career in the creative industry. Unless you’re Principal Service Designer, Ross Tulloch.

After switching an economics degree for behavioural science, and then design and technology, Ross was inspired to pursue a career in UX design. This turned out to be the perfect match for a self-confessed, super-introverted daydreamer, who was hyper alert to other people's behaviours and body language. Today, he puts his talent into practice driving design projects, leading and developing teams, and growing client relationships.

Ross’s creative journey.

Being weird is what separates good from great.

One of my first jobs was under a real mentor who schooled me in accessibility and usability methods and processes. This led me into what became UX, and that journey proved to me that everyone can be creative. That’s why it makes me sad that so many people are denied the chance to explore that side of themselves. Between school and homelife 'we must conform' and so being different or ‘weird’ is not celebrated. I believe being ‘weird’ is actually what separates good from great designers.

We need to identify and promote our emotional intelligence.

They’re our real innate abilities. Learning how to use creative tools like Adobe Illustrator is important, but it’s just as important that we learn how to relate to, and extract insights from, a wide variety of mindsets.

I REALLY had to make this path for myself.

And I'm not even sure it was that conscious. I've never 'wanted to get into the creative industry'. That's not the goal for me. It's about knowing your real self. What is your passion or purpose? Forget your qualifications. What are your personality traits? What are your ways of thinking?
What are your ways of communicating? Those are the things the 'creative industry' needs.

Design your perfect job.

Research great companies with great cultures. Connect with employees and ask them about working there. If designers don't respond to you, that's a big signal that you don't want to work there. Find the perfect match for you, and cold email the talent folks and tell them why you’re a great match for them – and why they’re a great match for you.

Make it impossible to ignore you.

I don't mean endless networking. I mean build yourself a portfolio based on made up problems. Write up a proper case study with detail of your methods and processes and why this is a problem that needs to be solved. Google designers at companies you want to work with and copy the format of a case study.

If you make it happen nobody can stop you.

But at the same time don't be something you are not. Be comfortable being you, and if you truly are the right match in your deepest core, not your list of or lack of qualifications, then you will find the way in.

Ananya Rao-Middleton

Freelance Illustrator

Recovering from a life-changing injury might sound like a strange time to consider a career switch. But that’s exactly what happened to freelance illustrator Ananya Rao-Middleton.

Unable to work after a serious accident, Ananya rediscovered her creative side through therapeutic painting. The paintings soon turned into commissioned illustrations, and the day job was soon replaced with a full-time illustration career. Today, Ananya has a rep for creating powerful digital illustrations that speak to the lived experiences of people from marginalised communities. Brands and organisations like Schuh, Instagram, the UN and the BBC are all proud clients.

Ananya’s creative journey.

I’ve always been interested in art from when I can first remember.

I absolutely adored art at school. In part, this was due to my own excitement for drawing, but it was also propelled by my fantastic art teacher who really inspired me. I had low self-esteem as a child, and it was my art teacher's unwavering belief in me that really helped.

I wanted to be an animator!

At the end of 2018 I was involved in an accident that left me with a brain injury. There was very little I could do at that time, but one thing I could do was paint. In 2019 I was then diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. During this difficult period illustrating gave me tremendous joy, so I really focused on getting paid for my work through small commissions. I then freelanced as an illustrator for around a year before quitting my day job to do it full time. I’ve been happily focusing on illustration ever since.

I've always had an active imagination and loved to tell stories growing up.

Storytelling through drawing has always felt like an extension of my personality, and a natural way for me to express myself. I truly believe that as a disabled woman of colour, creativity is so powerful. The creative industry has enabled me to apply my analytical and critical thinking through illustration to speak truth to the voices of marginalised communities.

If there's one thing that is really incredible about the creative industry...

It’s the community of like-minded people who will support and champion you. In particular, if you come from a marginalised community where the creative industry feels inaccessible, do not hesitate to reach out for help from more established or seasoned creatives from a similar background to you. I am so grateful for the help and support of people of colour within the creative community who are so uplifting of one another.

Be mindful of self-sabotage.

As creatives, we tend to be our own worst critics. This can often hurt our ability to freely experiment and be playful with our work, and that’s what helps us grow. It's okay if you don't ever feel like your work is perfect, most of us feel that way! Don't let that stop you from creating – the more you bypass those negative narratives, the less you'll have them.

Who you are, and the vision you have is what makes what you create unique.

I actively bring out my realities as a disabled woman of colour in my work. Those are my unique experiences and I think they add a richness and depth to my work that are uniquely mine. Bring out elements of yourself in your own work – and don't feel like you need to hide or silence parts of yourself to be 'palatable'. You’ll often be pleasantly surprised by how many people will reach out to you because your work resonates with their own lived experiences too!

Tasnim Bhuiyan

Creative Director

What creative role best suits somebody with a love of comics, coding, gaming, illustration and Star Wars? In Tasnim Bhuiyan’s case, Senior Art Director at Adobe just happened to be the perfect fit.

Inspired by a rebellious sister to turn her passion for creativity into a career, Tasnim has since held leading creative roles at the BBC, Yahoo and Tumblr over the past two decades. She’s also been responsible for developing creative strategies for some of the world’s biggest brands, including Warner Bros, Disney, Amazon, Clinique and many more. Tasnim was also chosen as one of Campaign’s 30 Next Female Creative Leaders in 2018.

Tasnim’s creative journey.

When I was at school, there was a poster hanging up that said, ‘Do you want to be a designer?’

I saw that poster and decided that’s what I wanted to do. No one was particularly helpful about it at school, but near where I lived there was a lady who ran a printer shop and she knew all about design. She helped teach me, she offered work experience to kids at my school, and gave me an amazing reference.

I taught myself how to code at home.

My father a was professor of political science and my mother was a language teacher – they didn’t do STEM subjects. It’s great to see more women embracing gaming and coding now. It’s really heartening to see I’m not alone.

My sister was a massive rebel and my biggest inspiration.

My mother, too, but she was quieter. I was born in London, but my family is Bangladeshi, and there are certain cultural connotations that being a woman, you don’t get to choose what you want to do. You’re expected to become a doctor, accountant, or lawyer. My sister decided to become an architect. She went out and did what she wanted to do. A lot of people said she was too outspoken, too mouthy. Not my parents – they were understanding – but there was pushback from the rest of the family. She was the first person to tell me to do it when I said I was considering art school. My mum’s first reaction was to cry. She was worried I wouldn’t make any money.

My father never doubted my abilities.

If anything, he worried about the inequality my sister and I would face because of other people; people who might judge us for our lack of wealth, our sex, or even the colour of our skin. He talked about racism to us at a young age and tried to prepare us for the world outside as best he could. My lasting memory of my father, however, was that he never, for a moment, thought I couldn’t achieve anything I wanted to. My cousins were doctors, engineers, architects, and scholars. I wanted to run off and draw pictures.

People always assumed I was male.

There’s a perception that women can’t like gaming or coding. People are always surprised that I’m quite a girly-girl. Now, a lot of women are trying to get their kids, their nieces and nephews into STEM subjects, but I think it also needs to start from school, or even before that.

I started out as an artist/illustrator.

It’s hard when you don’t know anybody. It took me over six months to get a job. One thing I did to stand out was make my CV a bit different – I printed it as a 3D box. I went out with a sign, I signed up to every job fair, online and offline. When it comes to immediate impressions, recruiters have seen everything. Can you do something to change their perception?

When it comes to your personal brand…

The most important thing is to know why you’re doing something, to be very strong about it, and know what you will and won’t do. You need to know your values and understand how you can showcase them through your work.

Gauri Kumar

Freelance 3D and AR Designer

Looking for a career that challenges you to experiment and explore every day? And make work which is creative, educational and informative? Just follow the career path of Augmented Reality (AR) Designer, Gauri Kumar, and you could find yourself doing exactly that.

Always seeking creative opportunities from an early age, after completing her Master’s degree Gauri pursued a freelance career. Today, she works independently with brands who want to focus on moving into AR, most recently developing a fulfilling educational medical experience on Snapchat that gives young people a platform to share their own stories.

Gauri’s creative journey

Being from India, there was a lot more focus on mainstream subjects.

So, I participated a lot in extracurriculars. I was heavily involved in creative competitions and after school activities that would involve the arts. It wasn’t until I was in my second year of uni that I realised I had a knack for all things creative, technological and software related.

My family let me pursue any direction I chose to go in.

In fact, I felt a bigger pressure from my teachers to follow a more linear career path because I got good grades. For me, it was a split decision between law and creativity. Two completely different directions, but I loved them both equally.

My Master’s (in Illustration & Visual Media) felt like a homecoming.

I loved being in uni having access to libraries and being given that freedom to go in any direction. I was part of something called UAL Futures Studio, where we collaborated with Internet Age Media, responding to the challenges and opportunities digital technologies present for the creative and cultural sectors.

By 2017 I had managed to get Vogue under my belt, along with a few other freelance gigs.

During and after my Master’s, I started the job application process and it went from exhilarating to exhausting. So, in 2019 when I had enough freelance projects to sustain myself, I decided to continue with that. I worked with a few agencies and eventually found my bearings with AR – it felt just right and the place where I could best apply both my skills and knowledge.

I love learning new skills and this industry lets you do that.

One of the most brilliant things about the creative industry is that your work can be about any subject matter, and you can choose to work at large corporates, small businesses, museums and more – the list is just endless.

I’ve seen POC gain importance and be recognised in the creative industry.

Creatives highlighting their personal struggles and issues on race, gender and mental health through their work. You don’t see that in any other industry. That said, there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done when it comes to being represented – but I am optimistic.

All you need to showcase is your talent.

If you don’t have enough work to showcase in your portfolio, personal projects and process work goes a long way - Snapchat approached me, so you never know who might be looking at your work! You should also keep a few different versions of your portfolio to suit the needs of different job roles you might be interested in.

Isha Shah

Freelance Photographer

When it feels like the odds are stacked against you, creativity can even them out. Just ask Isha Shah. She’s built a rep as a highly respected music photographer, creating images which capture the amazing artists and vibe of London’s live music scene.

Isha’s path to success hasn’t always been easy. A lack of photography kit at high school, and a prehistoric attitude to age, colour and gender in her professional career, has made her journey tougher than it should be. But through a combo of resilience, sticking to her values and a massive amount of creative talent she’s made it. And now she can drop names like Lewis Capaldi, Mahalia and Maya Jama as clients.

Isha’s creative journey.

I've always been a creative, even from a young age.

I was always the kid at school that would take photos and upload albums on Facebook and make little recap videos for each year we had. Looking back, that's what I do now, just on a professional level!

I didn't go to a great high school at all.

It was so bad that even the media and photography department didn't own any cameras for students to use. During high school I had no idea what I wanted to do and there wasn't anyone pushing or telling me to make a creative career. So, I got involved with the school plays. Even if I couldn't sing or dance, it was creative, so I had to be involved!

I studied Music Journalism at Southampton Solent University and graduated with a BA 1st class! But the experience was just as beneficial to me from the social and self-confidence side. Uni taught me a lot about how to be, how to act, who to network with, and how to put yourself forward.

I always knew that I wanted to work for myself.

I'm a very stubborn person so I made sure that I was my own boss. Being self-employed was the ONLY job I ever wanted! It really kicked off at the end of my final year at uni. I made a connection with a big record label and realised how I could make photography into a legit career and earn money from it. From there it was endless promotion and hustling on social media, to find my clientele in London and build it up to what I have today.

I’ve always faced barriers with my career.

As a young brown woman, I don’t think I will ever not face barriers. Not with qualifications – but due to my age, the colour of my skin and my gender. I don't think there's been one job where one of these three has NOT been questioned. You have to act tougher and bigger than you are, and that energy has got me to where I am – but I feel there's still a LONG way to go!

I live by "Shoot your shot, but don't be a beg”.

Living in London, this is a very real and relatable sentence. We all aim high, but that doesn't mean we need to compromise on who we are, our standards, or our integrity. We can make it without begging people, without being fake, and without using any inherited connections. We can all make it with nothing. I’d advise the next generation to be resilient. It took me two years of unpaid work to even get some coins. I made my own path and my own reputation, and if you just stick by that and your core values, you'll get there too!

Martha Watson

Assistant Producer

Don’t think of yourself as a creative person? Growing up, neither did Martha Watson. But now she’s an Assistant Producer at Sky Sports, responsible for creating amazing broadcast content like VTs, interviews, music montages, and more!

Despite not feeling like a ‘true creative’, Martha always had a flair for creative thinking, applying it in the classroom and on the hockey pitch. While at school and at uni, summer holiday placements at the BBC and ITV gave her a taste for TV. And for somebody who has always been passionate about sport – Martha played England U18’s hockey – when the opportunity came along to join Sky Sports it was a no brainer. The rest, as they say, is history.

Martha’s creative journey.

At school, I never considered myself as a creative person.

I was terrible at art, music and drama – all the things you're told you need to be good at to be considered ‘creative’. I loved visual content and learning, but never really thought I fit into the box of being a true creative. I now realise that this is not the case, and in much of my life I have engaged in creative thinking; whether that was on the hockey pitch creating new attacking and defensive plays, or as working as a part of a team as a house captain and Senior Prefect to come up with new ideas to encourage younger pupils to engage in school life.

I achieved a 2:1 at Bristol University in Geography.

No reason for doing Geography other than I loved the subject. I had no idea what I wanted to do so I just did what I loved! I did however use my university and school summers to gain TV work experience at the BBC, on the children's TV show "Swashbuckle", and at ITV on "The Jeremy Kyle Show" and "Judge Rinder" (please don't judge!).

I've always loved engaging with people.

Using creativity is undoubtedly the best way to speak to people from different communities en masse using a variety of different outputs and media.

Taking on more responsibility helps you to learn new skills.

As a self-taught user, I find Adobe applications incredibly easy to learn and get to grips with. As a result, despite no previous experience in graphic design or using Adobe Photoshop, I taught myself to get to grips with the software to design imagery. Alongside this, I now use Adobe Premiere Pro often within my role to prep video for broadcast.

Creativity is not about being the best at painting.

Or drawing – or anything that first springs to mind about being a creative. It's about using your skills to find new ways of looking at the world that will engage with others that may not be in your peripheral vision.

Charlotte and Danny

Creative team

Can two creative brains solve briefs better than one? Senior creative duo, Charlotte and Danny think so. That’s why they joined forces 10 years ago, offering their services as a copywriting and art direction super team. Choosing to take their first placement on the other side of the world, they’re not afraid to take risks and do things differently. And it works, as it’s helped them land jobs at agencies that have had big-name clients like Domino’s, TikTok, and Kellogg’s.

Today, they’re still besties and get hired together. They work every day of the week together. And even find time to co-found passion projects like the platform Badass.Gal – shining a spotlight on female talent in the creative industry.

Charlotte and Danny’s creative journey.

We were both very creative before uni.

It’s fair to say that we are both creative and ‘arty’. We’d studied a range of different subjects like art, graphics, and photography. But art subjects weren’t ever taken seriously. So, it was hard to know which arty subjects could lead to a role other than art teacher. Now we know there is a WHOLE world of different creative routes in life.

We both had the same mindset.

We met at the University of the Creative Arts, Farnham. We did a course which looked at both the creative and strategic side of the ad industry. We were there to have a good time, but also to come out and get a job. We both left with 2:1s, but a grade doesn't matter in the creative world – it's the work that you can produce that gets you the job.

What you get from uni is what you put in.

Our university tutor was one of the biggest inspirations for us to become the team that we are. University goes from having teachers to facilitators. It's up to you to get the best out of the experience and ultimately realise that the future is in your hands.

Create a portfolio and work on it.

Whether it's for conceptual work, live work, or just because you want to play around, just keep working at it. Then share it with everybody – creative directors (as you’re told at uni) but also junior, mid-weight and senior creatives. They’ll give you more of an insight into the everyday workings of an agency. Plus, it’s also a lot easier to talk to them than it is a busy creative director!

Taking a leap of faith led us to the other side of the world.

In our second year at uni, we had to try and get a placement in a London agency. 10 years ago, that was a lot harder than it is today. So, on the off-chance, Charlotte emailed the ECD of an agency in New Zealand to see if we could get a placement over there – and he said yes! This gave us the opportunity to work on real live briefs for some big brands and helped us to really stand out.

Then one day after we graduated, we were approached by a headhunter looking for a junior team to join Iris London – and that was it. Our feet were permanently in the door, and we worked our way up – creating ad campaigns for a range of different clients, before moving agencies a few times, and getting to where we are today.

If you’re looking to partner up…

There are evening courses such as D&AD New Blood Shift which are amazing to be involved in. You’ll meet like-minded people, get yourself into industry events, and immerse yourself with what’s going on, and what it’s all about. There are also sites dedicated to helping you find a partner like singlecreatives.com. It can very much feel like speed dating! But whichever way you try to find a partner, you should make sure you’re both willing to put the work in, as a team.

Joanne Salmon

Storyboard Artist & Animator

Embrace your quirks. Follow your dreams. And you can be whatever you want to be. Wise words and big beliefs that have helped animator Joanne Salmon get to where she is today.

Being born with Treacher Collins syndrome cut short Joanne’s aspirations to join the army. But a passion for art, a childhood spent watching too many cartoons, and a natural ability to tell great stories meant the creative industry was a perfect fit. Step forwards to a lucky placement at a local animation studio, and Joanne had the break she was looking for. Five years later, she now spends her time creating storyboards for children’s TV shows and hasn’t looked back.

Joanne’s creative journey

I always enjoyed art class the most in school.

I have always had an interest in the creative industry. I was glad to have art classes where I could try out different media. I always wanted to work in the creative industry as I wanted to meet and work with people who had the same passion for creativity.

I wanted to be an animator for as long as I can remember.

I loved watching cartoons. And I love creating stories and making them come to life through animation and illustration. For a while though, when I was really young, I wanted to join the army. Joining the army was however not an option for me due to my disability. I have Treacher Collins syndrome which means I have a hearing disability.

It has been a winding road after uni.

After graduating from the University for the Creative Arts in Farnham with my Animation degree, I moved to a new town without a real plan and no job lined up. I was sitting doing my daily job search, and I found a studio in the town I was living. I contacted them and asked if they maybe had an animation department at their studio. They did, and luckily enough they were offering a placement scheme for people looking for experience. Five years later and I am still working with the same people at the studio.

The tricky part is getting your foot in the door and meeting the right people at the right time.

That was the main barrier for me as I worked as a cleaner, lived in a relatively small town and always felt worlds away. I found it hard to meet people with a similar interest. It can feel daunting applying to studios as the competition is hard.

Don't put too much pressure on yourself if you don't find a job straight away after uni.

Take time to work and enjoy developing skills whenever you can. Be open to other roles other than the one you had in mind. There are many roles in the creative industry, and you never know what will spark your interest! Try to meet people who share the same interest as you – you never know who you will end up working with. And don't give up!