Make your own luck

Let’s be honest, some people just have all the luck… or do they? Why does it seem some people are just luckier than others when it comes to the creative industry, or business in general – life hack? Probably not, more likely they have just adapted their mindset or skillset to make things happen. Luck is not a plan, but you can plan to have more luck by implementing some relatively basic practices that will transform your path to creative nirvana… OK, not quite but they will definitely help!

Show Some Initiative:

“Fortune favours the brave” we’ve all heard it a million times. Regardless of how you articulate it or apply it to your career or life journey, there is no substitute for hard work and a willingness to learn. Just remember that no good deed goes unnoticed – the same goes to the workplace. Applying yourself to do something outside your comfort zone will, at the very least, help you to grow as a person and show you’re a team player!

Be Open to Change:

 The landscape of design and digital media is ever-evolving, and fortunately or unfortunately, if you don’t change with it, you’ll get left behind. Change is good, with every tutorial you watch, every passion project you undertake, every minute you spend trawling through Behance or Pinterest, you’re opening your mind to different design styles, different approaches, different techniques, inspiration is all around us, embrace it! All of this will pay dividends when that one perfect project pops up and you know exactly which style will be a perfect fit – kind of like a designer’s ‘Take Me Out’ but less cringey.. Just know that the more you do, the more likely that good things will happen.

Embrace Criticism:

I know it’s cliché, but haters gon’ hate – there will always be criticism in design and that’s fine – don’t worry, it comes with the territory. The most important thing I have learned in design is to not take anything personally. Accept the criticism, and turn it into a positive, extract from the criticism what you can use to improve the situation – I admit, some days it’s easier than others but you need to overcome your fear of failure, so as to have many more opportunities to improve. No one is on the ball all of the time and criticism happens, it’s part of life, it’s how to accept that criticism and use it to your advantage that will truly be of benefit to you. Accept that there will be moments when you’ll feel down in the dumps. Realise that there will be times when you’ll want to throw in the towel. Brush the dust off, and look for a new angle to approach your problem.

Plan for Success and Make Shit happen!

Think about your goals often and in-depth. Write down what success looks like to you or your business, and work backwards to figure out how you will get there. Take it one week at a time – “this week we want to get 10 new followers”, “this week we want to meet 3 new people in the hospitality sector”. Success is different for everyone and setting small manageable tasks will help you to achieve your larger ones. I’m not really one for manifesting, more for preparing – so when that opportunity arises you’re ready to grab it with both hands!

Learn From Your Idols

Consider how creative people benefit from being organised, driven, calm under pressure, open to change and the list goes on. But use this to your advantage, adopting these characteristics and applying them to your creative career will set you apart from the others. Being organised frees your mind from the routine so that you can focus on being truly creative, being driven allows you to put in the hours it takes to have a successful career and so on. Pick a few successful mentors and imitate them. Their success isn’t a guarantee of yours, but it’s definitely a good place to start.

So, whether you’re starting out, looking for your first job in the industry, going out on your own or looking for that next pivot in your career path, some simple changes in your mindset can make all the difference when it comes to making your own luck. Some things in design we can’t control, but what we can control is how we respond to opportunities and, more importantly, how often we put ourselves into positions where we can be “lucky.”