What was the biggest obstacle you faced getting to where you are today?
Nicole Chen (AKQA) “Transitioning from designer to creative. I was previously mostly art working, but that wasn’t what I wanted to do. It took 4-5 years to get out of that”
Pedro Eloi (AKQA) “ The biggest obstacle for me was the lack of opportunities to show what I’m capable of. It can become quite frustrating and even make you doubt yourself when you struggle so much to get into the creative industries.
Suki Heather (AKQA) “Labels and stereotypes are a frustration like designer = pushing pixels, like “women who don’t know anything about football” like “men don’t know about beauty”... it’s okay to be different, push expectations and what you’re expected to be. Go beyond your own capabilities!
Tom Muller (Hello Muller) “For me, time and making choices was an obstacle. Sometimes, you can’t do everything you want to do; you have to pick an avenue and a direction to go down. I’ve always been full time with freelance on the side. I never have the time to do everything that I want to do! So use your time wisely. Make conscious choices and see them through and try to be flexible in long term planning”
Neil Cummings, BBH Zag “ I think an obstacle for many is confidence. I moved up quickly through Wolff Olins because I was confident and I was seen as somebody who could deliver on big ideas. This is because I talked with passion and enthusiasm from an interesting standpoint. It makes you memorable/stand out. People feed off it. You don’t have to be as smart as the smartest person in the room!”