How I’m rebuilding my design career… without a plan

One month I was in my dream job and the next month I was back freelancing… and just a couple of months later a massive shakeup had me wondering: “Have I just blown up my entire career?”

This was my reality, after I’d made the decision to leave my job (the job I’d always thought would have been my dream).

This blog post is based on the very first episode of the CNTRL+ALT+DESIGN podcast (yes, I have a podcast now, you can listen to it on Spotify here). I’m sharing what really led to starting Due Today Creative and why I’m so passionate about helping purpose-driven businesses grow online.

If you’d rather watch, then checkout the podcast on Youtube (or even Spotify!)

Walking away from my dream job

On paper I had landed my dream job (great people, fun culture, and amazing workout classes) But on the inside, I was quietly dealing with burnout, crazy persistent breakouts, and a growing feeling that I could be doing more…

Left: My skin at it’s worst (before starting Due Today Creative). Right: My skin more recently, after finding my purpose and with the help of my fabulous friend/naturopath!

A large part of my role was designing campaign materials that would essentially be gone in a month, and I just couldn’t help but feel I wanted to offer something more, to smaller business owners who were actually helping me in my everyday life. Like my local pilates trainer, or my therapist.

After a good few months I’d been courageous enough to listen to my gut, and I decided to leave my job. I didn’t have a major plan, I was going back to the world of freelancing in motion graphics, which is what I’d been doing beforehand.

When “safe” isn’t actually safe

So I’d started a new contract in freelance motion graphics, something I felt safe with. But in a few short months the company I was working for had a massive restructure. And just like that, I was scrambling.

Funnily enough I wasn’t shocked, after all a lot of the companies I’d worked for previously have been through restructures. The way I see things now is that nothing is truly secure, whether you’re an employee or a freelancer, but what you do have on your side are your skills.

When curiosity becomes a new career

I started rebuilding my website to land more freelance work, but something very unexpected happened: I got hooked.

As I was learning about Squarespace on YouTube, I came across a video claiming you could master Squarespace in 100 hours. I thought, “Is that all?” and I went all in! I found myself designing sites for imaginary businesses, tweaking layouts and getting firmly stuck in flow state.

This was me, deep in recording mode for the Design Lab! Every template comes with access to 35+ bite-sized training videos so you can feel confident updating and changing your website (no experience needed!).

From designer to strategist

The more I learned about UX, SEO, and conversion design, the more I saw the power in combining strategy with visuals. Ironically, the skills I’d picked up on the marketing team at my old job started becoming incredibly useful.

Designers don’t just make things pretty. And marketers don’t just yell “make the logo bigger.” There’s a brilliant middle ground and that’s where I’m building my business.

My vision board for Due Today Creative from the start of 2025! (Happy to say a lot of these have happened! There are of course many achieve still)

Growing beyond Squarespace

Now that I’ve launched a couple of Squarespace templates and worked with clients, I’ve started to hit the platform’s ceiling. Its simplicity is actually its superpower but with that comes some real limitations.

So I’ve decided to learn how to code. Not because I want to become a developer, but because I want to break boundaries in my design work and for my clients.

September 2025 and beyond

It's been a while since I quit my job, changed directions and have been working at Due Today Creative.

This is the part where I’m still building, still learning and honestly, it feels like I’m only just getting started!