What’s it like to leave your stable agency job behind to become a creative freelancer? In this episode of Career Relaunch, Polly Aspinall, a former Creative, Producer and Account Director at London-based agency turned freelance Set Designer shares her thoughts on the importance of creating connections with a diverse set of people and allowing yourself to be open to new ideas.  I also share some thoughts on being open to opportunities, even when they’re not exactly perfect.

Key Takeaways

* The best things happen in your career when you stop saying “no” all the time and instead start saying “yes” to new opportunities.

* Meeting up with everyone you can allows you to expand your network, to make connections with people who may just turn out to be surprisingly helpful.

* Sometimes, saying yes to imperfect opportunities can open up new doors and uncover unique career ideas that never crossed your mind

Tweetables to Share

Resources Mentioned

* Polly referred to an “Opportunity Mindset,” where you say yes to things and remain open to new ideas. Here are a couple articles on this topic:

* Entrepreneur article on Recognizing Opportunity is the First Step to an Entrepreneurial Mindset

* Inc article on How to Change Your Mindset to See Problems as Opportunities.

Free Tool: Saying Yes to Opportunity

During this episode’s Mental Fuel segment, I talked about being open to opportunities that aren’t 100% perfect. For some help in doing this, you can download my “Saying Yes to Opportunity” Worksheet.

About Polly Aspinall, Set Designer

Polly Aspinall spent nearly 8 years working in a hybrid marketing role as a creative, producer, and account director for brands such as Johnnie Walker, the BBC, ASOS, Smirnoff and H&M. After taking a course at Central Saint Martins, part of the University of the Arts London (UAL), Polly recently made the move into set design, prop-master, and junior art director for film and tv, including projects for Episodes and a new TV Show by the makers of Inbetweeners. She also does freelance set design for window dressing, photoshoots, and interior designs.

If you’re interested in exploring a career in the creative arts, check out UAL’s full list of courses and short courses.

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