Image credit | Homepage, https://www.rachelbreakie.com/
I’ve spent the last four years in Flagler’s Graphic Design program, practicing all elements of graphic design. I’ve perfected numerous technical skills, explored and mastered various programs, created and recreated brands, edited videos, and built campaigns. Yet, at the end of it all, I’m struck by this comet of a question: How do I brand my voice, my vision, my value—and make it land?
The ability to pitch yourself isn’t just about being seen—it’s about being understood. I even had to learn what goes into a pitch; it's more intricate than it seems. You’ve got to know:
- How to talk about the work.
- How to network.
- How to sell your inarticulate ideas.
- How to make someone see your vision and care enough to invest in it.
It’s a weird space to sit in – right on the edge of everything I feel I’ve ever worked for, realizing that there’s a whole world I don’t quite know how to step into. Amid this overwhelming fear, Flagler's annual Design Week surrounded me with professionals who had once been in my very situation.
Held last month from March 24 to 29, Design Week 2025 featured a mix of presentations, workshops, and networking opportunities that celebrate the creative process and professional practice in design.
Throughout the events and professional panels, I listened, watched, and slowly found faith in the future I will create for myself. While this week of programming didn’t give me a simple “how-to” guide for success in the industry or a straight line from graduation to finding where I want to be, it gave me insights from real people with real-life stories.
Creative directors, brand strategists, and freelancers who stood at the podium and spoke on their 20-year journeys. Their stories were honest, messy, and full of detours and redirection; no two were the same. But there was a pattern in their honesty and a clear message:
You will get there, to success, but it probably won’t be in the way you envisioned.
These professionals, who were once in our shoes, weren’t trying to sell us anything. Instead, they generously placed their knowledge in our hands. The truths they’ve collected throughout their years of experience.
And I want to remember them – so I’m spelling it out here - everything I wrote down, starred, underlined twice, stitched together with my own fear, excitement, and a need for something grounding to hold onto.
Criticism needs to be your best friend.
Not your enemy. Not your roadblock. The more you can detach your ego from your work, the faster you can grow, and the closer you can get to those around you.
Be brave and jump.
Say yes before you have time to overthink. Don’t give your anxieties time to talk you out of opportunities. Just go, take whatever is coming your way, especially the things you don’t always want to do – because those are the moments that shape your creative resilience and vision.
Your personal style matters.
Go seeking for it. Find it. Stick to it. Let it evolve with you as you grow internally, but don’t abandon what makes your work yours. It doesn’t need to be perfect; it just needs to be yours.
Talk to people.
Introduce yourself to anyone who inspires you and makes connections. Ask questions. Shake hands. Send the email. Compliment their work. Make people remember your name—not because you're loud, but because you're real. Because you care. Because you showed up with something genuine to say.
Design Week '25 | AIGA Jacksonville Portfolio Review
Being a good designer means being a great communicator.
Design isn’t simply what something looks like; design is about what it makes people feel. It’s storytelling. It’s empathy. It’s problem-solving. It’s being able to see through someone else’s eyes, even when they don’t know how to explain what they need. Then creating a solution that goes above and beyond what they could’ve ever imagined.
Do what you love – and what aligns with your dreams.
If you believe in what you're making, people will notice. Authenticity has a ripple effect. You can do your most inspiring work when you are the one who believes in it the most.
Take care of yourself.
You are doing well. Remind yourself of this every single day - even when it feels like you’re missing marks or falling behind. Keep going. Take breaks. Separate your happy art from your work but never stop creating.
Know your worth.
Your career is meant to be explored, not rushed. True motivation starts to bloom when your identity and purpose begin to align. Your path is an investment, so invest in yourself.
Be humble. Be curious. Collaborate.
Nothing great is made alone. Humans work better together. The design industry is built on teamwork, vulnerability, flexibility, and exchange. Be the most flexible person in the room, the most open to learning new skills and keep your hunger for more alive always.
Our journeys are never linear.
We’re not meant to fit in boxes or follow someone else’s timelines. We cannot compare our pace to any other singular person. We’re meant to search and search actively. To set goals and pin them in front of our faces. We must figure out who we want to be and why behind it all.
Of course, even with this laundry list of wisdom, I still don’t have everything figured out.
But Design Week reminded me that nobody truly does; especially not in the beginning, and probably not for the next 20 years.
It lightened up the quiet conflict I’ve been carrying - trying to be someone before I’ve fully met myself. It made everything feel more raw, more doable, more mine. It gave me a reminder that the pressure I feel right now is not a sign of failure, but a sign of transition. It’s movement and stepping into something new, even if I am scared.
And maybe I won’t land exactly where I planned. But I have confidence in my launchpad here at Flagler and am starting to believe I’ll land somewhere that matters, somewhere among the stars I’ve been reaching for all along.
