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16/02/2026
"I'm FREEEEEEEEEEEE, free fallin' .."
When you first start out, this is more of a scream than an 80's classic.
You've landed the work, convincing someone that you know what you're doing - but there's still this constant feeling of having no clue whatsoever that you actually know what you're doing. Every project is a stumble in the dark, figuring it out as you go along ..
You survive 😅 .. Learn a few things, and apply them to the next project - but they don't quite help the way you thought they would .. So more panic. Then you get through it - again. More learning - onto the next project, and repeat.
Eventually you start to build up this 'bag of tricks' - ways to handle a vague brief, or questions that help tighten up the direction of travel. Processes for when a client can't quite visualise a storyboard, or stakeholders aren't aligned .. Or when you've built something that's pretty perfect - it's just not right for this project.
In theory, over time, you're prepared - for anything.
But in practice .. You just keep adding more tricks - because every project has it's own mess, it's own friction. Clients navigating their clients, who are navigating their bosses - and somewhere in the chain, let's be honest - usually close to the bottom - you're out here trying to deliver something that actually works.
The chaos doesn't go away, the uncertainty never disappears, and Imposter Syndrome - is always bubbling, bubbling, bubbling.
And then, at some point - without even realising it, the relationship changes, and these 'tricks' become systems ..
You suddenly notice that your knuckles aren't white, and your butt isn't so tightly clenched - because at this point you've survived enough projects to know that you'll be able to figure it out - whatever 'it' is.
That scream mentioned up top - it becomes a pretty famous melody. You're still falling, but now, you're singing along as you go ..
I'm sure it could be argued that 'free falling' is a reckless way to approach a project, but I think it's just what confidence looks like when you finally accept that you'll never really have it all figured out.
.. And that's generally when things get a little more interesting.
