Confidence and creativity

I heard something the other day that rang true.

I was listening to an interview with a musician – he was speaking about his confidence as an artist and trusting uncertainty and emotions when creating.

This made me think about my own work. Like any designer working independently, there are moments where I question and reflect. Am I answering the brief as well as I could? Is this the strongest solution?

I’m sure every designer or solo worker has similar thoughts. Working independently means taking responsibility for the creative decisions I make and trusting my professional judgement.

Comparison and self-reflection are part of any creative field, but it’s how these thoughts are channelled that marks a good designer.

When viewing someone’s LinkedIn post or portfolio snippet that’s all it is – a highlight, the best parts. I compare my behind-the scenes to their best parts. What we see publicly is often the outcome not the thinking, decisions and refinement behind it.

There will always be other talented designers. But clients come to you and keep coming back for a reason. They work with you because they are happy with the quality of your work, how you handle projects, your communication and your reliability.

One thing he said stayed with me: ‘Confidence is something you build. It’s not something you’re born with. You think confidence is being fearless – but actually it’s about accepting who you are’. For me, confidence isn’t about never doubting yourself, it’s about recognising this reflection is natural and continuing with the decisions I make, guided by knowledge and experience.

Knowing that doubt is natural creates a freedom in my design work to stop overthinking, trust my design decisions, and commit to the direction I choose. It means I am completely engaged in solving the problem in front of me, with clear reasoning and without interruption.

And that’s what I’m doing now – being honest with my thoughts and writing this post with clarity and purpose.