From plodding along to designing my business with purpose: finding my thread and following my curiosity
Jen’s story
Jen is the founder of studio27eleven, a graphic design business delivering branding, campaigns and creative work designed to spark curiosity and capture attention.
Like many experienced creatives working solo, there came a point where something in her business felt slightly ‘off’.
This is Jen’s story.
When you realise you’re just plodding along
I’d worked in the design world for about ten years before going freelance. Working in agencies naturally led me to go freelance and create my ‘own little design world’.
I understood a lot of the challenges that come with working in design. But after a while, I realised I was just plodding along.
I wasn’t 100 percent sure what it was that I actually enjoyed doing. That lack of clarity affected how I showed up in my business. It stopped me reaching out to potential clients because I wasn’t really sure who those people were.
It left me in a bit of a limbo.
Making space to figure out what I actually enjoy
It’s actually quite easy for me to see things from the outside when I’m looking at someone else’s business. But applying that same thinking to myself was much harder.
I needed someone to help me work through that process and bring clarity to what it is about design that I actually enjoy doing. That’s why I chose to work with Fliss. I felt like I needed someone to guide me through that process.
The sessions felt like a bit of dedicated “me time”. I’d close the door, get my notebook out and know that I had time set aside to reflect on what I wanted to be doing - and whether this was still the career I wanted to pursue.
I remember leaving sessions feeling like my brain was like scrambled egg because it was hard to work through some of those ideas. But once you start doing it, the clarity begins to appear.
The moment it clicked: “It’s curiosity.”
There was one big moment that stands out. I was trying to figure out what I love about design. I couldn’t quite put my finger on the word. I was in the bath when suddenly it came to me. Curiosity!
I love anything that sparks intrigue or makes someone curious enough to want to learn more about something. That realisation was a lightbulb moment.
Now I always come back to curiosity. I anchor my thinking to it. That clarity really frees up your brain.
Curiosity helped me recognise the right clients
Knowing I love chasing curiosity helped me recognise the type of clients I want to work with. Before, I might have sent a cold email without really knowing why I was reaching out. Now I have a clear idea and a reason for connecting with someone - so I approach new people with more confidence.
When you know why you’re doing something, it’s much easier to back yourself.
Saying yes and no with confidence
I’ve seen a big shift around my boundaries. I’m much more aligned with what sits well with me and what doesn’t. If a potential client approaches me I can confidently say, “yes, that job is for me.”
But I also feel comfortable saying no if something doesn’t sit with my values or how I want to work. I definitely used to say yes to things I shouldn’t have. And now the work I’m doing is the kind of design work I truly enjoy.
Marketing with intention, not obligation
My marketing used to be sporadic. I’d put things out there because I felt like I had to, rather than really understanding why I was doing it. Now there’s intention behind what I share. I understand the audience I want to reach and why I’m trying to reach them.
That “why” part is probably the biggest thing I’ve learned from the whole process. Because once you understand that, you can always come back to it.
Making space for curiosity in my work
Alongside my client work, I also run a small online shop where I sell cards, art prints, bookmarks and craft kits. It’s become a really nice outlet creatively.
It still links to that same idea of curiosity. I love the idea of someone discovering a bookmark or a craft kit and thinking, “What’s this? Let’s try it.”
Even the more playful side of what I do sits at the heart of my brand. It’s a nice reminder that when you understand what drives you creatively, it can show up in lots of different ways.
My advice to anyone feeling stuck in their business
If someone is struggling to find direction in their business, my advice would be to invest time in yourself. We spend so much time doing work for other people that we forget to put that same energy into our own business.
But when you do that work and start understanding your ‘why’, things begin to fall into place. It might feel a bit scrambled while you’re working through it, but it’s worth it. Because once you know those things about yourself, you can’t unknow them.
And that foundation helps you to make better decisions about what you do and don’t want to do.
Jen’s story will probably sound familiar if you’ve ever felt like you’re just plodding along in your business.
What shifted for Jen wasn’t suddenly becoming a completely different designer. It was taking the time to understand what really drives her creatively. Now she has a business that she’s designing on purpose.