Why designer James Junk says you don’t need a plan to build a creative career

They say “fail to plan, plan to fail” – but James Junk’s career tells a different story. Now a thriving graphic designer and art director in LA, James struggled to map out a clear path when he was starting out. So he swapped detailed plans for a freer, more flexible approach. In this piece, he shares why a straight-line strategy doesn’t always work in a creative industry – and his tips for navigating your career with confidence.

When I first started freelancing, I didn’t have a tactical roadmap or a neatly organised list of goals. I didn’t really know what kind of designer I wanted to be yet. What I did have was a clear vision of the impact I wanted to have. I wanted my work to contribute to social justice, spark meaningful dialogues and shape the culture around me.

That loose, values-led ethos helped guide me through the early messiness. Instead of plotting exact steps, I made decisions based on whether they aligned with my creative motivations, staying (some might say naively) optimistic and keeping every door open – even the ones I didn’t fully understand yet.

James Junk photographed by Harry Lada

A bit about me

Now, I’m a designer who’s found my calling. Focusing on social and cultural good, I work on projects that fulfil me both personally and professionally, collaborating with the likes of Wired Magazine, Hinge and YouTube. It's been anything but a linear journey, shaped entirely by open exploration rather than rigid planning.

So if you’re just starting out and everything’s a little confusing, don’t worry – you’re not doing anything wrong. Here are five tips (not hard-and-fast rules!) that helped me find direction, build momentum and stay grounded along the way:

1. Say yes to new opportunities

When you’re starting out, it’s hard to know what kind of work you’ll end up loving or what will lead you closer to it. I took on small gigs, weird projects, things only vaguely adjacent to my skillset – and it turned out that saying yes to everything gave me unexpected clarity about my interests and inclinations.

That early work also got me paid and, more importantly, seen. Visibility is vital for a young creative – no one opens a door if they don’t see someone waiting outside it. Saying yes plenty of times helped me widen my circle without forcing small talk or going through the more traditional sort of networking. Word-of-mouth referrals from those jobs even led to some of my best long-term clients.

You’ll learn over time what to say no to – but in the early stages, saying yes can teach you a lot and open unexpected doors.

What’s something unexpected you might say yes to this month?

2. When things slow down, make something pointless

You won’t always be booked out. And honestly? That’s a good thing. When client work slows down, you get back a rare, sacred thing: time.

That time can be used to reflect, reset, or experiment. I always use quiet periods to think about what I liked about my last few projects, what I never want to do again and what I want to do more of. I also mess around with projects that have no end goal, deadline, or audience.

Some of those “pointless” things turned out to be my most creatively nourishing moments – and eventually, they even brought in paid work.

What’s a fun, “pointless” project you’d try if there was no pressure?

3. Show your work everywhere

Here’s a story: I was art directing a campaign and looking for a designer. I hired someone who did a great job. But weeks later, I circled back to another portfolio I’d considered and happened to click through to their Instagram. That’s where I saw their most recent, most exciting work – and had I seen that earlier in their portfolio, I would’ve likely ended up hiring them instead!

Moral of the story? Keep your work updated and visible across all your platforms. Even if it’s the same project, put it on both your website and your socials. If you’re not great at keeping everything synced, even a quick pop-up window on your website that says, “More work on IG”, can help guide the right eyes to the right place.

Is your best work easy to find?

4. Show clients the person behind the portfolio

You are not a production machine and the best clients won’t expect you to be. They’re looking for personality, perspective and people who bring heart to the work. Your editing abilities and efficiency levels are lower on the list.

Of course, you’ll sometimes take on projects just to pay the bills (I’ve definitely been there). But don’t let that make you forget who you are. You’re not just a designer – you’re a person with unique tastes and ideas.

Every time I’ve gotten hired for something I loved, the client told me they were drawn to the spirit of the work and not just the execution. Those reminders help me keep showing up as a full human, not just a skill set.

What part of you shows up in your work?

James' motion design for YouTube Music Nights x Foundry

5. Make it easy for people to remember you

Here’s the part no one says out loud: early on, a lot of creative success just comes from making things easy for other people. Not necessarily good, not even different, just easy to understand what you do and to remember you exist. Easy to picture you solving their problem.

So don’t underestimate the boring stuff, but important stuff:

That stuff adds up! A lot of times, it’s not the best work that gets chosen. It’s the work that’s out there. And who’s to say you can’t be both?

What’s one thing you can do for people to easily remember you?

Final advice for anyone feeling a little lost

So what have I learnt from my own lack of a plan? That you just need to keep moving. Keep making things, sharing them, asking questions and staying open. You don’t need to have even half of it figured out.

It’s okay if it feels messy. That’s part of it. Most of the people you admire started with nothing but a hunch and a bit of curiosity. So if something scares you a little? Try it. That’s usually a sign it’s worth doing, and you’ll learn by doing. You’ll get sharper with each project.

Until, eventually, you’ll look back one day and realise: you were just starting from scratch, not from empty.