When I started out as a graphic designer, a friend asked if I was going to be the next Peter Saville. “No,” I replied. “I’m going to be the first me.” Looking back, I’m not sure how much sense that response makes, but the hubris is evident: I would become so celebrated that even comparing me to one of the greatest designers of all time would be nonsense.

Though shameful to recall, that misguided arrogance landed me a job at Sleazenation magazine — a job I was wholly unprepared for. Less than a year out of university, with zero hours of publishing experience, I now needed to learn how to design a magazine, largely by myself, in four weeks. I don’t imagine Lord Saville lost much sleep — but this was the perfect environment for stress-testing a DIY mentality. The pages must be filled, every month, without fail, so I had a lot to figure out to meet the immoveable deadlines.

Putting yourself into those do-or-die situations when you’re young can be scary, but it’s the perfect time to do it. It’s unlikely you’ll have a mortgage, or kids to support, so you can leap into those ‘opportunity voids’ with little to lose. And you need to, because they don’t materialise often.