There’s a special kind of existential dread that comes with being a creative and not knowing where you’re headed. One minute you’re deep in deadlines, the next you’re fantasising about packing it all in to become a yoga instructor in Bali. Sound familiar? You’re not alone.

That “what am I even doing with my life?” feeling hits hard, especially when your work doesn’t light you up the way you hoped it would. This question gets right to the heart of that unease—when you're feeling lost, uninspired, and unsure how to get back to a version of work that feels meaningful.

Helping us make sense of this uncertainty are Sarah Gross, Creative Director and Partner at Storyfolk (a branding and design studio built on heart and honesty), and Katie Feder, a registered Psychotherapist specialising in Process Oriented Psychology. Between them, they bring a grounded mix of lived creative experience and deep understanding of what it means to want more from your work—and your life.

It's completely normal to feel lost and unfulfilled

Sarah names the elephant in the room straight away:
"I think that's natural in the design industry. I feel like a lot of people, you know, as creatives it's not always clear what creative direction will go there's so many different possibilities, so I think that that's a completely normal feeling and I wouldn't beat yourself up too much about feeling like that cuz it's, you know, I've definitely been there myself plenty of times."

Feeling uncertain doesn’t mean you’re failing. Creative careers aren’t ladders—they’re more like winding garden paths (with the occasional wrong turn into a compost heap). And that’s completely okay.

Career paths are rarely linear - even successful creatives pivot

Sarah’s own path wasn’t a straight line either:
"I've always known I'm creative I've always enjoyed being creative but what that kind of looks like in a career path hasn't always been clear. I started out, you know, leaving high school and selling mattresses of all things so, you know, that who would have known that now I'm doing what I'm doing from that kind of trajectory."

She adds:
"And then from I navigated, you know, plenty of different disciplines from writing to Art direction to photography right through to design and then within design I kind of found my feet and I think I found my feet because it's so Broad and I think that's what I like about the design industry as opposed to when I was a photographer I felt like you know I could be working on a brand or I could working on a fashion label or I could be you know coming up with a campaign and there's so many different elements which I think is good."

Creative fulfilment doesn’t always come in the first job—or even the fifth. Often it’s the process of trying things (and sometimes not liking them) that helps you find your groove.

Sometimes radical change is exactly what you need

Sarah shares the story of her business partner Cass, and it might just hit home:
"For context my business partner Cass McKenzie, so shout out to her because she's watching, at one point in her career she was, you know, a really successful agency she had a folio that other designers would absolutely dream of and she had a similar feeling and she did actually quit a job become a yogi but not in Bali and it was in Nepal and, you know, she went away found herself or refound herself and came back and, you know, her works better for it and, you know, now she's got all these mindfulness techniques that she can integrate into her life and, you know, helps with, you know, navigating the complexities of running your own business."

Sometimes stepping away isn’t an escape—it’s an essential part of the process. Whether you come back refreshed or reroute entirely, giving yourself space to recalibrate can make all the difference.

You're allowed to change your mind

This little reminder from Andy lands like a deep breath:
"You're allowed to change your mind, you know, and if something doesn't work out you actually can just stop doing it and move on to something else. Sometimes it feels like a big thing but actually flicking the switch and choosing to go down a different path for a bit is perfectly okay and I think people are almost all the Richer for it as well."

Permission granted.

Make it a 12-month question, not a lifetime decision

Katie offers a gentle way to rethink the overwhelm:
"Quite often I'll say to people just bring the circumference in like if you are asking yourself the question what should I do for the rest of my life very few people are going to get there confidently right but if I just bring that in closer and ask you something softer like what do you need for the next 12 months you can get there much more readily."

She unpacks that further:
"Ask yourself what you need and what need is not being met at the moment because it might be that that need is answered by being a yogi in Bali it might be that it isn't and you're just taking that same longing to a different geographical location so by knowing the truth of who you are and saying under the question, I think you said I feel like I'm lost well what's really happening there what's really lost what are you really longing for what is unfulfilled what do you need what lights you up where in your life do you not feel like that because it might be that you don't have to reinvent the whole wheel it might be that there's just an aspect of you that isn't being met that can be met somewhere else."

You don’t have to overhaul your life to find meaning again. Sometimes, it’s one shift, one need met, that reignites everything.

The power of mentorship in career growth

Sarah reflects on the role mentorship has played in her journey:
"I've always been a really big advocate for mentoring and kind of professional mentorships whether they're formal mentorships which, you know, there's a lot of great organizations out there who offer that I've, you know, personally done some before with women tour and, you know, that's specializing in upskilling women in the industry because of the lack of representation in leadership as well as with the design business Council to also kind of give you those more structural business skills and, you know, I've grown a lot from that and we've taken on Mentor mentees that story folks."

Creative work can feel isolating—but it doesn’t have to be. A mentor won’t fix everything, but they can help you see yourself (and your path) more clearly.

When you need additional support

If you’re feeling stuck in career uncertainty or creative burnout, and it’s affecting your wellbeing, you don’t have to go it alone. Sometimes what’s needed isn’t career advice—it’s professional mental health support.

Visit our comprehensive help section to find trusted services and support available anytime, wherever you are.

Connect with peers who understand your journey

Career uncertainty can feel incredibly lonely—but it doesn’t have to. NNC Circles are small peer support groups built for creatives navigating exactly this kind of fog.

Each month, 8–10 people come together in a safe, confidential space to talk things through, learn from each other, and feel a little less alone in the process. With guidance from trained facilitators, Circles are about connection, not competition—because clarity often comes through conversation.

Conclusion

If you’re questioning your career path, take heart: very few creatives have always known what they wanted to do. And even fewer have walked a straight line to get there.

You’re not lost—you’re exploring. And sometimes, that exploration is what leads you to work that’s more aligned, more fulfilling, and more you than anything before it. Whether you need a change of pace or a whole new direction, you’re allowed to shift gears.

Start by asking what you need—not forever, just for the next little while. The answers might surprise you. And remember, you don’t have to fly to Bali to reconnect with what lights you up. Sometimes clarity begins in the quiet moments, right where you are.

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