She told me on our first call:
"I need to figure out what kind of designer I want to be. Or even if I should be a designer."
10+ years. Strong portfolio. Had done everything from branding to product to service design.
But somewhere in the last few years, the clarity disappeared. She couldn't look at a job board and feel anything. Not excitement. Not dread. Just... nothing.
It looks like burnout. But the motivation was still there — the clarity wasn't. Different problem entirely.
We spent the first two weeks not looking at job boards at all. Instead: what specific problem does she want to solve every day? What environment makes her work expand instead of shrink? What does a Monday morning look like when the role is right?
By week 3, she had a target list. By week 5, she was in conversations with decision-makers at companies she didn't even know existed three weeks earlier.
Art Director at DSTNCT. Plus a freelance practice she built herself during the program. Waking up on Mondays wanting to work. Not because she found motivation. Because she found the filter.
More options wouldn't have helped. She needed a filter for the ones that were already there.
The Backdoor. 8 weeks. Next cohort starts March 30.
DM me BACKDOOR on LinkedIn. Two questions. 3 minutes. No sales call.
If you're the person who opens job boards and feels nothing — you don't need motivation. You need clarity. That's where we start.
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