My career as a designer has never been a consistent one. No straight line. No winning year on year. Honestly, the bumpiest journey imaginable to get where I am. I started in this industry with a cracked version of Photoshop, running on a PC that would crash with anything I designed. I once worked for a company on 12k a year and could barely make rent. But I did what I could, because I love what I do. To anyone expecting perfection in your first year, think twice. Technology lets us get better faster, sure, but you still need the fundamentals of design and business. Without them you're just guessing at what's good, and your clients pay the price. Take your time. The reality of success is still damn hard work. A social following doesn't pay the way you think it does not unless you know how to sell or create. If I could give someone a piece of advice, it'd be this: Be patient, Be willing to give more than you take and don't rely on AI to do all the thinking for you.