My Creative Glow-Up at Golley Slater

I didn’t realise it at the time, but the day I walked into Golley Slater for my interview was the moment everything shifted and the first sign that the career I’d been hoping for was finally within reach.

Just over six years ago, I moved to Leeds from Bristol, fresh-faced, wide-eyed, and fully convinced I was only taking a short three-month break from my life down south. At the time, I had very little knowledge of FMCG and came from a completely different background, working in an internal graphics department within a sales office producing materials for conferences and exhibitions. If you’ve ever worked in sales, you’ll know the vibe.

That “short break” didn’t stay short for long.

Within my first month in Leeds, I interviewed at Golley Slater and instantly felt at home. The team welcomed me with open arms, and what felt like one door closing quickly turned into a much bigger (and far more exciting) one opening. I couldn’t wait to get stuck in.

I joined Golleys as a midweight designer, despite having almost no FMCG experience, and I vividly remember working with major clients while quietly wondering if they’d hired the wrong person. Cue imposter syndrome. Hard.

At one particularly low point, I took my phone into the toilet to secretly Google how to do something ridiculously basic in InDesign. My job anxiety had peaked, and my brain had apparently decided to delete everything I’d learned over the previous five years. A low moment… but also quite funny in hindsight.

Thankfully, my manager believed in me far more than I believed in myself. With time, encouragement, and fewer panic-stricken bathroom Googles, the imposter syndrome eased. My confidence grew, and a few years later I progressed into a senior studio role. Moral of the story? Don’t underestimate yourself , just maybe doubt your Wi-Fi when you’re panic-Googling in a cubicle.

Once I felt more settled, I started exploring the more creative side of the studio. I supported creative pitches behind the scenes at first: building presentation decks, helping with POS rollouts for campaign proposals, and gradually contributing written lines. This was where I really found my footing; and where my creative journey properly began. Pitches, campaigns, new business, concept development, key visuals, rationale writing, early creative scamps… this was exactly where I wanted to be.

So how do you transition from graphic design into creative? The process itself is fairly simple (if not always easy): start small, work alongside experienced creatives, and learn as much as you can. I began by supporting others – developing key visuals and helping bring ideas to life – before gradually taking on both concept and execution.

But with practice came confidence. I wasn’t as fast or as polished, and my style was still developing, but the work was landing, clients were happy, and that counted for a lot.

With this experience under my belt, I hoped my creative journey would continue towards Art Direction. Instead, life intervened and I took time away after having a baby.

My next challenge was rationale writing – a completely new skill for me, as I hadn’t written seriously since university many years earlier. I joined internal storytelling workshops, where I learned about brand storytelling, single-minded propositions, and writing clear, compelling rationales. I used training days to focus on developing this skill, setting myself briefs that encouraged insight-led thinking until it became second nature.

With these skills in place, I earned my promotion into a Creative role a year after returning from maternity leave and I genuinely love the work I’m doing now.

I recently put my new role to the test as the creative lead on a new client pitch. I’ll admit, the thought of it was terrifying – I had visions of stumbling over my words or completely blanking in front of a stone-faced audience. Instead, it went really well. It’s a milestone I didn’t think possible this early in my journey, and it’s shifted my entire perspective on what I can achieve.