I didn’t fit in academically at school, so my teachers and my parents would tell me that I wasn’t going to be successful at anything. I used to think about problems differently, which although didn’t score me top marks in my exams became my career strength when tackling design challenges.
Realising that what many saw as a weakness was my strength was pivotal.
Today, I use that alternative eye to ensure that I am open to inspiration from anyone and anything and I constantly strive to reinvent my point of view.
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My number 1 lesson is to not compare myself to other people. It's basic but true. I think the world is so often set up to pit people against each other "if someones doing this at a certain age then I should be doing this". It forces us to make bad decisions. At school, at university, on grad schemes we're graded and compared to our peers but I've forced myself to let go of that mentality.
There's always someone who will be younger, prettier, smarter, more successful than me, so why allow that negative energy into my life?
I make decisions based on what I want to do, live life to the beat of my own little (weird) drum and fundamentally am happier for it. When you're pushing yourself to try new things you're opening yourself up to a lot of rejection, criticism, people knocking you back. You can listen of course, but fundamentally there's nothing wrong with living life on your own terms. If we start to think about the world as winners, losers, better or worse, we start to feel unsatisfied with what we have and lose our sense of community. Life's tough enough, why add more things to worry about to it?
Hadrien Chatelet
Creative Director of The Wern, a communications consultancy for startups, entrepreneurs and independents. He’s worked with design clients such as Agnes-B and Farrow & Ball, and his most recent role saw him build the creative department for the European Marketing division of Endeavor.
