Summary: What’s it like to leave your stable agency job behind to become a creative freelancer? In this episode of Career Relaunch, Polly Aspinall, a former Creative, Producer and Account Director at London-based agency turned freelance Set Designer shares her thoughts on the importance of creating connections with a diverse set of people and allowing yourself to be open to new ideas. I also share some thoughts on being open to opportunities, even when they’re not exactly perfect.<br> Key Takeaways<br> <br> * The best things happen in your career when you stop saying “no” all the time and instead start saying “yes” to new opportunities.<br> * Meeting up with everyone you can allows you to expand your network, to make connections with people who may just turn out to be surprisingly helpful.<br> * Sometimes, saying yes to imperfect opportunities can open up new doors and uncover unique career ideas that never crossed your mind<br> <br> Tweetables to Share<br> Resources Mentioned<br> <br> * Polly referred to an “Opportunity Mindset,” where you say yes to things and remain open to new ideas. Here are a couple articles on this topic:<br> <br> * Entrepreneur article on <a href="https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/234299" target="_blank">Recognizing Opportunity is the First Step to an Entrepreneurial Mindset</a><br> * Inc article on <a href="http://www.inc.com/jayson-demers/how-to-change-your-mindset-to-see-problems-as-opportunities.html" target="_blank">How to Change Your Mindset to See Problems as Opportunities</a>.<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Free Tool: Saying Yes to Opportunity<br> <a id="download"></a>During this episode’s Mental Fuel segment, I talked about being open to opportunities that aren’t 100% perfect. For some help in doing this, you can download my “Saying Yes to Opportunity” Worksheet.<br> <br> <br> About Polly Aspinall, Set Designer<br> <a href="http://pollyaspinall.com"></a><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/polly-aspinall-07773419" target="_blank">Polly Aspinall</a> spent nearly 8 years working in a hybrid marketing role as a creative, producer, and account director for brands such as Johnnie Walker, the BBC, ASOS, Smirnoff and H&M. After taking a course at <a href="http://www.arts.ac.uk/csm/" target="_blank">Central Saint Martins</a>, part of the <a href="http://www.arts.ac.uk" target="_blank">University of the Arts London (UAL)</a>, Polly recently made the move into set design, prop-master, and junior art director for film and tv, including projects for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1582350/" target="_blank">Episodes</a> and a new TV Show by the makers of Inbetweeners. She also does <a href="http://pollyaspinall.com" target="_blank">freelance set design</a> for window dressing, photoshoots, and interior designs.<br> If you’re interested in exploring a career in the creative arts, check out UAL’s <a href="http://www.arts.ac.uk/study-at-ual/courses/" target="_blank">full list of courses</a> and <a href="http://www.arts.ac.uk/study-at-ual/short-courses/" target="_blank">short courses</a>.<br> <br> Did You Enjoy This Episode? Please Let Us Know!<br> <br> * Tweet: If you enjoyed this episode and have a few seconds to spare, <a href="http://ctt.ec/f4906" target="_blank">Tweet to let me and Polly know</a>!<br><br> <a class="button orange" href="http://ctt.ec/f4906" target="_blank">Tweet a thank you!</a><br> * Review: I’d also love for you to <a href="https://josephpliu.com/itunesreview" target="_blank">leave a positive review and rating</a> for the podcast on iTunes, which helps my show reach more people who want to relaunch their careers.<br> * Subscribe: Be sure to subscribe to Career Relaunch podcast on <a href="https://josephpliu.com/itunes" target="_blank">iTunes</a>, <a href="https://josephpliu.com/stitcher" target="_blank">Stitcher</a>,
