Mina Popa: stop knocking on the door – start inviting people into your world

It’s a tough time for people starting out in the creative industry right now. Together with Creative Lives in Progress we asked 27 people to predict what starting a creative career will look like over the next three years.

Words: It's Nice That
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Date: 9 November 2026
Tags: Career Predictions

Starting a creative career has rarely felt harder. Junior roles are disappearing, budgets are tightening and AI is taking over much of the work that new starters once learned on. So we asked studio founders, recruiters, educators, organisations and emerging creatives themselves to predict what they think starting a creative career will look like over the next three years. What skills will matter most? How will the pipeline work? And what can people do to take advantage of new opportunities? Their answers will help shape how Creative Lives in Progress can best support emerging talent through this period and beyond.

Contributor specific paragraph.

Mina Popa, Design Intern at Studio Moross

I strongly believe starting a creative career in the next three years will be all about not waiting for permission.

I’ve spent the past year surveying dozens of students, graduates and entry-level creatives across the UK for my MA project ‘VISTA’. The fears that they have reflect the data from ONS and agencies like Major Players: there’s so much creative talent to go around, yet not enough room for all of it to be nurtured.

We constantly hear about building ‘taste’ and craft, yet it feels like the avenues to explore those sit behind increasingly higher expectations and locked doors. So what do you do when you can’t find soil to take root in?

You build the foundation yourself.

“So what do you do when you can’t find soil to take root in? You build the foundation yourself.”
Mina Popa, Design Intern at Studio Moross

More and more, young creatives are setting the tone for the kind of work that they want to do by creating their own practice. Whether it’s running events, launching festivals, building online audiences, getting their publications on indie shelves or hosting workshops, waiting for an invitation is no longer an option. And it looks like the future is less about knocking on the door, and more about inviting others into your world.

It’s no doubt more to ask from entry-level creatives than ever before, and there’s a real pressure that comes from staying visible, connected and resilient. But for those thinking about starting a creative career, being curious and independent is becoming a big part of it.

For those about to take their first steps into the industry, think of the in-between time between now and your first role as a playground, a real opportunity to be in charge of the kind of narrative you write around yourself and your practice, and to explore what kind of work feels exciting to you. Find your voice and own point of view (read: taste) by creating things that feel true to yourself, before anyone or any workplace can mould that for you.

This series has been put together in collaboration with It's Nice That's sister company Creative Lives in Progress; a creative careers resource, on a mission to transform the way emerging talent access, understand and connect with the industry. Find out more at creativelivesinprogress.com