What if the thing you've been doing for 20 years isn't actually the thing you're
By Day Tomko · June 4, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
What if the thing you've been doing for 20 years isn't actually the thing you're best at?
For most of my career, I would have told you I was a designer.
Then a creative lead.
Then a creative director.
But lately I've been reflecting on the moments that have brought me the most joy and they rarely had anything to do with the design itself.
What I loved was figuring things out.
Understanding what a founder was trying to build.
Seeing the gap between where a brand was and where it wanted to go.
Giving the consumers what they actually needed, not just what we wanted to tell them.
The design was simply one way of bringing all of that to life.
A colleague recently gave me a very beautiful compliment that I haven't stopped thinking about:
"I am so impressed with your ability to pivot from a creative career into marketing strategy and leadership. You have the right 'figure it out' attitude that means so much on teams."
What stood out to me most was how accurately it captured the last several years of my career.
Each pivot required me to learn new skills, build new muscles and get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
What I didn't realize at the time was that I wasn't moving away from my strengths. I was getting closer to them.
For a long time, I thought I was building expertise in design.
But what I was really building was the ability to listen, connect dots and solve problems.
And for the first time, I feel like I can clearly see where that path has been leading me.
Not away from creative.
But toward a bigger role in helping brands understand who they are, who they serve and where they're going next.
The older I get, the more I believe growth comes from following your curiosity and being willing to step into rooms where you're not the expert yet.
Some of the best opportunities in my career started with:
"I've never done that before and that sh*t is scary, but I'm going to do it anyways"
And maybe that's the real skill I've been building all along.