I started with drawing. Copying characters on Saturday mornings, then changing them until they felt like mine. I could lose hours doing it.

Graphics came later at technical college. It felt different. Less about making a nice picture and more about understanding how ideas, information and design could work together.

Agency life didn't really suit me. I was young, the pace was fast and the nurturing wasn't there. So I moved into a small print and design studio where I learnt the practical side of the job. Most clients weren't looking for the next big creative breakthrough. They needed things that worked, communicated clearly and got the job done.

In 2000 I moved to Madrid. New country, basic language skills and no real comfort zone. It was a fresh start and a good lesson in backing yourself when there's nobody else to do it for you.

Twenty-five years later, not much has changed. Every project still starts with questions, a rough sketch and an attempt to make sense of what's in front of me. The tools are different, but the thinking is much the same.