Last Thursday I finished a program called CREATIVE COMEBACK 2020. An initiative to get more people back into the creative industry. Yes, back, because once upon a time we were all in an ad agency and for X or Y reason we stopped. There are gaps in people’s careers and for some, they don’t look good on your CV.

Although, for Creative Equals, a career break means: LIFE HAPPENS. And they are quite right. Parenthood, illnesses, sabbatical, freelancing, redundancies, traveling – anything can happen to disrupt your 9-to-5 life. And whatever the reason, it broadens your mind, makes you skilled in other areas, helps you to look at life from a different perspective and at the end of the day, it also reminds you what you really love to do.

Last Thursday, I was at D&AD for presentation day. I was amazed by so many good ideas and insights, from people that looked like they never had a career break. Seriously!

Maybe I started telling this story from the last scene, but that’s the best part. Last Thursday we felt empowered, brave, nervous, happy, and most importantly resilient. An 8-day program gave us a week of training, top advice at D&AD and Facebook; live briefs from Diageo, who truly promotes diversity within the workforce; and a week of real work at London agencies, to come up with an idea. And we did it! I keep saying WE because we were a team of Returners and we shared the same hunger to get back on track.

Creative industries demand diversity. New warriors, backgrounds, attitudes, and experiences, bringing fresh ideas and perceptions. The more diverse, the better. Why not give us a try?

All photography by @BronacMcNeill