There has always been one thing I could not walk away from, no matter how many times someone pointed me somewhere else.

At 15 I was told to take food tech over design because I was a girl. The workshop was already my favourite place to be. I went anyway. At A levels I wasn't allowed three creative subjects. I took two, aced them both, and failed the academic one. At university I was told I was doing too much work. I got a First. I went into industry and was told to explore marketing because I had a good eye. I did want to understand how a product tells a story and how people interact with it, but not as a separate discipline. As part of the design process itself. I kept designing furniture.