Find Your Own Way by Matthew Melling

In his latest work titled Find Your Own Way, Manchester based designer Matthew Melling reflects on the pressures of comparison, the unpredictability of life and the quiet strength that comes from trusting your own path. The piece was sparked by a simple moment at home, a conversation with his wife that stayed with him long after it ended. She had returned from a meeting where she received positive feedback, and in explaining her approach to a problem, she said, “We can always find a way.” Those words triggered something in Melling, setting off what he describes as a cascade of thoughts about work, resilience and the expectations we place on ourselves.

“I kept thinking about how often we rush to match the pace of others, as if there is a correct timeline for our lives,” Melling says. “But there really is no race. There are countless ways to solve a problem, countless ways to move forward. You just need the one that works for you.”

The idea resonated deeply because of what Melling himself experienced over the past year and a half. After being made redundant, he entered the world of freelance work with heavy self doubt and uncertainty. The leap was uncomfortable, and it arrived faster than he ever intended. Yet, as the months unfolded, opportunities appeared, momentum built and the transition proved to be far less catastrophic than he feared. His wife’s words clarified something already growing inside him. The solution does not need to look like anyone else’s. The path does not need to mirror another person’s story.

The message grew even broader as Melling thought about friends navigating difficult jobs, loved ones facing far more complex challenges and the quiet courage it takes for anyone to keep moving forward. The work took shape from those thoughts, combining concept, photography and design into a visual reminder to press pause on comparison and lean into authenticity.

In Find Your Own Way, Melling counters the speed and pressure of social media, which often presents a carefully curated highlight reel that leaves viewers feeling inadequate or behind. “Social media can drown you in noise,” he explains. “You start to compare everything, but the comparisons are not real. They distract you from what you already have and from the progress you are making.”

The piece speaks to this tension, offering calm against the backdrop of incessant digital overstimulation. Shot and designed entirely by Melling, the work draws on his long standing belief that every brief deserves a unique and original idea. He avoids trends and instead pursues concepts that aim for emotional clarity and lasting relevance. In this case, the idea was personal, honest and grounded in lived experience.

Melling is an award winning designer with over thirteen years in the industry, working across branding, environmental design, experience design, film and animation. His practice emphasises strong conceptual thinking, clarity and narrative. That ethos runs through Find Your Own Way, which distills a universal message into a thoughtful visual statement

“I wanted the work to be a reminder that solutions always exist, even when you cannot see them yet. You will find your own way, in your own time.”

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