Anyone with any creative credabilty goes through it, It takes time,which is also an ironing out process, if you dont have the drive or flare you wont stay the pace, Unless you are realy lucky

I think it's catch 22 really, it's great having mad drive at 17 but if you aren't careful you'll miss out on being young. I regret taking photography so seriously at a young age sometimes as I missed out a bit on being young and dumb. Still, making up for that now...

i sort of did the opposite....no idea what i wanted to do, more knowing what i didn't want to become. i knew it would be creative, but that's it.
went to university and took philosophy, traveled and had way to much fun until finally getting down to business around 27. five years on i cringe at the thought of not having had those years to figure everything out and all that jive.

For me, at 17, I knew what I wanted to do. But I didn't know what the job market was really like. I knew I liked fashion, and I did like makinf clothes at the time. I was really serious and missed out on making more friends, going to parties, going to prom. I finished high school early so that I could be one step closer to doing what I wanted. But after working in industry, I did not feel that it was all that fulfilling. Finally, I left not knowing exactly what I would do with myself. A coiple months later, I started my own business, not directly linked to fashion. I am more happy with that decision so far... I think being in fashion can be exhausting, it's not having to do with talent, but rather, it's like chasing dogs, very tiring.

I think when you're young, the idea of being in fashion is very appealing, and you think that all you need to talent. But once you get there and realise there are bills to pay, business to be smart about, and what a lack of jobs there are out there, it's not exactly what you hoped it would be.

How many of us can even remember, let alone still feel, just a fraction of the incredible urgency, the 'want everything, want it NOW!' of our teens? Seems to be a mix here of begrudging what we envy, with a need to advise from experience...

I've never lost that sense of urgency, maybe it is a more realistic kind of urgency, but i don't think it's always a matter of age. I would have welcomed a realistic perspective at that age.

is there an echo in here? is it just me or is the first paragraph of the last post a cut and paste of an earlier post....to the word!
what's that all about??

Maybe add a '' or two to the paragraph, as i missed the chance to do so. Aplogies for the mystery.

Wow thanks alot. Some of you are gving valueable advice that you can only give when you do have years of experience and i thank you very much! :-) And if im being honest i am expecting things to happen straight away which will not be the case! Well next week im going to Manchester to re-live the Factory Record days and speak hopefully to some top designers and i'll ask for their advice. One more thing i think its rather pathetic to pick up on my USER name and as for my location should it matter where im from but if its so important to you then here it is..... the U.K! Hows that Mr/Mrs CS from Toronto!Show your tedious personality for picking up on it!

Another peice of advice, you have just shown in that last few lines of your posting why people who are 17 do not get oppourtunites in the industry. Oh, so close...

jeez, be nicer to the young ones. troubled soul,i'm just a year older than you and i understand the boat you're in. unfortunately, that's the system and you'd better deal (i think you've figured this out by now). personally i design clothes for the hell of it, but i don't count on doing it professionally. whining is going to get you only irritiable responses from older professionals.