Lee Lowndes’ Advice for the Next Generation of Creatives

Lee Lowndes is the CEO and co-founder of Daylight, a leading creative and technology studio based in Auckland, New Zealand. With over 15+ years of experience in the creative industry across New Zealand, the UK, and Australia, Lee has worked with top global agencies, including DDB and BBDO.

After spending time in Australia, helping to set up The Monkeys’ second office in Melbourne, she returned home to NZ. In early 2021, she co-founded Daylight—building it into a dynamic studio that bridges creativity and technology.

In my early 20s, just before moving to the UK, a colleague called Anna von Trott (the loveliest human ever, who is now creative services director at FCB Aotearoa) said to me at my leaving do: “I’m so envious—you’re about to step into the best part of your life. But I’m not envious of how much self-doubt your 20s bring.”

At the time, I remember not thinking too much of it. But in the years that followed, that comment stuck with me. The further I got into my career, the more I understood just how much truth was packed into that simple statement.

Like most Kiwis moving overseas at that age, I was trying to figure out my career path, where I wanted to work, and what I wanted to be, all while living pay-cheque to pay-cheque. 

Stepping into the UK market, my confidence took a hit, trying to prove I was more than just a ‘digital suit’ and could step into the shiny world of brand. I second-guessed myself a lot, and I would often revisit Anna’s comment in my mind. 

To make it worse, even back then, seedy social media didn’t make the situation any easier with Facebook status updates and white-framed, sepia-drenched Instagram posts of friends getting promoted, travelling, and (appearing) to be living their best lives. I remember thinking, ‘How are they all doing this? What’s the secret?’

As things went on, I realised no one had all the answers. There wasn’t some hidden how-to guide I had missed. It was all just experience, making mistakes, absorbing everything, and learning as you go.

The moment I stopped fixating on whether I was out of the loop and started enjoying the ride a bit more, it all felt a whole lot easier. 

Now, we’re all seeing the next generation grappling with self-doubt more than ever, sometimes seemingly paralysed by the idea that they haven’t become a tech founder, CEO, or expert in a certain field by the age of 24.

In a world where every answer is online and access to information is instant, it feels like we often forget to teach young people that it’s okay to learn.

Your 20s aren’t about having it figured out—they’re about bouncing around, failing, and surrounding yourself with people who are smarter than you and listening and learning from them. 

If I could go back to my younger self, I’d simply say: ‘Don’t overthink it. Things will fall into place when they’re meant to.’

This lesson has made me more patient and empathetic. When you remember what it felt like to be in those early stages, navigating uncertainty and feeling out of depth, you become more intentional about giving people the right context, helping them see the bigger picture, and then letting them figure out their own path.

Over time, I realised that everything can be figured out. You just need to ask the right questions, bring the right people into the room, and have a plan. The rest falls into place with time and experience.

This is a lesson I try to share and pass on all the time. I try to reassure younger team members that it’s completely normal to feel out of their depth, that they’re not expected to have all the answers, and that the best thing they can do is lean on the people around them.

Even though hiring junior talent in New Zealand is a struggle these days, as so many of them move to Australia, every time someone tells me they’re moving overseas, I feel stoked for them. They’re about to spend every cent they own, fail, figure out who they are, and come back better for it.