Sometimes a layoff can uncover a purpose the 9-to-5 kept buried.

I’ve always known my favorite part of medical advertising was the impact. Behind every campaign, product launch, or brand was the potential to make someone’s life a little better. That’s what made the work meaningful to me, and I knew I wanted to keep doing it.

But once the initial layoff glow (Free time! No meetings!) wore off, reality set in. I needed to keep my creative skills sharp, my brain busy, and my sanity reasonably intact. Freelance work was slow, with what felt like 50,000 other creatives paddling around in the same overcrowded pond.

So I started looking for other ways to put my experience to work. I found Taproot, a platform connecting professionals with nonprofits that need their skills, and started volunteering.

And something clicked.

I discovered that mission-driven design wasn’t just another direction I could take my career. It was work I genuinely wanted to do.

Last November, I began working with Army Pink – Pathway to Freedom, an organization supporting domestic violence survivors. I helped build their visual identity system and presentation decks, giving their mission a more cohesive, recognizable voice. Since then, I’ve watched their vision grow into a real army of helpers, and the work we created has taken on a life of its own.

There’s something pretty wonderful about seeing your designs out in the world doing more than selling something. They’re helping people tell important stories, build trust, raise support, and make a difference.

Paid projects have followed, along with more volunteer opportunities. I’m currently working with Windwood Family Services and Shared City here in Charleston, with a few more conversations underway.

Healthcare and medical design will always be a mainstay of my work. I love the complexity, the problem-solving, and the opportunity to make complicated information understandable. But expanding into nonprofit branding and purpose-driven organizations has added another layer of meaning to what I do.

And no, this is NOT one of those “getting laid off was the best thing that ever happened to me” stories. Happily ever after is still a long way off. I’m still in the thick of it, still hustling, still figuring things out.

But I’ve found something worth building toward.

Sometimes purpose doesn’t arrive with a grand announcement. Sometimes it shows up when you roll up your sleeves and start helping someone else.

And that makes this fight worth it.