This collection of short thought-pieces looks to explore the lingering themes that knock around the mind of today’s driven + ambitious young women. Offering a measured look at the challenges we try not to struggle with, #LingeringThemes breaks down those points of anxiety by driving a positive, balanced approached to terms like ‘Satisfaction’ and ‘Productivity’.
#1 Pastel Pink, Sparkling and Massive: In Praise of Possibility
Annoyingly, the cliches that surround our lives as young women ring around and around again in my mind. Those present concerns that affect my choices probably affect yours too: from reacting to the daily news on the tube each morning right down to the styles we adopt as we dress, being a driven female comes with a certain set of themes and outtakes that most of us share. As a collective, the ways that we empower and guide ourselves shine through every decision we make - but in particular, overcoming a lack of direction can be insanely exhausting in a world of infinite possibility. Suddenly, those annoying cliches can offer a sense of structured security to our lives, rather than standing as a narrative to overcome.
Something like balancing relationships and careers is one such recurring challenge that many of us (try not to) struggle with - but beyond all that, it’s this idea of possibility that drives us. Amidst the pastel-pink hues of the creative industries around the world, there really is nothing we cannot do. Start your own company? In reality, that’s actually not too difficult. Have your voice heard by thousands of like-minded people? Post from one of your preferred online channels. Fly off to discover your dream location on a whim? I’ve got this theory that you can get to pretty much anywhere in the world for £600 if you look hard enough for flights. Never before have young women like us had this much possibility to play with - so who can blame us for occasionally struggling to know what to do with it all.
The bizarre sense of guilt I feel when inspiration escapes me in the face of this opportunity is awful - and really difficult to negotiate. We work hard to score achievements along the timeline of our careers: highlights shine in our memories and serve as building blocks for future milestones. But coming out of one project, one role, one journey or even one relationship can throw us back out into that massive, sparkling world of possibility without giving any direction on which route to take next. The things we thought we valued might not carry the same momentum in our lives anymore, and the things we thought we wanted might be overshadowed by other goals - potentially outside of our chosen careers. The volatility of our planet and the happenings within it right now are already starting to affect the decisions of women everywhere in 2017, but it’s revealing a stunning opportunity to embrace your passions, trust your gut and take whatever path calls your name the loudest - with no room for regrets.
Carving out a path for yourself in life is an attribute that some women are just born with and a skill that others - potentially without meaning to - craft over time. Some of us straight-up never feel the need to plan the journey at all - but for absolutely everyone, possibility is a privilege, and to explore it each day must take priority. Especially if it ends up leading you to places you never planned on going.
