WHEN I GROW UP
Monday, August 15, 2016
I'm at that point in my life where I'm looking back and looking forward all at once. Looking back at everything I wanted, the dreams, the successes and the failures. Looking forward to what I still want, what I can still get and what might have slipped out of reach.
I say out of reach, but actually, I'm not sure anything is out of reach at this stage. Perhaps except my dream of being a Blue Peter presenter. At 27, it might be too late to start on that one.
I'm potentially the most indecisive person you'll meet (it took me three attempts to choose a degree I could see through to the end– Law, maybe not– teaching, not right now– media production, we have a winner), so it's no surprise I've had a lot of dreams. And still do. I want to do everything and maybe I can.
- 6 years old: "When I grow up, I want to write my own book and draw the pictures."
- I remember saying this to pretty much everyone who asked. It's my longest dream and the one that never died. Today, I have written a book and as soon as I deem it good enough, I fully intend to attempt publishing. It's taken me four years of working on it so far, but I'm sure the perfectionist in me will accept it as finished at some point. Unfortunately, it's not a picture book (so no drawing the pictures), but as I sell my own art as the day job, I think I've got that covered.
- 8 years old: "When I grow up, I want to present Blue Peter."
- I loved that show as a kid! Sadly, that one didn't really go anywhere, but it's probably for the best. I'm no good at singing and somehow the presenters always ended up doing that.
- 10 years old: "When I grow up, I want to be a vet."
- Doesn't every child? I was and still am a huge animal lover. To this day, I would love to be a vet, to give something back to the little balls of fluff that give us so much, but I can't deal with blood. At all. And I'm not sure I'd have it in me to put an animal to sleep, no matter how needed it might be.
- 14 years old: "When I grow up, I want to be a lawyer."
- This is one that stayed with me for a while. As a teenager, it was probably my main ambition. That and a journalist (because writing). I took law as an A-level (and didn't particularly enjoy it), but thought it was a sensible career choice, so applied to study it at degree level too. Somehow, I earned a place at Plymouth University back in 2007, but two weeks before I was due to start, I knew my heart wasn't in it and I cancelled my place and took a gap year to figure out what I really did want to do.
- 18 years old: "When I grow up, I want to be a teacher."
- At that point, I decided to apply for a teaching degree instead. Teaching is something that has always been at the back of my mind. It's something I want to do eventually and once again, I accepted a place at uni, only to realise for now, that wasn't where I wanted to be. I knew I could go into teaching at any point in my life, so I decided to do a degree in something I was really passionate about and revisit teaching later.
- 19 years old: "When I grow up, I want to make films."
- I finally made it to uni in 2008 and headed to University of St Mark and St John (Marjon) in Plymouth to study Media Production. And I loved it. I spent my days making films and taking photos. I graduated with First class honours and did eventually secure a job in the television industry, working for the company I had dreamed of working for.
- 25 years old: "When I grow up, I want to be an illustrator and author."
- I've come to realise that these are the ambitions I really care about. Throughout all my dreams and indecisiveness, these are the only things I have never faltered on, have never quit. I've always written stories and I've always drawn and that's not set to change. I am so lucky to be able to earn a living off the former and I work hard to keep that dream going. The latter is my next big dream and it is something I will succeed at– I won't rest until I do! I'm not above annoying publishers to the brink of a restraining order to achieve this ;)
No dream is out of reach. If you set your mind to it, you can do whatever you want. And I for one definitely intend to. What were your childhood dreams? Lets make them a reality. Unless it's to be a unicorn because, even though I'm 100% behind that ambition, it might not be physically possible. Yet!
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