Thursday 16 June 2011

10-5-1: Looking Back to Look Forward


I got to thinking the other night about how far I've come in the last decade, in so many ways. Sometimes it's easy to feel stuck in a rut and as if our life is going nowhere. But taking an objective look back (with the help of my email account!) really made me think, and start to appreciate what I've achieved and how much has changed.

I'd like to invite you all to join me, in a bit of a blog carnival, and share your posts with me about what you were doing 10, 5 and 1 years ago. What have you achieved, what's changed? Have you made steps towards your dreams, or have your dreams shifted? Do you feel as if you know better now where you're going next?

I can't wait to read your posts! Please come back and
share your link below so we can all join in :)




Ten
Ten years ago this month I was graduating from an MA in Linguistics and wondering where I'd go next. I desperately wanted to go to art college but with no funding available for such a thing, and with not enough pennies to fund it myself, I went for the next best option, which was an MSc in Cognitive Science. It wasn't exactly what I wanted to do but I knew that it would be a good springboard for me to do my own research in the psychology of art. I spent all Summer working as a research assistant within the department, analysing hand-drawn sketches done by participants in a graphical communication task. Not quite as glamorous as it sounds (I spent hours debating what things were and whether they could be categorised as duplicates of similar tokens or were in fact new tokens), it did however pay my course fees and give me a small stipend to live off. At the time I thought I might stay in academia and do a PhD or move into the world of publishing, but really I had no idea!


In terms of family, I dreamed of finding my equal in a partner - and one who could handle me! I had no ambitions for kids at all!


Five
In June 2006, I had just left a career in publishing, after becoming disillusioned with the industry - I had hoped it would be more hands-on than it ended up being and I wasn't prepared to move to London in the hope of finding a more creative position. So I put the works in motion to make my erstwhile hobby (making copper jewellery and hand-felted accessories) a more profitable business, and thus was born Earthly Treasures. 



I didn't know where it might take me at that point but I felt so thrilled to be self-employed and doing my own thing, with my own talents, and without someone to tell me what I could and couldn't do/explore/work on.


Having got together with Father Earthly in 2004, we were now planning our wedding for the following year, and harboured dreams of some day building ourselves a little straw bale house in the woods ;)


One
June 2010 saw me 4 months pregnant, with a 10-month old to look after, and living on our newly-delivered canal boat which was nought but a steel shell sprayed with foam insulation on the inside.



I'd stopped making and selling my crafts during my first pregnancy as I didn't want to be breathing in the dust and fumes that my work required, so we were now concentrating on the Fairtrade side of things. We'd not long since taken on premises for the business and I was working there during the week whilst starting to plan my maternity leave cover. At the weekends we were either working in the shop or trying to sort out our lives on the boat


At the time I was really chuffed to have our own shop, and a place for me to start making things again when I got the chance, though the issue of travelling down from our boat was already rearing its head. And with another baby brewing I was beginning to realise that I might not have much time to further the business much for a while. But, as ever, I was willing to see where things took me :)


Your turn! How much has your life (and your dreams) changed???


3 comments:

  1. I love it!!

    10 years ago in July I was also (!) graduating my MA linguistics from Edinburgh. I was thrilled and happy but in all honesty I felt I had achieved what I set out and knew that academia wasn't for me and I needed to find a job. Unfortunately I had no real idea doing what - or any clue about jobs in the real world. I knew it wouldn't be vocational but I felt a bit forced onto the arena of graduate jobs that didn't really appeal to me. I had to move home with no money or job prospects to keep me living away from home. It turned out to be the best thing I did. This was a great year for me, I got an admin job which paid the bills but best of all I realised how much home meant to me, I met my partner Matt and fell in love - with him and home!

    5 years ago I had hit a bad patch. I had moved up the ladder at the council, albeit still doing admin type jobs. I should have had a job that I enjoyed - there was the opportunity for that. But I had the manager from hell and no one who would listen to me. She was a bully and made me feel very small. I went for counselling and desperately tried to get out looking for all sorts of alternative jobs with no joy.

    Thankfully everything took a turn up for the books a year after that with a new job that I mostly love and -

    1 year ago I was enjoying my maternity leave after fulfilling an ambition of a good few years and starting a family. Fred would have been about 9 months old and this time last year we'd just had our naming ceremony for him which was one of my best days. He was a little treasure that day, full of smiles and I was so happy to share such a great day with really important family and friends (something I feel I missed out on not having the big wedding!!) Also really glad that one Auntie in particular was there to share it as she's not here anymore. Despite being sleep deprived and sometimes a bit down or over awed by parenthood, I look back now and realise how incredibly happy I was to have a wonderful little family and to have such amazing friends!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Fab idea! Nice to hear your stories.

    10 years ago, I pregnant with Finnbar, my oldest boy, and living in Dorking, in Surrey. No big ambitions other than just enjoying being a mama. Already married to Pete, a couple of years earlier, and he was working from home. We had a nice life there. I had worked in nurserys for the last few years, and trained in Montessori methodology and early childhood studies. Knew I didn't want to put my baby in any nursery and instead wanted to be a full-time earth mama, which i am sooo glad about!

    5 years ago, moved to Cambs, after spending 5 happy years on the coast in Littlehampton, where I had birthed two more babies, Herb and Indie, at home. Had made the decision to home ed and had plans to extend the family if all good and well.... which is exactly what happened because...

    1 year ago, my new babe Alfie was 1 year old! But our lives and house were gutted and turned upside down that year. A year of house extending, grief and loss, and also enormous love and clarity and revelation!!! Losing two close relations was heart-pearcing but that also let a lot of love in.

    Promise to honour your other request soon Earthy Mama! Been mega busy couple of weeks! X

    ReplyDelete
  3. Fab idea! Nice to hear your stories.

    10 years ago, I pregnant with Finnbar, my oldest boy, and living in Dorking, in Surrey. No big ambitions other than just enjoying being a mama. Already married to Pete, a couple of years earlier, and he was working from home. We had a nice life there. I had worked in nurserys for the last few years, and trained in Montessori methodology and early childhood studies. Knew I didn't want to put my baby in any nursery and instead wanted to be a full-time earth mama, which i am sooo glad about!

    5 years ago, moved to Cambs, after spending 5 happy years on the coast in Littlehampton, where I had birthed two more babies, Herb and Indie, at home. Had made the decision to home ed and had plans to extend the family if all good and well.... which is exactly what happened because...

    1 year ago, my new babe Alfie was 1 year old! But our lives and house were gutted and turned upside down that year. A year of house extending, grief and loss, and also enormous love and clarity and revelation!!! Losing two close relations was heart-pearcing but that also let a lot of love in.

    Promise to honour your other request soon Earthy Mama! Been mega busy couple of weeks! X

    ReplyDelete

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