Life is turbulent sometimes, and the vision you have for it isn’t always going to be what you expected. At the age of 23, I promised myself, and my parents – that I would place my camera to the side if I didn’t see any success by the age of 25.
7 months ago, post Covid, and on the brink of turning 30 (well, six months away), I felt like my photography career had depleted. Truthfully, it had seen better days, and it was time to look for something else.
So, I sat down, and started listing my skills. I ended up with a strange amalgamation of things I thought I was a ‘little bit good at’. I could take good photos, I wasn’t awful at writing (or so I thought), and I had dabbled in social media – Instagram being my mainstay, I’d had some interning stints at magazines, and a CV that showed good ‘people skills.’
What I needed to do was find somewhere I thought I might fit. After some Google searching, and going around in circles, I kept coming back to the role of digital marketing. I ticked some boxes, but not quite all of them, so after a few unsuccessful interviews (we all have them, right?) I realised that maybe, a training position would work. Afterall, I had valuable experience to offer, but the holes and areas I didn’t have needed to be filled. I couldn’t tape them over on my own!
Fast forward six months, and I’ve made myself relatively comfortable at my desk at MacbethLankester, with, a lot more digital marketing experience than I started with, finding a happy medium between the attributes I already had, and the ones I need to be successful in what I do. And whilst I talk about my dogs so much in the office that it’s probably irritating, I’ve found myself part of a team that have supported me in finding my interests, teaching me things I didn’t know, and fine-tuning the skills I do have.
Photography is still a love of mine, and something I get to bring into the workplace too. Last month saw me venture to Donaldson’s and Grown in Britain to capture photos, whilst a couple of holiday dates saw me photographing a wedding, and most recently my photos made an appearance on the London Underground. If there’s something the turbulence of the last few years has taught all of us, is that life isn’t straight forward, and yes, you can have your fingers in more than one pie.
Having just turned 30, admittedly I did find some humour in the subject of the advert too. I bank with Lloyds, and here was my photo supporting a partnership between Lloyds Bank and Crisis, supporting the future of affordable housing – something that hits hard for a lot of us, I’m sure, and home ownership is a pipe dream for many people, including myself still. Seeing my photos appear in new places reminds me that I did and do have a talent for photography – but I am so much more than photography too.
– Written by Sophie