Continuing in the sentiment of International Women's Day last week, I ended up making a mental note of all of the women that provide me with inspiration. This has culminated in a collection of images that, be them aesthetically pleasing or portraits of strong and independent ladies, have acted as sources of creation over the past week.
I remain lucky in the sense that I don't actually have to look very far for an indication of the kind of incredible women that frequent this earth. Initially, my mum acts as my main source of influence. Her creativity and flare as an individual has always been apparent to me but further than this there is an inherent strength and confidence in her persona which has always assured me that the best thing you can do is to be entirely yourself, regardless of what anyone else may think. In a hope of getting a better picture of what she would have been like when she was my age I asked her to relay stories of her youth to me. What was instigated was a portrait of a young artist set happily within herself, spending hours in the studio painting, or visiting the cinema alone and reading Zola and Dostoevsky. There is an automatic indication that even at the ripe age of nineteen there was an air of comfortability within her as a person that allowed her to exist in a way that was entirely her own, free from the interference of external judgement; a state that I certainly aspire to radiate through my own existence.
Though it also happens that one of the greatest joys comes in finding inspiration within the minds of your peers. A recognition that it can be those that exist alongside you on a daily basis who, although young, provide constant expressions of the intricacies and individualities of their creative minds. Watching my friend of the past eight years as she begins to transform into an adult, creating art that expels her magnificent potential as a person.
Having the opportunity to live among ladies who have a sense of strength that is so clear within them from an external perspective, but a quality that they don't always recognise entirely within themselves. With the continual concern of not doing enough, they constantly strive to alter the world that they exist within in a way that constantly encourages me to better myself.
What these people insight is a desire to keep pushing ahead, to continue to be the person I am despite the challenges that may manifest in my path. The fact that they manage to do just this, without so little as an acknowledgement of the kind of incredible journeys they are sculpting, makes it all the more exceptional to observe them as they do so. Ultimately what I'd like to do is express my gratitude to be able to exist amongst such wonderful beings, for it is through you that I am constantly reassured that the only way to move is forward.
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