When I was younger, I always had big dreams and ideas. Back then, I had no idea they would form who I am today. When I think back, I have memories of telling my parents at the dinner table that I wanted to be a vet. I have no idea where I got this career plan from, but I soon changed my mind after finding out how many years of education was required. Being dyslexic, the idea of choosing to stay in education until mid to late twenties was rather off-putting.
At a later age, I was watching an MTV documentary about a man who directed and created one of Cheryl Cole’s music videos and album covers. I was so inspired after that programme that I spend the rest of the day daydreaming about it. I remember asking myself “could I be a director?”
In high school, I showed a big interest in both photography and video. I was always playing around in the garden and house with my compact camera, experimenting with angles and different subjects. It wasn’t long until I convinced my art teacher to allow me to incorporate photography into my Art GCSE. My other hobby was editing movies in Windows Movie Maker. I remember my sister also had this hobby and after each holiday, we used to compile all of our footage and make a highlight real. My friends from school saw the videos and one of them asked me if I could create her parents a video montage as it was their 25th wedding anniversary. Great, my first job request!
I still had a great passion for animals in my teenage years, even though I had no aspirations to continue with my idea of becoming a vet. We had a lot of family pets over the years, from rabbits to gerbils to dogs to horses. Perhaps this is where I fell in love with being outside and with other beings. I very much took to my gerbil called Sooty, my dog Max and my pony called Rosie. I wasn’t one of those children who tired easily of their Christmas present pet, in fact, I was rather the opposite. I used to create obstacle courses on the bed with kitchen roll tubes and scatter cushions, encouraging my gerbil to take exercise seriously. I then went a step further and created assault courses for my pet dog Max in the garden. Before we had horses, I made my own horse out of a cardboard box to practice the skills I had learned in my weekly lessons.
I was always outside. Creating, doing, encouraging and dreaming. So, how has this shaped who I am today? Well, at the age of 25, I am still doing most of those things. Maybe not building animals from cardboard but my passions remain in the same areas. Since high school, I have always made surrounding myself with animals a priority. Whether that was volunteering at an animal shelter or horse sanctuary, I would be there. In fact, I am still there now. I am also freelance and working within the media industry, creating content, marketing it and posting to social media.
So sure, I’m not a vet or a music video producer, but I am a vegan who volunteers with animals and I am also a passionate content creator. Who would have thought that the ideas and dreams I had when I was 7 would shape the person I am today. This leads me to pure excitement for my future. I dream a lot now. Where will those dreams lead me in the next 20 years? Well, there is only one way to find out. Don’t shut down your inner child, enjoy dreaming, creating and playing! You never know where it may lead you.