DO create. DO shine. DO bold.
After I finished studying, only a year into my life as a ‘working adult’ I quit corporate life to jump straight into doing my own thing. A bold, scary move in retrospect.
Looking back over the years my life has actually been a series of bold moves (even though they might not have felt like it at the time).
Buying a house, starting and investing in a business, moving our lives and our business to a new city and making scary adult decisions when you don’t feel like an adult yet.
The strange thing is that these great, bold years have been shadowed by self doubt.
As a creative, when you are what you do, you doubt yourself daily, and you never quite acknowledge everything you’ve achieved and created.
We’re always looking ahead, meeting the next deadline and moving forward at a rapid pace, that we hardly stop to enjoy the process and look back to see how far we’ve come.
Only now, I feel like i’ve come up for air and can truly appreciate what we’ve created, and i’m learning to enjoy each process and be more present and balanced in work and life.
Perhaps it’s something that has come with experience or age, or perhaps it’s because we’re a little bit wiser but I finally feel proud of what we’ve made and achieved.
I’m proud to be a part of Pandora’s DO campaign, celebrating the movers and the shakers, and the women who DO.
With my fellow photographer and creative Lindsay Rae Michael we created this series of images to express a small part of what i’ve learnt on my journey as a creative and business owner, wearing the new Pandora jewellery pieces.
DO
DO graft. Put in the hours, and the hard work. The blood, sweat and tears.
Persist, persevere, keep at it, stick with it.
Things aren’t going to magically happen if you’re just sitting around in a coffee shop, or scrolling pinterest.
DO shine beyond self doubt.
Although a small dose of it can be good. I love this quote from The War of Art.
“Self-doubt can be an ally. This is because it serves as an indicator of aspiration. It reflects love, love of something we dream of doing, and desire, desire to do it. If you find yourself asking yourself (and your friends), “Am I really a writer? Am I really an artist?” chances are you are. The counterfeit innovator is wildly self-confident. The real one is scared to death.”
DO Be Bold.
Take a risk, step out, be brave and show your true colours.
DO learn when to say no.
I’m still learning this. You don’t serve yourself or others well by being a yes-woman.
DO celebrate your victories, and acknowledge everything you’ve learnt and achieved.
Stop, and take stock often.
DO be courageous facing the inevitable challenges, loneliness and fear.
Face them head on!
DO keep creating.
Wearing the Spring hearts of Pandora rings.
DO listen to and trust your gut and your heart.
DO trust and enjoy the process.
Wearing the dazzling daisies collection earrings and necklace.
“That thing you’ve been really wanting to do… you should really do it!”.
Pandora is more than just a charm bracelet company, and it’s been amazing to learn a bit more about them and their values, and being able to wear these pieces on my ears, hands and heart.
Their pieces are beautifully crafted and you can see they are passionate about quality and detail.
They really care about the materials they use, from their ethically sourced stones, to recycling their gold and silver. They are also part of the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) meaning they work hard to ensure outstanding conditions for their employees and aren’t afraid to let you in to their workshops to meet the makers of their pieces.
Thank you Pandora for supporting me in my own journey in creating, and for sponsoring this post.
Photographs by Lindsay Rae Michael