A Focus On Nature, Advent Calendar, Now for Nature
AFON
YouTubers and Rap Artists to Now for Nature – Laura Richardson
Welcome to our 2016 Advent Calendar series (#AFONAdvent)! This year, our theme is “The Gift of Inspiration”. For each day, one of our members has written a blog post about someone who has inspired them, and how that inspiration has lead to them being where they are today. Each member is a shining example of a young person who is acting Now for Nature. We hope that you enjoy the series and have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
What is inspiration?
For me, it’s an event, scene, sentence or story that switches a light on in my head and makes me realise something that I thought was impossible is actually within my reach.
A few months ago leaving my day job selling pastry products in a supermarket didn’t seem possible, but now I am a Web & Social Media Co-ordinator while also working on my personal work – another step closer to my current goal.
To understand what inspired that change, you have to understand the situation I was in. My dream is to become a wildlife photographer / science communicator and after studying Marine & Natural History Photography, I thought my chances were reasonable. I’d achieved a high grade and had already gained some great experience.
But after graduating it seemed as though all my creative skills combined couldn’t help me. Coming from a hard working family and with no real option or desire to move home I had to stay independent. It was other skills that got me through the next year of tough times and self-doubt.
Positivity and determination got me through many different jobs, each of which I did purely for the money needed to support myself. But I began doubting that I would ever make the differences I wanted to make with my life. Finally, after many ups and downs, the light clicked on and I was able to look at my situation in a new way.
The turning point came during BirdFair, the yearly event where my drive is re-ignited and I reflect on how the progress towards my goal is going. On the journey home I discussed this with a friend and we both challenged each other to set a goal for next year’s event. The pressure suddenly felt real, which meant we had to follow through.
Being back at work became even harder after this, which was when I found the extra inspiration that I needed from an unlikely place – YouTube.
I discovered Casey Neistat, an outstanding and credible filmmaker who decided to focus his efforts into making daily films for YouTube (while starting a business and raising a baby). And I don’t just mean a standard video diary – they’re stunning! What really made him stand out to me was 1. his work ethic and 2. how relatable he was, coming from a less than easy background. He proved to me that working hard while being yourself can really increase your creative outputs, productivity and job satisfaction.
I feel similarly towards another YouTuber, Anna Akana, who has hustled away since she was 20 while battling with immense mental health issues. She has made her name known using her own tools and initiative and is spreading some great messages throughout the world. Rap artist G-Eazy has done similarly; self-funding his work from the start and eventually turning down major music labels who disregarded him previously.
I may not become as well known as these people but they have given me the inspiration and motivation to try what I want to try and do things my way even if it’s different – and especially when I think I can’t. They have proved to me that set backs happen, that progress is always slower than you think it will be and that these are not reasons to give up.
These creative people have given me exactly what I’ve needed to believe in myself. Instead of comparing myself to others and worrying about what I can’t do I’m focusing on what I can do, and slowly but surely I’m making things happen.
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