what now?
It took four years, a lot of self-discipline and a significant amount of chocolate but in May I completed my degree. Twelve years after finishing school I can finally write 'BA hons' after my name (would it be weird to write it all the time?). I can now officially claim to be qualified for everything and nothing at the same time, along with almost every other person who has ever completed an arts degree. Yet, despite the few useful applications of Shakespeare to any career, I have gained so much from my studies. I feel like a different person to the one who embarked on further study four years ago; I questions more, debate more and stand up for the things I believe in. I see the world in a whole new light and don't simply take everything at face value. And I realise I still have so much to learn.
If I'm honest, the end of my studies has left me in a bit of a limbo-state. Now that I have accomplished the very thing I have been working towards for so long, I feel the pressure to come up with a good answer to the question everyone keeps asking: 'What now?'
In order to escape the strain of having to think about the future, I have spent the summer distracting myself with constant activity. On Thursday, I had a meeting in the city to talk about how to end extreme poverty (or at least contribute in my own small way). Afterwards, I decided to stop in at the National Portrait Gallery to ensure that I was definitely filling every moment of my day.
The gallery's walls are lined with the faces of famous individuals from time-gone-by to the present day. There are portraits of kings and queens throughout the ages, politicians and religious figures. I dutifully stopped at the recent portrait of the Duchess of Cambridge and considered how much her life too has changed in the last few years. There are also pictures of those who are less famous, such as the socialite Ottoline Morrell who looks as if she would kill you with just one look if you crossed her. One of my favourites is the heart-warming portrait of the children's author Beatrix Potter; she is standing in the farmyard, her chubby cheeks aglow, looking exactly as someone called Beatrix should. As I ambled through the impressive Statesmen's Gallery I began to think about my own place in history. As well as housing pictures of those who have made their mark, throughout the gallery there are portraits to be found of those who might be seen as ordinary people. Yet, if they are so ordinary, how did they make it into one of the most famous art galleries in the world? Because no one is simply ordinary. We all have the potential for greatness. Any one of us can achieve something remarkable, something worth a portrait hung in a building just off Trafalgar Square.
It seems, as much as I try and escape the question 'What now?', it is waiting for me at every turn. Either I can run from it, or I can meet it head-on. I just need to remember that I am made for a purpose - as we all are - and that there is a plan for my life. I don't have the answers but I do have the will and a degree that has equipped me with very useful 'transferable skills'. It is time to face life...and remember to smile. Because you never know when someone might want to paint your portrait.
If I'm honest, the end of my studies has left me in a bit of a limbo-state. Now that I have accomplished the very thing I have been working towards for so long, I feel the pressure to come up with a good answer to the question everyone keeps asking: 'What now?'
In order to escape the strain of having to think about the future, I have spent the summer distracting myself with constant activity. On Thursday, I had a meeting in the city to talk about how to end extreme poverty (or at least contribute in my own small way). Afterwards, I decided to stop in at the National Portrait Gallery to ensure that I was definitely filling every moment of my day.
The gallery's walls are lined with the faces of famous individuals from time-gone-by to the present day. There are portraits of kings and queens throughout the ages, politicians and religious figures. I dutifully stopped at the recent portrait of the Duchess of Cambridge and considered how much her life too has changed in the last few years. There are also pictures of those who are less famous, such as the socialite Ottoline Morrell who looks as if she would kill you with just one look if you crossed her. One of my favourites is the heart-warming portrait of the children's author Beatrix Potter; she is standing in the farmyard, her chubby cheeks aglow, looking exactly as someone called Beatrix should. As I ambled through the impressive Statesmen's Gallery I began to think about my own place in history. As well as housing pictures of those who have made their mark, throughout the gallery there are portraits to be found of those who might be seen as ordinary people. Yet, if they are so ordinary, how did they make it into one of the most famous art galleries in the world? Because no one is simply ordinary. We all have the potential for greatness. Any one of us can achieve something remarkable, something worth a portrait hung in a building just off Trafalgar Square.
It seems, as much as I try and escape the question 'What now?', it is waiting for me at every turn. Either I can run from it, or I can meet it head-on. I just need to remember that I am made for a purpose - as we all are - and that there is a plan for my life. I don't have the answers but I do have the will and a degree that has equipped me with very useful 'transferable skills'. It is time to face life...and remember to smile. Because you never know when someone might want to paint your portrait.
Labels: experience, london life, national portrait gallery, studies
posted by foxy_roxtar at 2:59 PM
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