Welcome to my new site. COVID-19 has given us all time to really take stock, to reflect and to refresh. In this spirit, I have decided to start a new project of my own. During lockdown I have used the abundance of time at my disposable to get back into reading, and reading with a passion. Having once been a vivacious reader, I was saddened by how little I was reading for pleasure once I left Sixth Form in 2013. Life got 'too busy' and I always had other things that I chose to prioritise over reading for pleasure. However, having taken time to slow down and to reflect, I have allowed myself the permission and space to get back into reading. I started off slowly, and now I am excited and eager for the part of my day that I set aside for reading.
One of the books I read in the past few months has provided the inspiration for this site. The book is question is 'Show Your Work: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Getting Discovered' by Austin Kleon. In his book, Austin advocates for sharing your ideas, knowledge and your process with your wider networks. His approach promotes sharing your passion and work openly and freely with the world. Austin believed this as a cornerstone to learning, making connections with like minded individuals and coming up with new ideas. By not being precious, by not worrying about being perfect, by being confident enough to put yourself out there and share what you do know and what excites you that in itself is what makes the difference.
Taking this to mind, the three quotes from his book will form the foundations of what you will find on this site and the ethos with which I will be approaching my work and passion projects.
“Share what you love, and the people who love the same things will find you.”
“The act of sharing is one of generosity—you’re putting something out there because you think it might be helpful or entertaining to someone on the other side of the screen.”
“Don’t worry about everything you post being perfect. Science fiction writer Theodore Sturgeon once said that 90 percent of everything is crap.”
For the remainder of the year, I have a few targets that I am hoping to reach. Alongside, reigniting my passion for reading, I have also kindled a desire to write. While this site will provide opportunities for that, I am hoping to also produce a couple more tangible pieces reflecting on my experiences and reflections from my childhood. In aid of this, I am working on two pieces of work.
One is a memoir focussing on key moments which I believe have shifted my life path to lead me to the fortunate position I am in now. I hope I will be able to share useful life reflections, lessons and annecdotes to think on.
My second project hopes to capture some my experience as a patient and advocate within the UK Health and Social Care system. From the age of 15/16, I have been involved with a range of agencies that advocate for and implement change for maintaining and improving the standard of delivery care and support for children and young people in the UK. Using these experiences, combined with my own reflections I hope to form a collection of reflections that captures some of the key aspects of the system from the perspective of a young person and as a patient. The topics that I am hoping to cover include;
What's is it like living with a rare disease?
Reflection on GP Services
Education and support available around sexual health
Availability and use of Mental Health Services
Importance of communication in health and social care
Impact and implications of having a good transition from children to adult services
Health Inequalities and its impact on service provision and life experiences
Research involving Children and Young People and its importance
Awareness of the rights of Children and Young People as enshrined within the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
Alongside these two side projects, I am also hoping to use this new platform as a way of sharing, highlighting and engaging with other topics and issues that I am currently consumed by. I hope you will join me in this journey and will engage with me when avenues for potential collaborations arise.
