L I F E S T Y L E // See ya September

September has been an incredibly (and unexpectedly) exciting month, the most exciting of which was BAGGING MYSELF A NEW JOB!

I can finally announce that as of this Friday I'll be the new Social Media Assistant of Harvey Nichols- a role I've wanted for the past eight months and I'm so so excited to get myself settled in. 

It's terrifies me a little bit to think only 14 months ago I was throwing my graduation cap in the air alongside my fellow fashion grads, and although that sweltering late July feels like only yesterday, I feel as though I've gained about 5 years of knowledge in those 14 months.

There was a short time (maybe a month or so after graduating) when I longed to snuggle back into the corner of our university studio with a paintbrush, but I can honestly say that nothing could drag me back to education now.

As fun as a Masters degree in design would probably be, there is no one who could talk me into another £10,000- £20,000 of education (besides, where the hell am I supposed to find £20,000 anyway? Oh, just let me check my piggy bank...)

I often sit and wonder what things I would have done differently (a frustrating hobby that I don't suggest you take up), and although I like to tell myself that I wouldn't change anything about my university experience, I do wish my present self had been around to give the ball of stress that was my 21 year old third year self a little advice:

Just because you're enrolled on a design course, doesn't mean you have to find your career in designing. This is one of the most crucial things I had known before graduating. Being a creative person opens up so many opportunities and (I believe) makes every day life a million times more exciting- I honestly don't know how non-creative people live their lives without getting insanely bored- but anyway... I pursued a further education in fashion design because I wasn't finished learning. A-levels were incredibly regimented and restricting in terms of creative fulfilment, so I basically ended up paying for a degree because I wanted more time to play. 

I didn't know what I wanted to do when I was 18 and choosing our universities. Blogging wasn't a thing back then (most of the major bloggers we know now were literally just signing up to wordpress), and social media consisted of a mere Facebook and Twitter. The creative moodboards of Instagram and Pinterest were yet to exist, so getting connecting with other like-minded creatives worldwide was 100 times harder than it is for the 18 year olds of today (having grown up in a world where everyone and their cat has a blog). 

I'm sure a lot of the graduates of the last two- ten years will agree that we just kinda turned up and hoped for the best.

You put so much of your trust into your tutors that you just assume they're giving you the best advice. I adored every one of my tutors and I wouldn't have finished my degree with a first without them (if fact I'd probably still be trembling under a studio table if they weren't there to drag me out), however having any other ambition other than designing  I personally felt wasn't taken seriously.

Thinking back now I realise just how ridiculous that is. Having worked alongside and befriended those with experience working for huge fashion companies- Harvey Nichols, Asos, Net A Porter etc- I've come to see just how important it is to have a creative background. Just having an eye for detail, for composition and a drive and enthusiasm is such a huge benefit to any role in the fashion industry. There isn't a single person I work with at Harvey Nichols who isn't creative. 

Whether it's the photographers and stylists or the writers and marketers, everyone has a vision. Just because you studied pattern cutting doesn't mean you can't go on to make it as a stylist, or a web designer, or an art director. You don't have to be limited to your degree. 

I specialised in printed textiles but can't remember the last time I mixed pigment or picked up a squeegee, but that doesn't matter. I use everything I learnt during that degree and make it relevant to what I'm doing now, and anything I don't know I'll pick up on the way. 

I think what I'm trying to say in a very long-winded and boring way is to not let others define who you are or limit what you want to achieve. We try and give a name to everything now, and although it might make life a little clearer, who wants to be confined to just one box? 

You also can't plan your entire career (unless you want to live a pretty dull life), and I've come to learn that's there's no harm in trying new things and moving around. One of my worst fears in life is to end up hating my job. We spend so long working and with retirement age getting later and later the thought of waking up in the morning and not wanting to go to work is pretty terrifying.

So if you're currently at university but don't really know what you want to do, don't panic! Start a blog, creating moodboards at home, make your bedroom a studio, network with those already in the industry- just do anything and just pay attention to what you truly enjoy doing. You never know, you might start a blog a realise you're a whizz at web development (sadly that wasn't me)!

So, last September I found myself newly graduated and joining the fashion industry for the first time with my first ever full-time job, and a year later I'm starting all over again. I wonder what September 2015 will have in store?...