Hello, folks!

What turning point in your career do you consider your "big break"?

This year has provided me with probably my biggest breaks yet. I applied to Cambridge on a whim, convinced I would bever get in but taking the opportunity so that I wouldn't regret it later in life. It turns out I was good enough, and I now get to study and begin a research career at a University where, as a black woman from a low-income background, I could never have imagined myself attending. 

Secondly, I took a huge jump earlier in the year to becoming freelance (after I graduated from my undergraduate last year, I spent the year working in the creative/marketing sector). Being freelance allowed me the flexibility to start Climate In Colour, which I started after being accepted onto my course. It was just supposed to be a way to share my journey and the information I would learn in my studies, and then it blew up! Now I am able to satisfy both my passions, academia, and creativity, working to make a change in a community and hopefully change the way we talk about and approach climate change for the better.

What advice do you have for striking a work/life balance?

Setting boundaries; not replying to messages after certain times; stopping work when I'm tired; telling people from the outset how much of myself I can commit to a project. I'm super strict with this, and sometimes I feel like it makes me look like a b*tch or like I am not dedicated to my work, but that is an illusion. I have to put myself and my mental health first and have experienced over and over again how destructive it is for me when I don't do this. I am taking the next month and a bit off Instagram on Climate In Colour to focus on my studies and spend time with family. I told someone I was doing this in an interview and they asked: "but don't you have interns". People have no idea how much work goes on behind the scenes, and they will try to make you feel guilty about taking a break, we feel that we must compete and compare ourselves to the productivity of others. We are made to feel superior to others when we sacrifice ourselves to work and productivity. That used to be me, but not anymore.

What anxieties, if any, do you hold about your life/career? And how do you deal with them?

I don't have any anxieties about my career. I have quite a close spiritual connection to God/The Universe, and I am led to where I am supposed to be, not where I think I should be. Releasing this control over my life lets me feel comfortable that I will always be serving in the areas where I am most useful and where I will be most successful. The only thing this can sometimes lead to, at times, is Imposter Syndrome, especially at Cambridge but I think this is normal and I am comforted by the fact that I am here in the first place and I wouldn't be here if I wasn't meant to be.

How has the current COVID-19 situation affected your industry, and your work personally? How have you dealt with it?

I have been extremely privileged to have been accepted onto a fully-funded course during the lockdown as well as being blessed with a growing platform, which although I haven't taken any money out of, has allowed me to redistribute it to my lovely team! I think because I had worked so much in the online space before, my freelance work, earlier in the year actually got very busy and so although this year I have been blessed with the stability to support my family members who have been made redundant, I'm slightly envious of others who were able to slow down and take a break—it's been all stations go for me!

What does productivity look like to you and what tips do you have for managing your time?

Productivity to me looks like being in a flow state; being so engrossed in the work you are doing and getting that dopamine rush from it. I think productivity can be really superficial at times. It's not about long hours or being "seen" to be working. It's finishing the day early because you were so in the zone. It's ending the day with a happy sigh, pleased at the amount of work, social and personal connection, and time out in nature you've spent. I am extremely organised, my weeks are planned out the week before, and everything is time-blocked. This may seem rigid, but it actually allows for so much flexibility because I know everything that needs to be done in the week and can slide things across and switch them around depending on my mood or if anything comes up. That's what allows me to achieve so much.

How do you deal with procrastination?

I don't really procrastinate because my whole week is planned out in Google Calendar, and I adhere to it like glue! Also, the threat of losing precious me-time is enough to keep me from procrastinating.

What do you consider your biggest failure? And how did you persevere and grow from the experience?

I don't really believe that I have had any failures in life. Every moment in my life has been a huge adventure, and each chapter in my life has borne lessons that I have needed in the next. I feel like I can't have had failures because all my experiences have been guided by the universe to teach me something and prepare me for my future —whatever it may be. The biggest thing I have had to persevere in life was moving out of my family home at 17, fending for myself and putting myself through A-Levels (which weren't as good as they should have been), and then through University where I really came into myself academically. Those were a super hard three years, and I wanted to quit so much, but I didn't, I was determined to turn things around for myself and fulfill my potential.

When working on a new project how do you overcome self-doubt and fear?

There's never enough time for those thoughts to enter my head. As soon as I am excited by an idea, I just do it. I don't tie it to any expectation, so there is nothing to doubt because I am only following that dream of the project in order to fulfill my inner yearning to begin it, not necessarily for a greater outcome. I'm a huge ideas person, I just try loads of things, and if they don't work out I go to the next idea on the list, there are always more ideas. The only time I have felt self-doubt and fear is in relation to academic work. Growing up, I never felt good enough in the eyes of an African father. I was always told I could do better, even if I got a great mark, this is something that has stuck with me until now, and it went away after I got a first in my degree, but now it's back in my postgraduate hahah!

Do you have any rituals that help with your work or mental health?

My morning ritual is very important to me. Reading. Yoga. Meditation. Walk. They are a must!

Can you recommend any resources that have helped you in your career?

YouTube. No one resource in particular, but I have been an avid YouTube fan since I was 10. Watching vloggers gives me inspiration for where I want to be in life, how I want to live, who I want to be. Searching for videos on specific skills helped me with my designing skills without any formal training. It has been a place of comfort for me for sure. I don't really look into any official "career resources", I spend a lot of time curating the vision of how I want to live now, and how I will live in the future and that guides me, and acts as a compass for my career decisions.

What's the best and worst advice you've ever been given?

The best advice I have received was from my Godmother—take what you get until you get what you want. She told me this phrase when I was in a place where I wanted to move on from a career position and become freelance. I wasn't ready to make the jump, I needed to keep working and gaining experience just a little while longer until the perfect opportunity presented itself. 

The worst advice I've got, in regards to my desire to go freelance, is people telling me that life and career aren't fun and that I should just stay in a career, everyone has to do things they don't want to sometimes. My brain doesn't work like that, and I see no reason why I should do something I don't like just to fit the status quo.

What are your three tips for dealing with Eco-Anxiety?

• Live in line with your values within your capacity - small actions can dispel anxiety about your role in the crisis.
• Remember that 100 companies are responsible for 71% of historic emissions.
• Connect with like-minded people where you can talk about your worries, concerns and feel listened to.

How do you navigate social media, any rules or guidelines you set for yourself?

Take organised breaks. I'm going to be offline for a while. I don't have my phone in my bedroom —ever, it's a tech-free zone. 

L+A xx

Find more content over on our Instagram and Pinterest ↓