I live in a rural part of the UK. Before Covid, it was the chip on my shoulder, a burden to bear. I hated how far away everything was. I felt like I wouldn’t be able to make my career work unless I was in London. I worried my online content would tank if it was shot against a countrified backdrop.
I held onto this anxiety for years - never allowing me to feel settled. It always meant I felt that I would need to look for alternatives, do better, need more money, and keep up with others. This manifested in my attempt to break into the PR game in early 2020.
This plan would have worked, it would have got me to London - only to work 40-hour weeks building a career for someone else. This plan had one fault - and that fault was Covid. The global reset, for many holds trauma. In my personal journey - Covid offered me a second chance.
The inability to travel, and move around the country meant brands and businesses could now work based on talent and not just locational value. Yes, I am saying pre-2020 brands prioritised location over actual talent!!
I am aware of how hard I worked before covid, and how much I manifested for myself. Yet, I do owe Covid’s shake-up of the system a lot.
Aside from work, and my career, Covid ushered in a nature renaissance for me. What had once been an irritant became a salve for my soul. I feel at home in the rural enclave I inhabit.
Yes, I do feel a pull to urban ease, and less travelling. To spend time in London and Manchester is divine. However, to come home to a green idyl will always trump that. Covid shook my relationship with nature completely.
Nature offers me the space to recharge my energy. It allows my queerness to exist in different ways. I may be effervescent and bold in conurbations, but in nature, I am closer to my natural equilibrium - truly connected to my essence.
Life is all about balance, and that looks different for all of us. I have realised for the way I am working, and the projects I have on the horizon - this current setup is working for me. Nature, and having a rural base are my balance aid.
If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it, and for now, this is working wonders for me!
Shot by Rachel Pechey
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