The Right Place at The Right Time

It’s often that opportunity knocks when you least expect it.

 She might call when you’re expecting your fourth child. She might arrive when your heart is in a monogamous relationship with old friends disappointment and regret. She might not even look like opportunity at all, but be disguised as failure.

My opportunity came as the latter. Around this time last year at 32 years old I felt like I had found a home by being accepted onto SCA two days before term started. I couldn’t believe how long it had taken to find my way to the school, from the Royal College of Art to new York, Berlin, a career in the city, an accidental accountant, archivist, violinist, gallerist, tailor, plus more failures to boot.

But this wasn’t my big opportunity. By Christmas, at the intersection of ‘I don’t actually have a plan how I’m going to pay for this’, ‘I’m only feeding my cat right now’, ‘I think my relationship with substances could be the cause of a lot of dysfunction’, and ‘my mentors and peers deserve better than what I’m giving,’ the pastoral framework which makes SCA unique and underpins the reason why it nurtures competition smashing creative talent kicked in, and despite a show of inspiring cohort collaboration, this was the right place, the wrong time.

Leaving was an opportunity.

Leaving was the first of many gifts, and not long after another opportunity arrived – this time disguised as a global pandemic. Days before the country was the first to go into a full travel lockdown I had moved to Italy to help a friend renovate a house in the Piedmonte sticks, when all we I had to call my own was time. This was time to make some big changes, and it started with my mindset. Struggling was no longer an option, if I was going to give my best, I was going to have to be my best. My tools were the Asti countryside, morning deer, wood chopping, wall plastering, book reading, yoga stretching, mind stretching, self-esteem stretching, covid avoiding, & SCA come back planning.

It could sound idyllic, if it wasn’t for the only company being mainly the facets of my life that needed glaring attention, and the time being on me to confront them. I’ve been blessed to have won a scholarship competition for this year’s cohort, which is looking even more talented than last year. The last 9 months have been about working toward this exact moment, being the best version of myself, to bring the best of myself to SCA, and to bring the best of myself to myself. This time the view from my window are Mount Viso and the Piedmonte hills, I live healthily, every morning I wake-up-to turn-up as my best self, opportunity is now here™ and she’s dressed exactly as you’d expect her to – as hard work, focus, and early nights. I’m exactly at the right place at the right time.