I have always wanted to change the world. Injustice fuels my bones. My second-year report card read, ‘Lynn has a strong sense of right and wrong’, and I have always been keen to pursue a career in equality issues.
Years ago, I said to a man (while we were sitting on a tree-stump ending our summer romance), ‘You are ready to see all the good in the world; whereas I am burdened by all the problems we need to fix’.
My passion for civil justice and good grades led me to study law at university. Adolescence sees many of us being channelled into academia by the formal education system, so we never really had time to ‘breathe’ with our ideas and passions.
At university, writing essays on the European Convention for Human Rights was tricky – not because of the subject matter but because of the need to channel my insatiable love of learning into a rigid word count.
I also discovered that the practice of law can be restrictive. How could we call it justice if we were merely applying, often unworkable, government legislation in the courts? And if we declare the law incompatible, we have little ‘teeth’ to enforce change?
I transferred credits to Open University, and, after years of studying part-time, I graduated in 2019 with a first-class BA (Hons). I had hoped to finish my law studies, but the Open University did not offer Scots Law. For my degree, I built up credits in social policy and politics but my thirst for learning has seen me take courses in Visual Communication, Film and TV Production, Psychology, Philosophy, and Sociology.
This pivoting path means that I am extremely passionate about a multi-disciplinary life-long learning experience, along with equipping me with a plethora of professional skills to apply. Every year I take part in the Developing the Young Workforce #NoWrongPath campaign.
I moved into the world of policy and influencing while studying law part-time. In the third sector, I was given space to bring creativity to my work. I could make a ‘family tree’ wall chart to explain management structures or do policy consultations via cardboard cut-outs.
Applying creativity to my professional work is a better fit for me than identifying as an ‘artist’. ‘Artists’ seem to me to be people who went to formal ‘Art School’ and make contemporary work that I don’t understand. People dedicate their life to becoming an ‘Artist’; you can’t just scribble in a notebook, live surrounded by post-its and then call yourself an ‘artist’ – can you?
This cross-over of creativity, playfulness and change is my happy place (along with libraries) and my professional passion. I want to entertain people for an hour, and then give a call to action that creates change.
