May 2020

Growing up, all I wanted to do was to become a pilot. I was obsessed. I would see a pilot and be in awe. If I was on a plane, I would pretend it was me taking off and landing the aircraft. This I still do.
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However, as a kid with a chronic stutter, I was advised by many to give up on the idea, as I would never be even considered for the job without being able to speak freely. And they were probably right. Imagine not being able to say ‘Mayday’ when I really had to! ⠀

I still dream of flying an aircraft one day, and having now overcome my stutter, I know I will one day.
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Because of this, I’m always fascinated when I get to meet pilots and love hearing their stories.
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I met Merel a few weeks ago in London and her story inspired me.
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When Merel first decided she wanted to be a pilot, she was 13 years old and had never been in a plane.
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She soon realised that the training would just be too expensive and didn’t see herself passing the military selection. A few months later she would be on her very first flight with EasyJet to London. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that day that she would be living here and flying those planes herself 10 years later!
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The year after high school, 18 years old, Merel got her physics diploma and did a pre-year of art school, having all but given up on her dream of becoming a pilot. However, that year she came across someone who was doing his flight training and she was inspired again and was reminded of her dream.
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This time she didn’t want to let it go and decided to go to an open day at a flight school. As soon as she took that decision, she knew it was the right thing to do. The rest is history.
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Merel is now a pilot with Easyjet and shares her incredible journey through Instagram @pilotmerel. Follow her to be inspired too!

Is there still a dream in you that’s still unfulfilled?

What a year it has been!

2017 has been challenging but incredibly rewarding. I was lucky enough to meet and shoot with some incredible people this year,  some of whom have now become close friends.

This year I took the plunge, quit my job, and decided to become a full-time photographer. It was a decision years in the making, with countless late nights trying to balance two jobs, the cutest little toddler, and taking in everything London has to offer . Thank you to everyone who supported this decision and for giving me the ammunition to do what I absolutely love doing. 

There comes a time in any job when you get to a stage where you are in auto-pilot mode, having given all you can. This is a dangerous place to be in. Life begins at the end of our comfort zone, and we live in an incredible time when we can do anything and be anyone we want to be if we really set out mind to it.

My main goals for next is to travel more for photography and to tell stories of the incredible people I meet.

Here’s wishing everyone a wonderful 2018, with beautiful memories, late-night conversations and enough love to last a lifetime.