Oh, London…
The most common question I was asked while in London was easily, “Why on Earth would you want to leave California?!” While it is a valid question (it has a lot going for it), my usual response is “Why on Earth wouldn’t I want to come to London?!” I may miss ice water and air conditioning, but a summer in London? A summer at Incognito Artists? Who wouldn’t want to go on this crazy adventure!
When I first arrived, exploring was easy—everything was new and exciting and wondrous. With the seemingly millions of touristy things to do in London, however, you get quite tired of them after some time. Thus, I had to put in a little effort and learn different ways to explore the city. As I did this, the more nuanced my love for London became. I found parks to sit and read on the weekends; I found myself a place with a piano where I could write music; I explored all things ice cream that London had to offer—I had a blast! The number of stamps I now have in my passport is also a testament to this whirlwind of a summer. Back home if I am in the car or on a plane for two hours, I am STILL in California, but here…you have it good! I explored as I have never explored before! I did some of it with friends, some of it on my own, and some of it with strangers. Each day provided a new joy and a new challenge for me to overcome.
In all fairness, I don’t think I would have been very successful with any of it if I didn’t have such a great place to go to work every day. Working at Incognito Artists, I was around people all day, every day, who were in all senses of the word, LOVELY—they pushed me, inspired me, and made me laugh constantly. In the monotony that can be working a 9-5 job, going to work someplace that makes you happy makes it far more enjoyable. It has also been unexpectedly empowering to show up to work and actually get to make a meaningful contribution. While I am very, very grateful for all of my previous jobs and internships, I have never actually been given the opportunity to put my skills to use or to develop completely new skills.
It is a really good feeling to be able to look back at the past two months and say, ‘Look at all of the things I have accomplished whilst here.’
It’s all well and good to say all of these wonderful things have happened, but if there is one thing this experience is taught me it is not just to ask myself, ‘what did you do?’, but to also ask ‘what did it do to you?’ Walking away from all of the experiences I have had in London just knowing and acknowledging that they happened does not do them justice.
Whether we face it or not, we don’t go on adventures just to go on adventures. We go out and explore, we take risks, we do things that scare us, and we travel across countries alone because there is something we want to learn about ourselves. And I have learned so much—about myself as an individual, about who I can be independent of all others, about what I want out of my relationships with people, about what I can accomplish as a working professional, about what I WANT to accomplish as a working professional—the list goes on and on.
While I am sad that my time in London is ending, I am also excited. I get to go home with all of this experience—work and personal—that I get to now fit into my life there. The idea of applying everything I have learned here to everything I have there is thrilling! Having had this time with Incognito Artists, in London, on my own for the summer—I can’t imagine moving into the next stage of my life without everything I have gleaned here.
So to all the people I have met, all the places I have been, and most importantly, to Incognito Artists and the beautiful souls here, thank you.
Jess Gordon
