Naked ambition

This was one of my first newspaper byline photos, taken when my son was small. Let’s ignore the fact that my skin was like porcelain back then, my hair was dark and I look so blimmin’ young: because this photo is actually a memory of an important period in my career as a journalist. Something very dramatic happened when I became a mum: driven by the need to provide for my baby, maternal ambition, and conscious that I had to ‘prove’ myself to be taken seriously, I went into overdrive, eager to show I was as talented and able to handle anything as my colleagues without kids.

Let me tell you, getting a story or a great interview through sheer determination and skill (ie, the old-fashioned way) and seeing your name in print and being given more opportunities is a fantastic buzz; but at the back of my mind was always the thought of that little boy waiting for me to come home.

*This is my entry for The Gallery – the theme this week is ‘a younger me’. And you’ll notice I don’t *still* use the same byline photo… unlike some of my contemporaries who had their photos done at pretty much the same time. They know who they are 😉