Who Inspires me to Inspire

I am currently in my second year studying Bachelor of Media at the University of Tasmania. As a part of my degree I am undertaking an exciting project aimed at celebrating inspirational women and their stories. I am writing to you to see if you would like to be involved.
 
I believe that in a world of negative news (especially the world of social media) there needs to be more positivity. In response to this I have developed an idea called ‘I Am Women of Tasmania’. Through a series of platforms (a website and an Instagram page) I will be sharing stories of women around Tasmania. It will be a space to celebrate and hopefully inspire other women, by sharing what other remarkable women are doing around the state. It is also an opportunity to tell the stories of women, who have had interesting lives and stories, that might otherwise never be heard. It will be a project for uplifting, inspiring and celebrating.
 
I am writing to you because I believe that your journey is interesting and inspirational and I would like to share your story and your success as a Tasmanian photographer”
 
I received this email today from an ex student and was very touched to do so and will be honoured to be a part of this project and it got me thinking on my drive home. I find the idea of myself being an inspirational woman somewhat challenging to come to terms with and hence thought provoking. I have never seen myself as “inspirational” and am reflecting on why and what attributes I am made up of that deem that. I believe, we as woman are made up of all the things that inspire us, both men and woman but for this thought process I will just talk about the woman in this world that inspire me and attribute to the person I am. I am inspired by all sorts of woman, I am inspired from women of all walks of life, from the incredibly talented photographers and artists whose work I have collected and hold dear, the likes of Sueellen Cook, Alex Cearns, Paula Lowe, each of them inspiration women in their field and lovely to go along with it. I am inspired by women who are passionate about the work they do with such a love for the people they do it for, with the likes of Eleanor Muller who works with enduring love and with such passion you can’t help walk away without feeling the same passion. I am inspired by my daughters and step daughter who make me proud and who work hard to achieve their goals and are just nice people. I am inspired by the women I know whose love for life is always positive and glass half full no matter what is thrown at them, the Sarahs, the Nickys, the Pennys of the world. Our goal as women in this world to not to cut each other down, not to belittle each other, not to hurt one another but it is to empower each other, to help each other, to care for each other no matter our differences. Our job as women in to inspire other women, from the women we encounter every day, the women throughout the world we may not see every day but still support us, the women we don’t even know but admire from afar. For me personally I think it is a mix of all the women I have in my life that inspire me and make the foundations of who I am, the ones who know me, the ones who know me better than most,  the ones who love me, the ones who don’t care for me, the ones who I see all the time, the ones I don’t, the artists, the story tellers, the women who just go about their normal day with such positivity and confidence in who they are, the women who make me laugh, the women who keep me grounded with the like of Deb P and Karleen and Kimmy W, my sisters, Rani & Pauline, my dear Mum, the list goes on, all of these women help shape me and how I think, what I do, how I contribute, I am made up of all of them. I know Chelsea’s project is about me as a Tasmanian woman, the photographer, my journey, what I have learned, what I give, my story of how I grew to become who I am as a business woman but part of that story involve the women in my life who inspire me to inspire other women and young women like Chelsea who see me as someone to contribute to this project. Stay tuned.​