As young women in modern society, on the brink of entering the creative industries, self-doubt can be exhausting. That's why Solent's 'Winning Women Workshop' today was the ideal opportunity for some uplifting, female-to-female, support. AnonStyle magazine were lucky enough to be invited along to meet some inspiring practitioners and bring you the best bits from our chats.

 

The day opened with a refreshing lecture from renowned make-up artist turned psychotherapist and well-being advocate, Lee Pycroft. We took note of some encouraging words from the self-care talk, where Lee shed some light on entering the creative industries in today's demanding society...

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At what point in your career have you felt most empowered? 

“When I created my initiative charity and started getting letters from people. I realised, we’re making a difference here. Also, my hero award from help for heroes. Wow. That was so unexpected. I left school at sixteen with no qualifications but O levels. But with sheer grit and repetition I got to where I wanted to go”. 

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Struggling students, take note! It's never too late for success. 

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Such inspiring achievements. With all of your success today and active practices, do you still experience anxiety?

“Thank you! Oh god yeah. I still get it today. I was very sensitive as a child, an introvert, no parties! I knew that was always going to be part of who I am and that I was going to have to live with uncertainty. One tip I have learnt is you’ve got to try and exercise and move your body. Get the adrenaline out your system. Try to stay cool, calm and conscious of your dialogue.”. 

 

That's such a good tip, especially for a lot of us here who spend most of our time sitting in an editing suite! Mental health is such a restraining factor as young adults in our industry, it's great to have your input. 

“Absolutely. Faith asks us to believe in something that’s not tangible. You have to be mindful. What’s next is we grow through the pain. Try to implement coping skills to calm the stress or anxiety. You're never alone”. 

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Ending our chat on an enlightening note, Pycroft reminds us all that whilst goals may seem unreachable or that you're not enough sometimes, growth is inevitable. There are coping mechanisms and we always have each other. 

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Also amongst our winning women table of encouragement, the one and only, Tracey Lea Sayer!

AnonStyle had the amazing opportunity to talk to the social media influencer and Fashion Director at Fabulous magazine about her current working experience as a woman in the industry.

 

So Tracey, we're keen to find out what you look for in social media and fashion creators? 

“Individuality is really important for me. So I look for somebody really different"

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Perfect reason to be yourself! Find your niche, who you are, and own it.

 

Do you have any advice for those of us looking to build a career in the fashion industry?

"It's a big and broad sector. You want to go into something where you always enjoy your job, day-to-day. And it can be scary, in my experience, I don’t think self doubt ever goes away. Just get over yourself, just go and do it!”

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I don't know about you guys, but we definitely needed to hear that! What is there to lose from not going for it? Why hold back? Sometimes just questioning your resistance can do wonders.

 

Wise words. We already know your love of fashion and how you use it as a sense of empowerment and expression and we love it. Where would you recommend for fashion go-to's as we approach the summer season? 

“I think the high street looks terrible at the moment and I’m not afraid to say that as a Fashion Director! My favourites are definitely & Other Stories, Topshop boutique range and Whistles”. 

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What would you say you most enjoy about insta influencing? What made you want to take the social media world by storm? 

“I love fashion and I want to communicate it. The great thing about social media is that the emotional content is there. I have quite a realistic feed. I talk emotively about how I’m feeling at that time. That gets the best response and engagement. People wanna know your story, to be part of something, to know you’re not alone”. 

 

If you haven’t followed Tracey yet on Instagram, do it now! Her handle is @trayslounge and we are living for her personal captions and stylistic outfit-of-the-day posts.

 

And as for your magazine work - What do you find most inspiring about your role at Fabulous?

“I love fashion and creating images with my friends. Building teams, people you like. Community is important”. 

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Community is important (say it louder for the ones at the back)! We think Tracey just reminded us all why we thrive from creative collaboration.

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Finally, we'd love to hear what you want from fashion interns and assistants!

“Do your job really well. Just don’t overtake someone else’s job role. And if you are very anxious, push yourself. Don’t distance. Try to engage with anything you want to do, regularly. Be active. Practice”. 

 

To know that professionals as successful and inspiring as Lee and Tracey, regularly suffer from mental health hold-backs to this day is a big reminder that you're not alone and whatever it is you aim to achieve is possible. With time comes growth. We hope these chats filled you gals with a sense of support and motivation, like they did us. 

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AnonStyle

Interviews and words by Editor, Laura Wilcox