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Travelling Towards a New Normal

A look back at my old-normal and my hopes for my new-normal.

By Sophia CareyPublished 4 years ago 3 min read
4
Manchester, UK

My job has always involved a great deal of travel. That’s a decision I made when I decided to cater for two cities that were 200 miles away from each other and I’ve grown, over time, to really enjoy the process. Long train journeys allow for a lot of time to reflect and to think. Generally, I try not to consume my time with work whilst I travel, but rather enjoy the peace of my journey, listen to music or read a book. I find that it’s one of the few times I allow myself the courtesy of enjoying an album, start to finish, or actually sitting down to read a book or listen to a podcast. These are things I undeniably enjoy but rarely give myself the time to indulge in, so travelling, for me, is a nice break in my days and weeks to allow myself to enjoy these things without a sense of guilt.

Books for On-The-Go

I remember the week with a mixture of fondness and distaste as to how tired I was and how much my back hurt from lugging my equipment across the country, multiple times. It was a tiring week where I was on my feet constantly, moving between Manchester and London, and shooting almost everyday, including a long wedding that weekend, but when I look back at the photos, I can’t help but feel a sense of excitement at the prospect of resuming my usual, hectic day-to-day. (You can watch the behind the scenes of the week in question below.)

I’m more than aware that, in a world post-lockdown, my job and the travelling that goes with it will be transformed beyond what I could imagine it to be, but, if I put aside the anxiety that comes with exposure to the virus, I’m excited to get back to my trams, my trains, my buses and, dare I say it, even my tubes.

London Underground, by Sophia Carey

There’s a beauty and a privilege in having a job that allows you to travel, that allows you to move freely as and when you please and that allows you to become familiar with corners of the world that you might not have otherwise. Travel is just one of the things I’m looking forward to returning to: domestically and internationally. The idea of returning to normalcy, for me, is one that will allow me to head back home to London and spend time with my family, one that will allow me to get back to work and photograph the beautiful people and places I come into contact with, and one that will allow me to exercise my creativity in the ways in which I want to. The idea that this is my normal is one I will always feel blessed for.

In the last two months, the world has changed a lot, and largely for the better. I’ve seen people, myself included, slow down and learn to look after themselves with more care. I’ve seen people show more humanity, compassion and awareness to issues that otherwise they would have left unturned. I’ve seen people come together for united causes, be more thoughtful of one another, and start to appreciate life that little bit more. As the world slowly returns to its normal state, I hope that these things, these positive changes, are things that we carry forward with us.

Here’s to normalcy, but hopefully with a new sense of awareness, peace and understanding.

Shoreditch High Street, by Sophia Carey

If you want to follow my journey back into normalcy, you can find me over on Instagram, Twitter or YouTube to keep up to date. Thanks for reading!

culture
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About the Creator

Sophia Carey

Photographer and designer from London, living in Manchester.

sophiacarey.co.uk

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