SED Artist

Does ambition take on different forms depending on geography and culture ? 

I think ambition takes on different forms depending on their geographical location, and therefore, culture. Ambition clusters; ambitious people tend to go to where ambition prospers the most. In cities, there is so much dynamism, ambition, inspiration, and culture… there is an excess of information which creates vast and various opportunities that are in no way matched by those in rural and remote areas. There is an intensity to those fast-paced spaces, and one tends to  get caught up in the flow. I assume that it is why people choose to live in such places, which you could define as auspicious. The environment is suggestive of a persons direction and career path. 

Living in remote areas is not always conducive to ambition or career. It is a place where you can very easily, and accidentally, bury yourself. For example, the culture where I am currently based, in the French Pyrenees, has a strong emphasis on the present. So much so, that sometimes, you can become blinded by the future, or the simple idea of it. A remote area like this one is not easily accessible, and does not constantly flow and change. This is such a privilege, for a world that revolves mainly around micro-trends, uniformity, social media, and money. However, you can close yourself into the moment too much, and forget about working towards something, because that part exists in the future, and it can slip away very easily. I think that certain places are meant for you at certain times of your life. If you are surrounded only by people who are inspired and motivated, then it is easier to be so. Hence, the gravitation to large cities. There does always seem to be a sacrifice involved, especially if you are, like my friends and I, in your twenties, and struggling to choose a direction, a priority.

Considering the current job climate, and the rapid evolution of remote working, while it is one of the most amazing places to live, it is also one of the hardest places to further a career that has a wider scope. Due to the region’s difficult access, and its ‘hippie’ culture and thinking, and its desire to remain true to its values, it is a place that has often been left behind. When I was a teenager, I found it frustrating, because I was often hopping between here and the Uk, and it felt like two entirely different worlds. Trends were not the same, pastimes differed, there was barely any focus on technology, education was different, and there was little diversity. At the time, the English community was the one that was growing the most rapidly, but there were still only three English students in a school of 3000. These are all things that have changed today, or at least progressed in some way, but should have evolved earlier, and would have, had there been a larger influx of people, ideas and money. Today, I have met people from all over, looking to move here, and setting up inspiring businesses, observatories, biology research centres, national geographic posts, who are archeologists, researchers, or even work for the Bank of England in London. It seems ridiculous to those  who live here, to be surrounded, for once, by such a diverse crowd. I think that it is owing, in a positive way, to remote working opportunities, and a different vision of our daily lives, hobbies and our jobs, following Covid-19. 

I find it difficult right now to further the career I hope for because this is a place that remains small and focused inwards. Ambition clusters because it is hugely motivating to be surrounded by people who are just as motivated as you. Separate from my friends, the people who live in this area tend to be quite spiritual or hippy. The perception of ambition shifts because of this. Ambition can be perceived as an extension of the ego. Ambition means success, and success often means public approval or external validation. Ambition, in this context, can also be a demonstration of dissatisfaction, the constant desire to be better, to do more, to have more. With this mindset can come laziness. It coexists with a lack of passion, a lack of ambition, and a lack of understanding of the larger world and its functionalities. It is sometimes also perceived as a form of capitalism, and therefore furthers a society that tear us away from our innate nature. 

I understand these views, but I cannot agree. Ambition is curious, and there is nothing more natural and humane than curiosity. It propagates change, and advancement, within ourselves, and therefore the environments and people around us. 

Not all people are like this is course. I admire the people who live here, and live their lives to the fullest. They are ambitious, in a far more modest way. When ambition and motivation here wakes, I think it flourishes more beautifully than anywhere else. It exists without financial reward, without public acclaim, more authentically and without judgement. It is a simple satisfaction which is contagious. Contentment here is seen as the ultimate goal really; it means to be peaceful and satisfied. 

It is hard. I’ve hesitated to write this because it really depends on your own mentality. You cannot blame the people around you, nor the environment you are in, for not doing something you felt you had in you to do. I do not want to take a critical approach, of either genre nor place. It depends on your focus, your passions, your mission, and how you see the world, but it does remains influential.