The Hyphen: It’s Never Too Late To Start

Hi friends—

Hope all is well,

“I really hate those 30 Under 30 lists,” someone said to me recently. “Why is everyone so obsessed with ‘success’ by a certain age?” For so long, a 30 under 30 list has been the shiny definition of Millennial success. But as the years roll on, more and more people openly admit their contempt for them. (I am in agreement with this opinion, and I was put on the Forbes one in 2018. Of course it was very exciting at the time but deep down, I felt strange about it.) Being young isn’t an ‘achievement’. Globally, many of these celebratory lists are also very privileged. ‘Self-made’ entrepreneurs without mentioning their famous family connections or financial help to get started. It’s not all bad, and they champion a lot of philanthropists, but it’s clear that these lists just make everyone feel a bit shitty.

I am now 31, and in many ways feel like I’m only getting properly started. ‘Success’ is not about being the youngest one in the room or getting there ‘first’ — it’s about continuing to push forward, trying new things, learning to say no, staying true to your gut instinct and reaching for whatever goal you have personally set yourself, throughout a (hopefully) long life. We all know that great things can take a long time, to grow, distill, ripen, mature, evolve — like a fine wine — or whatever the phrase is. In a world of instant gratification and ‘content’, I’m not sure we should be constantly celebrating whoever got there the quickest.

It’s never too late to start something. I interviewed Oscar-winning filmmaker Ava Duverney a while back, and didn’t realise she hadn’t picked up a camera until she was 32 years old.

This isn’t to say we shouldn’t celebrate young people. Of course highlighting the work of young people is extremely important, especially when it comes to activism, amplifying voices and making change. Teenagers like Amika George, Greta Thunberg, Emma González or Malala Yousafzai to name a few. In a world that still loves to judge young people for their apparent narcissism and selfies, we really need to highlight and give a platform to brave and brilliant young voices.

New, exciting or unconventional careers are often celebrated for being novel, but long-standing careers should celebrated be too. Iris Apfel just turned 99 years old and she keeps creating, inspiring and wearing fabulous clothes. Her body of work speaks volumes and I find her such a warm presence in the world.

A few years ago, I made a mini audio documentary for the Tate, and travelled to St Ives to explore the artists who made waves in the art community and were being celebrated in the Tate St Ives. As part of this, I went looking for painter Alfred Wallis’s grave up on the Barnoon Cemetary that overlooks the beach. His grave stands out, as his friends clubbed together to give him quite an elaborate but small monument as he didn’t make much money from his work. It had beautiful painted tiles that made up a picture of a lighthouse with a person going in, symbolising the end of his life. The Tate in St Ives have celebrated his work loudly and proudly as a great renowned artist.

It wasn’t until later that I learned that he only began to take up painting in his seventies.

It is never too late to start that side project, create art, build a business or make the first step in absolutely anything you want to do. I look forward to reinventing myself as the years roll on. You can make an impact at any age.

Hope you enjoy today’s newsletter. Keep in touch,

Feel free to drop me a line with what you’d like to see more of in this newsletter at hello@emmagannon.co.uk.

Love,
Emma xo

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• Bookshop.org (a retail site for independent booksellers) launches in the UK

• This absolutely incredible essay by Emily Ratajkowski.

• ‘Heartache lives in our skin’: How I learnt to manage psoriasis

• Manrepeller has rebranded itself as Repeller.

• Yoga With Adriene Is More Than Everyone's Soothing Wellness Friend

• ‘Black women are invisible’: a new survey on journalism diversity

• Martha Stewart, Blissed Out on CBD, Is Doing Just Fine