You’ve earnt it:

ten creatives ponder life's triumphs and challenges that deserve a little recognition.

Girl Guide badges the world really needs

KATE MCCARTNEY WRITER, DIRECTOR AND ACTOR

Fail very hard, do it often, and do it with gusto. I’ve learnt buckets more from my failures than my successes. (I am, of course, talking about my creative failures. I’ve never put a foot wrong in my personal life, and I’ve definitely never fallen sideways off a train platform because I wasn’t paying attention.) Anyway, to approach your own failures with kindness and love for yourself is completely liberating. No one gets things right the first time. When you arse something up, just have a cry, then rejoice in your failure. Hold a parade for it. Take it to dinner. Because failure means an opportunity to learn and do whatever you did again, a little bit better.

MICHELLE LAW WRITER AND SCREENWRITER

I firmly believe that if every person on this planet received and was receptive to getting therapy, the world would be a much kinder place. Book yourself a doctor’s appointment, complete a mental health plan, and take advantage of your 10 sessions to get some heavy weight off your chest with the help of a professional who’s in your corner. Therapy helps us understand our complicated, confusing brains, and the complicated, confusing brains of others. It can lead to greater empathy, connectivity and vulnerability, and it teaches us to be kinder to ourselves. It’s a public service and more people should do it!

JORDAN RASKOPOULOS COMEDIAN, ACTOR AND WRITER

‘Good hair’ means different things to different people: flowing locks, a half-shaved dome, a spectacular moustache or a collection of wigs. You’ll know when you get it, though, because it will perfectly express your identity. I’m trans, and growing up, I didn’t feel like I was in control of my body. It grew and developed in ways that felt wrong, but hair was something I did have a good degree of control over. Wrestling it to express my identity brings me so much joy. It took a while for me to get here, and I need to use a whole bunch of product, but my hair is wonderful now.

JULIE WHITE

TEXTILE AND ACCESSORY DESIGNER

The pursuit to fulfill your dreams is always a fight, whether it’s someone ready to push you down or simply forging a new path. We already know it takes courage to fight, but it also takes courage to forgive. And sometimes, the hardest person to forgive is yourself. It’s easy to say ‘nobody’s perfect’, but it’s actually a really difficult idea to accept. We all falter at some point. It takes real courage to admit that. When you can find it in yourself to accept your own imperfections, you’ll be more ready to have empathy for other people’s faults, as well.

GEORGIA MAQ MUSICIAN, CAMP COPE

Sometimes when the world is a bit overwhelming – especially when we have literally all the information ever in our palms – doing small tasks like communicating with others can feel huge. If you’re feeling emotionally drained and exhausted, it’s fine to not reply to a text or leave it for a while because you need to put yourself first – but when you do reply to something on time, you can feel like you've achieved something; a small victory. You should allow yourself to feel good and proud of that, because sometimes our brains make it super-difficult.

FLEX MAMI

DJ, WRITER AND PRESENTER

Being self-aware is a crucial cheat code for life. You have the ability to dictate the experiences you have on the day-to-day, and being aware of how you operate – what motivates you, stresses you out, brings you joy – is the simplest way to hack into your own mainframe and do more of what serves you. The journey to self-awareness is infinite! The more you uncover, the more you learn. The more you learn, the more you need to unlearn. Seeing yourself through a critical lens can uncover character traits you dislike, but then you get the chance to love yourself for who you are in all your forms. What a privilege!

EMILY GREEN JEWELLERY AND ACCESSORY DESIGNER

I think we should all be putting sleep a bit higher on our list of priorities. I know my world seems a lot brighter if I’ve had a restful night. (Though there are a couple of little human hurdles that often prevent me from getting there.) Social media, Netflix, small children, work and catching up with mates can be barriers to a good night’s sleep, but if you manage a solid eight hours, there are so many benefits: happiness! A more positive outlook! A sharper brain! Less stress! Maybe even a better complexion! (A girl can dream…)

WAAN PIVASIRI CANDLEMAKER, YOU, ME & BONES

If I see a friend who’s totally burnt out from work or life, I suggest they take a break. Go on a weekend away, mate! You need a rest! Am I burnt out? Yes. When was my last holiday? Six years ago. Am I going to take a break soon? Maybe… Giving good advice can be easy, but when you’re the one in a difficult situation, you might find it hard to practise what you preach. I think the saying ‘do as I say, not as I do’ is a bit of a cop-out, though – if people trust you enough to come to you for advice, you have to show them you can also be brave and strong.

CARLY FINDLAY

WRITER AND APPEARANCE ACTIVIST

There's a great saying by Paralympian Paul Nunnari: “Access is like being able to get into a nightclub; inclusion is about being asked to dance.” It’s important for young people to be aware how to make events accessible and inclusive from an early age, so they can carry this skill and knowledge into adulthood. It says that anyone is welcome, and means they’ll get to know more wonderful disabled, deaf and chronically ill people. But it’s important those people are centred when talking about disability, rather than broadcasting access and inclusion as a good deed to the world.

CARLA HACKETT DESIGNER AND LETTERER

Let’s face it, tax is boring and is often put in the ‘too hard basket’, especially if that basket is chock-full of receipts from the past 10 years. But, especially when you’re self-employed, it’s important to stay on top of the boring stuff. Most freelancers I know have learnt their lesson about not doing their taxes and being stuck with a massive bill to pay off! You only do that once, then you get your shit together. In a world where the pay gap is real, helping women and non-binary folks become financially independent should be recognised.