Harry Hughes

"I feel complicated in myself because when I think about myself, when I talk about myself, I always end up thinking, well fuck, this is not how it looks...but I think so much about...just letting shit go and loving people...it's hard to reconcile what I think I am and who I actually am."

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4 May 2017: From a quiet kid turned troublemaker to a disciplined student with teaching aspirations, Harry Hughes chats to me about dealing with conflict, reconciling warring sides of his personality, and helping others who have encountered similar problems to himself. Listen to his story now - it's filled with set backs and comebacks and so much more! You know what to do...click "play"!

Reflections on my Conversation: To be perfectly honest I was very nervous going into my conversation with Harry. Not because of who he is as a person, to be clear, but because he was my first male interviewee for my project and I was unsure about how to navigate my questions differently or if I even needed to. Well turns out those feelings were entirely silly because once again, allowing someone the space to tell their story eliminated all perceived boundaries. There was no man versus woman, that isn't to say experiences aren't gendered, but it was simply one person talking to another person about feelings and situations we can all relate to in some way. What resonated most with me was Harry's admission to a conflicting persona. I find it so hard to make who I envision myself being and what I live my life by translate exactly into my actions and the way I am perceived by others. But what Harry reminded me of - a lesson he learned from his grandmother - is that at the end of the day, all that really matters is, and I quote Harry here, to "Just enjoy life and don't overthink everything...Be good to people. Love people, have people love you back and that's literally all there is to it." And he's so right! Thank you Harry!