Maiden Voyage
I wrote the following piece yesterday so it could be added to a book full of similar stories, the stories of interns who had the chance to work in Holland with Flex.
My time at Flex has waned to its last day and in that light I reflect upon the state of my voyage through the world of design. A year ago, as my liberal arts studies ended, I felt like a ship first set to sea. Over four years, strong oaken boards and beams had slowly been assembled to form doubts and convictions, the hull of my beliefs. My mind was filled with theory, a moral and rational code to guide me through life, the sextant that in faraway oceans would keep me sailing straight. I was an entity of pure potential, of ambition, dreaming of undiscovered lands. I felt the winds in my favor and set course for a life of design.
Thus the keel first touched water and the virgin planks were set afloat, navigating with confidence out of this sheltered wharf. I came to the Netherlands and felt embraced by the rhythm of the waves, gently drawing me to uncharted waters. Soon there were billows and drops and yaws, challenges to the construction; each one an opportunity to grow and enhance my savoir-faire. This was a trying maiden voyage, an irreplaceable experience and certainly a journey from which I gathered valuable treasures.
Today I look at the future, the currents are taking me to a distant place, but it seems more familiar than ever. I hope for clement skies but accept the salubrious trials that face me. In this moment, the Parisian motto feels particularly close to heart. Fluctuat nec mergitur – she is tossed by the waves but does not sink.
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