LSM’s graduating students, Class of 2014, will no doubt get asked what’s next? Soon-to-be alumnus Andrew West – a freelance camera operator, editor and award-winning photographer – shares his thoughts on that question and writes: refrain from asking what I’m going to do in the future … simply ask me what I’m doing in this moment now.

The last three years of University has been the greatest learning experience of my life so far and I’m due to graduate in a few months time. I feel like this requires a fresh blog, a new way of presenting what I’m doing and building on a foundation of experiences which have taught me a lot about who I am and what kind of person I want to be. It’s a really strange feeling, having had so much direction over the last 21 years of my life to suddenly be hit with the thought suspending question by many of ‘What are you going to do now?’, the answer to that, as I have realised over the last few months is that it doesn’t really matter. I don’t need to lead a life permanently set in stone, to immediately settle down in a continual routine, to become another brick in the wall. I’m lucky to be in a position in which I have liberty to wander in whatever direction draws my energy towards, so intend to do precisely that.

It seems life is far too short, there is so much to do! Things to see and to understand, things to try and change, feelings to express and voices to be heard. Just one lifetime to make it all worthwhile and be happy at the same time, so without deliberating further… I genuinely feel I’ve only just scratched the surface of my true passions and desires. To avoid misrepresenting myself though, I’m not going to turn into a radical anarchist or some couch surfing sloth, before my parents turn to desperate measures in reading this post! There is however, always a deeper meaning in the most subtle circumstances, exploring is something I’ve always found fun and I want to try to help people in whatever situation I end up in.

I intend to remain a creative person, to innovate, to continue documenting, freelancing and working on new projects and initiatives, perhaps working in different countries and for causes that I believe in and which give me fulfilment. I want to undertake an MA in the near future and explore further contemporary issues and concepts in media and culture, art, politics and philosophy. Continuing to research and to possibly contribute to the understanding of our world in a critical way.

These things aren’t all going to happen at once and some of them may not happen at all, this may even turn out to not be what I wanted in 10 or 20 years time. If possible though, refrain from asking what I’m going to do in the future for the most part, unpredictable, simply ask me what I’m doing in this moment now.

See Andrew’s site where you can watch his showreel and find his contact details.