Hi 👋🏻
My name is Sara and I’m an emerging museum professional at the very beginning of my career. The VERY beginning – meaning it hasn’t really started. I graduated with Distinction in MA Museum Studies from the University of Leicester this year and found a very harsh and unexpected environment at the museum sector. While I realised that I was passionate about a field that was quite niche and hard to get into, COVID-19 and the national lockdown lasting on and off for a year now has made it almost impossible to get a job as a newbie. So I did what I had to – move back to my family at first, then to Aberdeen (did my undergraduate degree here, have friends here and actually feel home), got a part time job in a cafe (so grateful to even found something, not a lot of jobs going on in Aberdeen still), and tried to survive mentally (baking, exercising, doing yoga, reading, watching movies and tv shows, trying to do anything museum related…). Surviving mentally was definitely the priority, eventually I started watching only happy and kiddie movies, stopped watching and reading the news and tried to not get upset over the ever changing covid updates on restrictions. Now here we are in March, a year since lockdown number 1 and I am slowly starting to heal enough to come out of my survival mode and have enough mental capacity to start something new and productive. Hence this blog. Hugs and Buttons is a title that my friend helped me come up with, which meant to reflect on what I love (hugs and buttons, and also trolls) but also reflect on what I want to write about and make people feel like as they read along (hug) and short not necessarily connected colourful topics (buttons) ranging from mental health, exercise, museums, books and movie reviews and discussions on bigger issues that are underlying all of these. And of course all from my own experience and understanding. I think I’m starting this blog not for anyone else but for my own mental health and feeling of productivity, but if people read it – well then great ♥️
My introduction didn’t go further than my career position and aspirations, so will include a few fun facts about me here: I do love buttons (who would have guessed) and have a button tattoo. I love reading both fun and serious readings and all kinds of qualities. Same with movies, I like a wide range of good and not so good (quality wise) movies and of course kiddie movies. They’re most often my first choices for a movie night. I love singing and find it therapeutic (singing when in pain, when stressed and anxious, when happy), I realise after a while of not singing that there is something wrong mentally and then I work on my mental state more consciously. I love board games. I find it relaxing, mentally stimulating and just fun. This year especially, when all is grim and isolated. I started playing with friends and made a weekly board game night, which helps keeping relationships and connections with your friends while far away staying strong.
Ok… so I feel this is enough info to give you an idea of who I am. Now let’s see what I come up with for the blog.Â
Hugs and Buttons 