Ladies, Get in.We’re Going to Paris.

By Lucy Waugh | Georgia, United States

“Traveling made me realize that there is more in life than rushing into things, studying, and getting a job.” - Lucy Waugh

What creative field are you in, and what type of work do you do on a daily basis? What is your favorite project that you have worked on?

I am a Business Administration Major at Georgia Tech, concentrating in Information Technology. I also wanted to add some creativity to my degree by adding a minor in Industrial Design and certificate in Marketing. On a daily basis, I mainly take classes related to my degree. In my free time, I love to do any crafts such as scrapbooking, crocheting, painting, and editing photos. My favorite project that I have worked on is the start of my graphic design account luwa.designs in which I make commissioned digital illustrations for customers.

Here is some of my graphic design work:

Has traveling shifted your perspective on the world? If so, in what ways?

Traveling has made me realize that there is so much more to the world to see and learn about than Athens Georgia. I went on a study abroad program last year where I traveled to more than 10 different countries. I enjoyed every minute of it. I love learning about each country's art, food, and culture. For example, I love how in Italy, it is typical for you to stay a long time at dinner. There are even people dancing on the streets late at night. It made me realize that there is more in life than rushing into things, studying, and getting a job. I find myself stressed during the school year with figuring out what I want to do with life. After traveling here, I realized, what if I just want to live in a small town and live a simple life?

What obstacles have you faced in the creative world and how have you overcome them?

I know that I am a creative person, but I don’t know how to incorporate this creativity into my future career. Sometimes my mom tells me I should be a chef, and sometimes, I feel like I want to be a fashion designer. However, how do I find the right path into achieving these? And how do I find clarity into why exactly I want to do? Although I have not overcome this yet, I am trying to learn more about what I want to do by incorporating creativity into my major. I really enjoy Industrial Design, so I think this will be very beneficial for me as I can see the world of design mixed with the world of business.

What is your most memorable travel story?

Two stories come to mind. One is when our whole Oxford group got champagne and went on a Paris cruise. We then just hung out by the Eiffel Tower until midnight. It was just so wholesome and fun seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkle with the new friends that I have made. Everyone was just so happy and nothing was wrong with the world at that moment.

Another memory is in Munich. We had just completed 2 exams and were exhausted. After the exams, we took a quick nap, and then went out to a beer garden. This day was just so fun and happy. We all got those huge beer mugs and competed to see who would finish it in time. We took cute and successful photos. It was also the perfect day. It was the bluest sky I have ever seen. I loved seeing everyone out (the beer garden was very crowded) and having a good time at like 3pm on a Tuesday. This moment, I also became closer to all of my study-abroad friends. Before, we were still kinda new to each other. But after the beer garden, we laughed for hours about past stories.

Name an encounter with someone you met while traveling that had an impact on you?

I went to the Barcelona Beach Festival and there was such a huge crowd. At the festival, I got my phone stolen as one does in Barcelona. This was definitely not ideal since it was a huge beach and almost impossible to find my friends. Luckily, I met this guy the night before, Kent. He took his time out of the festival to help me with my phone. We tried logging into FindMyIPhone on his phone. He followed and dmed my friends trying to find them on the beach. He made sure to stay with me until I found my friends. It was just so nice of him to try to help me do this while Marshmallow was belting out remixes.

What has been the favorite place you have traveled to & why?

I would say Prague. It was just perfect. It had the shops, the food, beautiful landscapes and buildings, and awesome nightlife. It was also one of the cheaper places we had been to. Prague was just a combination of all my favorite things from each city. Each day, we would wake up talking about the last night.

There are many young creatives that have a calling to live the “unconventional lifestyle,” but they have many internal conflicts to take the leap to follow their heart. What advice would you give someone who is doubting whether or not to follow their creative passions instead of living a more traditional life?

To be honest, I am one who has many internal conflicts, so my advice probably wouldn’t be the best as I am one who is seeking the advice haha. I always said my dream job would be to be a Travel Vlogger. But that’s why I put it under “dream”. I feel like it is unattainable. Like how do these travelers get the money to go everywhere? And how do they meet people that will travel with them? Going to Georgia Tech, everybody seems to want to be the most successful. It’s internship after internship and job after job. So naturally, I also have that desire in me to try to be the most successful I can be. However, I think for me to incorporate travel, I am going to take a gap year before starting a 9-5. I have already been saving up for this gap year, so I am really excited to spend a year finding myself. Additionally, I think it would be cool to get a job in London where I can combine my passion for travel and work.

Any other thoughts/memories/stories/ pieces of advice/etc you want to share?

When I studied abroad, I was thriving. I know I have a calling to go back to Europe because it was one of the happiest times for me. However, I am also kind of scared of going back. I feel like if I went to Prague again, it would just make me reminisce on when me and my friends were there. I am scared that my future travels won’t live up to the time I was there previously. Mainly, it’s because I know my set of 8 friends that I met on the trip won’t be there when I travel in the future. It’s hard not to imagine them in my travel life. I think the only thing that would make up for this is finding a solid and fun group to travel with since they probably won’t be with me.