Nearing 50; many may question the usefulness of me doing a doctoral degree, I am too old as some seem to think. However to me it makes sense to reflect on the past 25 years of professional practice and use it as a thought springboard to keep learning- something I strongly believe in, at all ages, through all sorts of means.
If one chooses to believe in cycles and how they impact our lives ; we can then retrospectively analyse trends and patterns to identify ones cycle – I believe mine to be around 10 years – after which much introspection is needed for self-actualization. And this is why the time is really right for me and this doctorate degree, because it is a selfish endeavor to make me better as a prelude to my next cycle ( whatever it may bring).
It is a way of looking at the world around me through multiple angles, trying to make sense of things that do not make sense by not fixing my gaze onto the most obvious but questioning what else stands besides and behind the obvious. It fits with my true neutral persona where while not always agreeing with things I can understand why it could/would/should be…
It is within this doctoral context that I started to think about the people I have met along the last 15 years and their unique contribution to my community, those so passionate about Star Wars they engage fully with it through costuming and prop making.
These are the stories they agreed to share with me and the rest of the world about their commitment to their passion…
