In celebration of International Women’s Day held on March 8, we’re sharing profiles from some of the great Aussie Founders we have in the AFN Network.
Samantha Taylor is based on the Sunshine Coast, and is chief trouble-maker at project Fort Awesome, an initiative created to help communities, to build ‘things’ with your kids and greater social connections. Collaborating with artists to develop different projects and tools that support community engagement, they “hope to inspire individuals, neighborhoods, and communities to connect at a hyper-local level through the promotion of play and active street/greenspace or event engagement.”
What are some of the challenges of being a female founder?
I am a single mum with two young kids, so my biggest challenges are making time and making sure I have a good support network around me that enables me to best care for my little people, myself, and my creative practice or project needs when they arise. Another challenge for me has been the process of defining and owning my version of success that doesn't look the same as what you would find in a glossy Founder magazine- for me it is about enabling me to pursue project ideas and creative opportunities that make my soul sing and still be present as a mum. I think everyone has the capacity (with some tenacity) to be and do everything they want to, but for me, I can't do it all at the same time. So I have to be very patient and strategic with what I pursue and commit to and when so that I keep our world/ life do-able and balanced. Sometimes that can be frustrating, and sometimes it can be a blessing!
What positives of being a woman have contributed to your founder journey?
Oh (wo)man, so many! The following positive characteristics have been instrumental in developing the current ideas of project Fort Awesome, and I cannot imagine what it would look like without it:
Empathy, An ability to drop into a creative flow, Adaptability, Multi-focused thinking capacity (multi-tasking), Connection to Nature, Caring, Connection to children, Joyfulness, Opportunistic thinking/ seeing, Optimistic- seeking the best in any given scenario or problem, Collaborative thinking and working- opening ideas up to others and sharing processes, experiences rather than hiding them, Being open to seeing ideas develop and letting go of what they initially look like in order to see what version they become as they evolve/ develop. Not being afraid to see ideas change- embracing the creative process with adaptability and Patience, Patience, Creativity.. are just a few...
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
What a fantastic opportunity that IWD is to celebrate the absolutely immense contribution that all women make and to celebrate all variations of what this looks like: everything from a daughter to a full-time carer/ mother to a career juggernaught or super-star, to a wise elder; All women are just amazing, wonderful, divine and powerful and should be celebrated and (more) respected.
What advice would you give to other women on their founder journey?
Sometimes the founder journey is flooded with lots of masculine energy and advice- like the idea of the 'Hustle' as a way of life, or the 'pitch' as the best way to sell an idea. But there are OTHER ways of putting ideas out into the world that are just as valid and sometimes resonate more with feminine energy and ways of doing/ being/ thinking. To try and fit into another person's groove/ way of doing is definitely possible for a while, but eventually, it will be exhausting and will ultimately be creatively depleting. Find your own groove- find a way of making/ being/ putting your idea out there that gives you just the right amount of challenge and reward, but that feels congruent with you.
We’re excited to be sharing the stories of these female founders, so be sure to check out the profiles of our Aussie Founders, Amy Meyer, Kaitlyn Lieschke, and Natalie Cook, and let us know what you’ve been working on!
** Image credit to Timothy Birch