Impossible is nothing...

“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.” ― Muhammad Ali

Portrait of Nicolas Hamilton #drivetoinspire.

Nicolas Hamilton was told he would never walk due to his cerebral palsy and would spend his life reliant on a wheelchair. Not one to be told he cannot do things, with determination and gruelling training he not only walked unaided, but he started to realise his dream: to be a racing driver.

I heard his story last month at a London event and had the opportunity to photograph him - his ‘anything is possible’ attitude inspires anyone and everyone that hears it.

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Gaylene Gould, Cultural Explorer

I spent morning talking to Gaylene Gould, Cultural Explorer and Head of BFI Cinemas and Events about storytelling, about using imagination to explore vulnerability and kindness, and about making space for creativity. See full interview at Imaginomics

 © Alexandra Dao

 © Alexandra Dao

“The thing that most pulls me through life is to understand who I am as a human being”
— Gaylene Gould
“If you are looking at creativity and imagination, you are driven by curiosity rather than goals. Creative endeavours are driven by exploration rather than outcomes”
— Gaylene Gould
“There needs to be an environment where you can feel that it’s ok to be curious and to simply explore”
— Gaylene Gould
“Everything is creativity in childhood, it’s how you navigate the world. And we all still have that.”
— Gaylene Gould
“What the imagination can do is condition us to spend our time watching and reading about really kind, compassionate people, and then believing that the world really is a kind place.”
— Gaylene Gould
“What we need to do is build more space for creativity – going for walks, looking out of the window, taking our minds off the task – and then the ideas start flowing.”
— Gaylene Gould
“Compassion really helps me. There is nothing that can erase the fact that we are human beings who feel pain. Life is hard and our feelings will get hurt – how can we move with some grace through this?”
— Gaylene Gould
“I think creativity is about honouring your own unique voice.”
— Gaylene Gould
“We have to make kinder stories.”
— Gaylene Gould

Robin Stevens, author

My morning at the British Library taking a journey of discovery into the imagination of Robin Stevens, author of best-selling children’s detective series ‘Murder Most Unladylike’. See imaginomics.org.uk for my full interview

©Alexandra Dao

©Alexandra Dao

“For years, I thought that writing was telepathic.”
— Robin Stevens
“Because I was a kid who was on her own a lot, I got to experience many other things and connect with other people through reading”
— Robin Stevens
“As a child, my imaginary friends were simply the stories I was creating, and I became part of the story.”
— Robin Stevens

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