ATLAS intern blog

Image by Grace Morton

Over the past three months, I’ve spent my Wednesday mornings sipping coffee and organising jobs for the day in the bright expanse of the ATLAS office. As I’m really beginning to feel at home here; the scenic view of Portree Harbour growing ever familiar, the thought-provoking Climate Change’ sign swinging in all weathers, I find I’m saying goodbye to my comfy little desk – although I’m definitely not saying goodbye to ATLAS.

Working as an intern for ATLAS has provided me with invaluable experience. I’ve learnt a lot about working in an office setting. Organising my day through time management gave me a sense of independence, it felt rewarding to achieve things on my own accord. As a frequent user of social media, I enjoyed seeing it being used for business reasons as opposed to personal. It widened my view of its communicative and promotional abilities as well as prompting me to view its reasons for use in a new, and, I guess, more positive light.

Another important thing I’ll take away from my time with ATLAS is a new found appreciation for being bilingual and speaking Gàidhlig. ATLAS provided me with the opportunity to do some translational and pronunciation work for their Cultural Crofting Playing Cards’ project. I’m guilty of not using and embracing my Gàidhlig as much as I should, yet ATLAS provided me with a much-needed reminder that it’s a very interesting language to have, raked with deep culture, and has left me feeling inspired to further my use of it and make the most of the opportunities it provides me with.

Getting to know the lovely ladies in the office and getting the chance to meet a bunch of different, interesting, creative characters was of course very enjoyable and enlightening. I feel this internship has definitely improved my social skills and my confidence in social situations as well as the work environment. Shona, Suzy, Emma and Rosie all made me feel so welcome and very much a part of the team. Sweet treats, cups of tea, interesting discussions and most importantly being surrounded by inspirational women made me feel positive, connected and excited for new things coming my own way as well as ATLAS’.

My time with ATLAS has also made me really value my own creativity alongside the creativity of others. Seeing what can be produced and achieved when many or even just a few creative minds put their heads together is so captivating and exciting – especially when each individual brings such varying thoughts, ideas, skills and abilities to the table. I guess it highlights how special and significant it is that we are all different, and I feel like spending time immersed in this artistic setting has made me realise this more than before.

By Grace Morton