Who Is Your Professional Icon?

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When you say ‘style icon’ to someone they generally know what you mean.   A person who represents…well style.  Whether you like or dislike the ‘style’ the person wears isn’t really the issue. What is the issue is that the person wears the style in such a way that they seem to glow from inside. In short it’s not about what they actually wear its the WAY they wear it that makes them a ‘style icon’.

Image: Grace Kelly

But what about ‘professional icons’. In fact is there such a thing as a ‘professional icon’?

Who – alive or living – holds themselves, conducts themselves and carries themselves in such a way that you would regard them as a ‘professional icon’?Someone who you want to emanulate professionally? Someone who is living the professional life you would love to replicate or at the very least feel inspired by?

For me I have a few.

The ones who pop foremost to my mind are J.K Rowling. I love the way she had absolutely little money or time, only children to care for (single handley) and yet she still managed to put the time aside to do what she love. To write. To create this rip roaring yarn which also earned her billions.

Then there is Jamie Oliver. I love the way he has managed to bring together his values and ideologies (on healthy diets and “real” food) and professional training and somehow create a new and refreshing take to the whole concept of celebrity chef.

And of course I have to mention the plastic surgeon, Fiona Wood, director of the Royal Perth Hospital Burns Unit,  inventor of Spray on skin, Order of Australia Member , Australian of the Year and most importantly a mum of four children.  Her seemingly excellence in personal/professional  juggling ability alone is something I can only aspire to.

And finally there is elements of the Australian artist Grace Cossington Smith  (22 April 1892 – 10 December 1984) as she is portrayed by author Drusilla Modjeskaho in her novel, Stravinsky’s Lunch.

I love the way she is said by Modjeskaho  to:

“…left little trace of herself. Her private personal self. There are few interviews, few letters, few photos, no diaries.” All there is to work on is her art, which, in its directness and modernism is tantalizingly at odds with the description of Grace given at her memorial service as “a sweet Christian lady.”

In these times of blogging, Twitter, photo blogging and hyper online connections leaving no/ little trace of yourself except your work becomes nigh possible but maybe in some small way something we can all aspire to.

Who’s your professional icons? Who inspires you?