Championing the women whose passion for their careers goes way beyond 9-5

‘Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life’ goes the Chinese proverb. But with the average person spending 84,365 hours of their existence working, how does one achieve this seemingly impossible feat?

Inspired by Gucci’s latest fine jewellery collection, Gucci Link to Love, which is reinterpreting the archetypal symbols of romance, we spoke to a group of contemporary creatives who have forged careers from their lifelong passions across food, film, art and design in a bid to encourage a new generation to pursue a profession they truly love.

Missy Flynn is the co-founder of London eateries Rita’s and Bodega Rita’s. She describes her role as ‘creative front of house’, and concocts wild and wonderful sensory cocktails such as a Sansho Pepper Margarita with a natural spirulina blue-salt rim.

‘I grew up above a pub and have worked in restaurants since I was 17, so I’ve always been around food, but when I truly fell for it was in Spain,’ says Flynn. ‘Local cuisine is the key to understanding a place as it's so intertwined with culture. I have a master’s in food anthropology because I’ve always been curious about its importance in society and how it can unite people.’

'Hospitality can be all-consuming, but it also can mean the power to choose your own path'

Flynn understands the power food has to bring people together, which is one of the reasons she’s on the board of trustees for Food Behind Bars, a charity that aims to improve the quality of meals in UK prisons.

‘Hospitality can be all-consuming, but it also can mean immense freedom and the power to choose your own path, which I value more than anything,’ she says about the emotional toll working in the restaurant industry can take. ‘The love for what I do is a shapeshifting presence – if it doesn’t hit every emotion and press every button, it’s not truly love.’

‘My first job was for a very low-budget music video; I stayed up all night sticking wallpaper to polyboards because money was so tight,’ Allen-Miller remembers fondly when asked about the moment she fell in love with directing. ‘It took 30 pitches before someone gave me a chance, but it was incredible seeing my ideas come to life.’

From there her vision has been brought to life a multitude of times, directing commercials for the likes of the Tate and Nike, but it’s her first feature film, Rye Lane, a romantic comedy set in Peckham, that’s her crowning glory.

“Filmmaking can make me stressed, tired and frustrated but it’s never a chore”

Raine Allen-Miller wears Gucci Link to Love rubellite ring, Gucci Link to Love studded ring, mirrored ring and Gucci Link to Love tourmaline bracelet

‘When I work on commercials, it’s for someone else. On this, I had to impress myself – and I’m very hard to impress!’

Self-judgement and late nights are all part of the creative process though, as Allen-Miller accepts: ‘I spent a long time trying to find a way to make a living without it feeling like a job. Filmmaking can make me stressed, tired and frustrated but it’s never a chore. Telling stories is everything to me.’

It’s universally acknowledged that twins possess a unique bond, so it’s no surprise that Rosie, a fine artist, and Pippa, an illustrator, share a deep love of putting pen (and paint) to paper. ‘Growing up in a small northern town meant there wasn’t much going on “outside of the box”, so we always went out of our way to find interesting things,’ Pippa says of how she became inspired by 1970s punk, bikers and B-movies. ‘When I got into drawing, I could express myself in a way like never before, and that felt empowering.’

Although DNA and art connect the two, their creative styles juxtapose completely, as Rosie’s paintings portray intense lifelike qualities. ‘The first piece I felt truly proud of was of Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood,’ Rosie reveals. ‘I was so engrossed in the movie that I had to paint it immediately. You could say my paintings are a love letter to film.’

“When I got into drawing, I could express myself in a way like never before, and that felt empowering”

Although their approaches differ, they have collaborated on one project: a leather jacket for a wedding in Salem, Massachusetts. ‘A bride-to-be wanted us to clash our styles,’ Pippa remembers. ‘I illustrated some spooky typography of her married name and Rosie painted roses on the back of it.’

‘That’s the best thing about our line of work,’ Rosie adds. ‘When someone wants your art in their life, it’s such an honour.’

The Gucci Link to Love collection is an exploration of modern romance characterising new symbols of love. Personalise your own collection by layering rings and bracelets of different widths, precious stones, and hues of 18 carat white, yellow, and rose gold.

The collection includes different gold tones enriched with precious stones and finishes that blend the lines between masculine and feminine. All jewellery is made with carefully selected materials to ensure longevity. After all, love is forever.

Gucci Link to Love collection is now available at Goldsmiths. The UK’s largest luxury jewellery retailer with showrooms across the UK. Shop the Link to Love collection online or find your nearest Goldsmiths showroom here