Breakfast with Bristol24/7: Ailsa Fineron

As freelance writer and photographer Ailsa Fineron and I find a seat in the bustling Bristolian cafe on a warm morning, she greets everyone behind the counter. “I’ve worked here, off and on, for years – they’re like my second family,” she explains in the lilting Scottish accent that betrays her origins, as we sit down and look over the menu.

“I’ve written for a long time, since I was a kid,” Ailsa begins. “Writing was very much a coping mechanism for dealing with the depressive episode that led to me dropping out of my degree,” she explains frankly. “I also got into photography and did some projects that I really cared about. Through that I met lots of people. The Bristol arts scene is a big family – you end up knowing everyone.”

Through these connections, Ailsa was offered a six-month internship with Rife Magazine, a website written by young people for young people which is based at the Watershed. “It was all very serendipitous,” she says. “I found it really beneficial to have an editor like Nikesh [Shukla] who would give constructive criticism, but never put me in any doubt that I couldn’t do it. He’s someone I really respect as a person and a writer, and he gave me the confidence to show him art that wasn’t absolutely perfect. I struggled with not feeling good enough, but it really helped to be in this incredibly supportive environment, where you’re encouraged to lift each other up and make the most of every opportunity.”

Our friendly waitress whizzes two huge plates of food to our table, and we tuck into our veggie sausages with relish. “Being at Watershed also helped my parents, who have really had to switch around their image of what my life is going look like – from being a very good maths and physics student, to being this ‘artsy-fartsy’ person who also works in a cafe,” Ailsa continues.

“Getting the Rife internship helped them see that I could get paid for my work, and that other people already in the industry believed in me. When I got it, my mum called me and said she was really proud, and believed I could pursue the arts as a career now, which was one of those things that you don’t realise you need to hear until someone says it.”

Following the success of her internship, Ailsa was invited to contribute an essay to a new book that the editorial team is putting together. Rife: Twenty Stories from Britain’s Youth is currently being crowdfunded, and examines many facets of what life is like for young people, growing up in an increasingly uncertain world. Ailsa is working on a personal essay about mental health.

“I think young people now are talking about mental health far more than before, not necessarily because we are more enlightened, but because that’s the trajectory. We’re also at a time where the NHS is being cut and the provision not being there,” she explains. “In the essay, I’m talking about the ways I have known young people to support each other: out of love and also out of necessity, when you have mental health services that don’t have enough beds or counselling services that throw you out after six weeks.

“The tricky thing about writing about inter-generational issues is that nobody has insight outside of their own generation. I’m also never sure where generations begin and end, and how you can just clump groups of people together by arbitrary dates, because to me it’s messier than that.

“I’m quite astounded at how dirty a word ‘millennial now is,” Ailsa says as we both clear our plates and push them away, stuffed. “When I see these think-pieces about how young people today are all spoilt and self-absorbed, it shocks me – that’s not how I was taught to behave. You should get to know individuals and give people the benefit of the doubt before you brand everyone.”

Ailsa’s essay, along with the others in the collection, aim to give a platform to voices that aren’t often heard. “What we’re talking about is important,” Ailsa says passionately. “We want these stories to reach a new audience – not just young people. It’s wonderful that this book is happening. It gives me quite a lot of hope.”

Find out more about Ailsa by visiting her website: www.ailsafineron.com

The Bristolian

2 Picton Street

BS6 5QA

1 x americano             £2.20

1 x ginger tea              £2.50

1 x vegan breakfast    £7.99

1 x veggie breakfast   £7.99

Total: £20.68

Illustration by Anna Higgie: www.annahiggie.co.uk

Read more: Breakfast with Bristol24/7: Norman Pascal