✿ Theme ✿

Ambition

Ambition is not a flaw to soften or a childhood impulse to outgrow. It is the determination to develop our abilities, seek recognition for what we achieve and use our power to shape the world rather than merely accept it.

But ambition cannot survive on desire alone. It grows through mastery, opportunity, responsibility and being seen - and it fades when people are repeatedly taught that wanting more is unrealistic, selfish or simply not meant for them.

These essays examine how ambition is built, why it is so often worn down, especially in girls and women, and how children and adults can protect it, reclaim it and act upon it without apology.

That is why Empress Flower was created: to help children and adults alike discover - or rediscover - their ambition, and learn how to act upon it.