Your gut doesn’t have an agenda. It’s not political, it’s not jealous, it’s not petty. Your gut is not attached to any particular outcome. Your gut doesn’t care what other people think.
That’s why it’s your most reliable and honest friend, the only thing you should turn to for advice and the one thing you should never ignore.
Your gut is the purest, most concentrated form of your own personal intuition and it always tells you if something is a good or a bad idea. It will tell you that whether you want to hear it or not, even if your head or your heart (or both) aren’t in agreement.
Sometimes your gut will tell you something that doesn’t make any sense at all. Don’t take that lucrative job offer. Don’t jump at that seemingly amazing opportunity. Don’t go on a second date with the guy who’s perfect on paper. It’s trying to save you time and heartache – don’t ignore it.
Sometimes your gut will tell you to go for something that seems utterly crazy. Quit your job and follow your dream – you’re going to make it. Marry that man, trust me, you’re ready. Jump on a plane and see where it takes you – somewhere good, I promise. It’s trying to push you to be amazing – don’t ignore it.
Your gut won’t steer you wrong. It will take you to exactly where you need to be, even if it’s not where you expected or hoped. If you have a decision to make, don’t call every friend and family member under the sun – don’t solicit advice on Facebook or consult with every expert you can think of. There’s only one thing you need to listen to – and it’s already a part of you. Don’t ignore it.
]]>Starting out in the working world and looking for an exciting career path? Or fed up with your 9 – 5 job and after a change of pace? Wherever you are, and whatever experience you have, we’re running a series of blog posts for people looking to go into creative fields. Each week, we’ll bring in an expert, or panel of experts, go explain the skills, qualifications and frame of mind needed for each creative job! Enjoy, and if there’s a career path you’re particularly interested in, leave some suggestions in the comment box!
This week, I’ll be kicking things off with advice on breaking into the world of features writing!
From an outside perspective, features writing looks like the most glamorous, incredible job in the world. However, be warned – features writing is not always the must lucrative career. You need to be tough enough to fight it out for the paid jobs, to believe in your work (and yourself) and to know that this is really what you want to do.
For the fortunate few, there are full-time editorial jobs with various online and offline publications. There are many, many more opportunities in the worlds of PR, but let go of your byline, because they are mostly ghost-writing jobs. Both have value and both have their drawbacks, but we’ll explore this in more detail.
That depends on the type of person you are. It can be a lot harder to make money as a freelancer, but if you have a few steady clients who are willing to pay you (this can be the hardest part) then this can be a really satisfying route. I would never recommend going freelance until you’ve racked up some relevant experience and contacts.
There are many routes in to features writing. You could go through the educational route, a relevant degree (English or journalism) or an MA if you would like to change focus. You could do an internship, if you can afford to not be paid (or not be paid well) for a while. You could start your own blog as a portfolio and make contacts that way, you could work in PR (you’ll find the two worlds can be easily interchangeable) or you could knock on a lot of doors – although that approach is not for the easily discouraged.
You’ll need to know your your from your you’re, there from their and they’re. You’ll need to understand how an apostrophe works, when to use it and when to give it a miss. But most importantly, you’ll need to understand how to change your tone of voice to suit a publication, how to write for a specific audience, how to make your point and make it well. Your writing has to be razor sharp, it can’t be vague or wishy washy, it can’t be self-indulgent or random. You need to always be ab ble to write with your reader and platform in mind – and that includes knowing the difference between writing for the web and print. If you go down the PR route, you’ll need the additional skill of writing in the style of your client. It’s not as easy as writing about pretty things and getting published.
Getting paid writing work is probably the single biggest challenge. To get a full-time job, prepare to do internships. For freelance work, prepare to be told that there’s no budget to pay you. I can’t count the amount of emails I’ve had that read “Dear Sara, we LOVE your work and we’d love to publish it – but we have no budget”. It can be discouraging, but don’t give up. On the question of whether or not to do freebies, I can’t answer that for you. All I’ll say is that, if you do, make sure there’s something in it for you – publicity for your own venture and so on.
Find your niche – and make sure it’s something you’re interested in. I spent an excruciatingly boring year working for a wonderful company that specialised in something absolutely snoozeworthy. It didn’t matter how great my colleagues were or how well I was doing, the subject matter put me to sleep. It’s hard to motivate yourself when you’re nodding off.
Start a blog – and use it regularly. That can be a great entry point into the world of journalism. Speak in your own, unique voice, update your portfolio regularly and keep at it.
OK, I know a lot of this post has sounded quite negative, but you need to be able to take some tough love if you’re going to be a writer. People will edit your work to smithereens, reject it out of hand, ignore you and refuse to pay you. It’s a tough industry out there.
BUT it’s totally worth it. Once you find those paying clients, once you start seeing your words in print, once you buy that first magazine with your face sitting proudly in the front, you’ll get what I mean. It’s tough for a reason – you get a platform to share your thoughts, feelings and ideas! You get to change the world for the better, even in a small way – the pen is pretty damn powerful. And, most importantly, you get to have a creative outlet – for a living. Now that’s pretty awesome!
In the words of the magnificent Floella Benjamin at my University of Exeter graduation: “go out and change the world”. Are you a features writer? Do you have any tips for aspiring journos? Or are you looking to get into the field and have some questions? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment box.
]]>Have you ever heard somebody being referred to as successful because of how much they earn, or how much they own, or how well known they are? I have – many times. In fact, I’ve spent much of my life aiming to be a success.
It wasn’t until recently that I paused in my relentless mission to reach the top to ask myself what success actually meant. What was it I was really aiming for? The conclusion I came to blew everything I’ve ever believed about life, success, money and happiness out of the water.
When can you ever sit back and say that you’ve made it?
I will never, ever be a success – and that’s not a bad thing. The reason I will never be a success is because (and here’s the amazing part) there’s no such thing as success. So, I could earn a lot of money – but at what point does that make me “a success”? A hundred thousand? A million? Ten? When do I stop and decide that I’ve succeeded?
Sure I could have a great career, but at which point am I a success? A blog that makes people happy? A magazine column? An editorial position? A novel? A bestselling novel? Ten bestselling novels?
I could have a great relationship, but when does that make me successful? After the first “I love you”? Marriage? Kids? Ten years? Twenty? Fifty??
People who believe in success also conveniently ignore the subtle nuances of life. What if I have a blazing row with my husband? Is my marriage suddenly less successful? What if I have a spell between jobs? What does that do to my success stats? What if I’m asset rich and cash poor? What if I lose it all?
Life is a journey, how can you ever say that you’ve really got there?
Am I successful yet?
So I came up with a different definition of success – my own definition. It’s inconclusive and totally malleable. I measure the success of each moment (and not my entire existence as a whole) by asking these sorts of questions instead:
“Was I true to myself?”
“Did I learn from that?”
“Am I being fair?”
“Am I prioritising my happiness?”
“Was I kind?”
When you start measuring your success as a learning, growing and big-hearted human being in each moment, instead of how much you’ve accumulated over a lifetime, life suddenly becomes a lot happier – you’ll probably achieve a hell of a lot more living with your heart than constantly trying to get more money, more stuff, more power.
So today’s little thought is – think about success and what it means – think about which definition is more important to you and see if it changes the way you look at and value yourself. You might be surprised!
]]>When I first started out my blogging career, I wasn’t doing quite as much freelance journo & PR work. As a result, a lot of my friends and family couldn’t wrap their heads around what I was doing being a “real” job. Over my three years as a freelancer, I’ve heard every misconception under the sun! After a while you tune out, but for the benefit of any newbie (or seasoned) freelancers out there, or for anyone who knows a freelancer, here are some things we’re sick of hearing.
While it’s lovely to receive invitations, we still have jobs to do
It’s amazing how many people want to hang out with me or ring me up for a chat on their days off from work because they assume that I’m not actually working. Yes, I’m definitely more flexible. I can rearrange my schedule so that I can see people on their days off or when it suits them. What they don’t see is that I then work all weekend to make up for it, or that I’m up until the early hours to catch up on everything I’ve missed. Freelancers are doing actual work, yo, not just sitting around in their underwear watching Lorraine Kelly.
I make thousands of people happy every day – what do you make?
Wow, when did it become OK to ask people about what they earn? Questions that are totally taboo for the salaried suddenly become acceptable when a freelancer is on the spot. I simply refuse to answer questions about my income, or I tell everyone I meet something different, just for funsies (it’s not lying – I’m a freelancer, some months I earn loads, some months I live off of store-brand baked beans). Freelancers – it’s none of anyone else’s business what you earn – you don’t have to answer. Or, if you want to be really mean, turn the question around on them and see how comfortable they are answering you.
People think it’s all cocktails and chilling
I can’t count the loaded, jealous, snarky comments I’ve had about my “comfortable” working life. Once again, it’s all about the assumption that freelancers don’t do very much. That the self employed sit around watching telly all day.
There are pros and cons to being a freelancer. One of the many, many pros is that I get to hang out in my own house all day (I really hate leaving my house), that I can have afternoon naps and random baths when everyone else is slaving away at a desk. I can reward myself for a job well done with an episode of my favourite TV show, I don’t have to buy expensive, bland work lunches.
However, don’t underestimate just how much work a freelancer has to do. You have to be your own IT support, your own accountant, your own marketing department, your own web designer, your own admin assistant, your own office manager, and you have to be disciplined as hell. You also don’t get to have normal holidays because there’s nobody paying you for your absence. Long after nine-to-fivers have switched off their PCs for the day, I’m often still hammering away at some project or other – I probably get more done in a day than many people do in a week.
My motivation is different to most of my peers – don’t work? Don’t earn. Simple as that – still think freelancers have it easy?
I spend quality time with my buds
Simply put – no. No, it isn’t lonely to be able to choose who I work with on the basis of their talent and personality. No, it isn’t antisocial to see the people I choose to see after a nice productive day at work – alone. And it’s only lonely for people who deplore their own company – quite honestly, I love having days to myself. I feel charged and ready to see the people I love and give them my full attention.
No, I’m not. I have faith in myself. I’m not afraid that I won’t make ends meet because I trust myself to properly market my skills. I know that if I can’t afford something, I won’t buy it. I diversify my income streams so that, on a slow month, there’s always money coming in. I’m not brave, I’m confident in my work and I’m resourceful.
Bravery implies that freelancers rely on luck and circumstances – I won’t lie, they help. However, being good at your job also helps. Being tenacious and having the ability to go out there and create opportunities helps too. If you think going freelance is brave, then think again about whether or not it’s right for you – you need to know you can do this.
Are you a freelancer? Or are you thinking of taking the plunge? Do people “get” what you do? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment box!
]]>Working from home can be a great gift: you can work in your PJs (or your underpants, whatever floats your boat) your commute is a dream and you can have an afternoon cranky nap. Amazing.
However, it’s really easy to fall into a pattern of working weird hours – and then working all hours. Your friends could be mainly comprised of industry friends. Your work laptop and work phone are the same as your private tech. It can be really hard, then, to switch off when the boundaries between your work and private life become blurred. So how do you work from home and keep your personal life sacred?
If you can afford it, do it. Get a work phone and a personal phone, same with your computer. For example, I try to use my desktop for work and my laptop for my own stuff. I know this isn’t realistic for everyone, but it’s worth the investment. Once your work computer is off, it stays off, just like you’re leaving an office – the same goes for your work phone. If you’re in an industry where it’s unlikely that there will be an emergency, become difficult to contact out of hours.
With yourself and with others. Give yourself working hours and stop after that. OK, so sometimes you might end up working until the small hours. When that happens, don’t tell anyone. Don’t put it on social media, don’t give people the message that you work 24/7, or they will think you’re fair game 24/7. Don’t accept business messages via Facebook, ask people to email you instead, and always arrange to talk to people within normal business hours, no matter how excited you are (this is something I’m really bad at). Respond to any emails or texts after 9am on weekdays, even if they were sent earlier.
Sometimes, I get ideas at weird hours. That doesn’t mean I need to get up and start working on them right away. I jot them down and go back to sleep, knowing my ideas are safe.
I love my house. If it were up to me, I’d never leave – home is the safest, cosiest place after all. However, it’s good for my health and my frame of mind to leave the house at least once every day, just to get a glimpse of the outside world and some fresh air.
Even if it’s just one small corner of one room set up as a desk, try to keep your office space separate to your living space. That way you won’t find yourself still working from sofa in the early hours.
Hard work pays off, but forcing yourself to sit at a desk day and night in order to “put in the hours” does not. When it comes to your hours, learn your patterns and work when you’re most productive. Don’t work when you think you SHOULD be working, don’t work into the night if you’re a morning person and do what’s best for you – that’s the whole point of being self employed, isn’t it?
Do you work from home? Do you find it difficult to find a work-life balance? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment box!
]]>OK, don’t ditch the concept – it’s important to meet people in your industry to collaborate with, but here’s why the word “networking” just doesn’t work for me – and how I’ve replaced it. I’m a terrible networker. Awful. In fact, I actively avoid events with “networking” in the title or description. The idea of hanging out in a room full of people who definitely all want something from each other professionally sort of terrifies me.
I don’t want to become someone’s “contact”, I don’t want a zillion business cards I’ll never use and I definitely don’t want to force a connection with someone based on what they do professionally.
The word “contact” in itself feels very exploitative. We’re people, not walking opportunities.
If you ask me, this is a much nicer way to connect with people! My gals Klaire and Nova! Image © Sarah Morris Photography
Here’s how many networking events I’ve attended have gone. Someone has approached me, introduced themselves, told me all about what they do and handed me a business card, before moving on to the next target. I haven’t been left with a sense of who they are or why I would want to work with them in the future, just an elevator pitch, a firm handshake and a business card.
I know, that all sounds very negative, but I don’t like networking because I’ve found something even better to replace it – and it’s so very simple and intuitive that it requires almost no effort on my part whatsoever. Instead of going to networking events, I go to industry parties. I talk to people who seem nice on Twitter. Instead of looking for the people I think will be important or will be able to help me in the future, I talk to the people I like and click with. Instead of calling them “contacts” I call them friends and colleagues. I let the relationships develop organically – and we’re all better off for it.
You might be asking yourself what the difference is – if I go to an industry party, surely it’s my intention to meet some professional contacts. That’s true, but it’s more about the nature of that intention. I don’t go to industry parties to see what everyone else there does and see whether they’re worth talking to, I go to have fun and meet like-minded people. The word “networking” implies a clear intention – to add someone to your professional network. That intention can skew the whole interaction so that it suddenly feels very uncomfortable, forced and formal.
With the lovely Samantha at Veilbash in 2012 – image by Sacco & Sacco Photography
When I go to a party, or go on Twitter, or go for a coffee with someone I’ve clicked with, rather than going home with a hundred business cards that end up gathering cookie dust at the bottom of my handbag, I go home having had an awesome conversation with somebody I get on with. I can’t tell you how many amazing friendships and business partnerships have blossomed that way. If I like someone, I don’t take their card, I take their social media info right away. I follow them and I follow it up.
So how does simply making friends replace professional networking? Well, easy. I could have the ear of the most important person on the planet, but if we don’t click, we don’t click. I could make friends with the gals at my local salon, start a working relationship based on trust, shared tastes and enthusiasm and support – the relationship grows organically because we like each other and we start to work together regularly because we know what makes the other tick. The combined forces of our brand make for excellent projects which lead to wider opportunities for both of us, and we include each other because we trust each other to do a good job. Neither of us may be the most important people in the room, but we’re a great fit for each other and we build each other up.
To me, that’s infinitely better than an awkward five minute audience with someone I think could give me a leg up.
So don’t ditch the idea of socialising with your industry colleagues, but don’t walk into a room wondering who the right people to talk to might be and how they can help you advance your career. Follow your gut and your heart and everything will fall perfectly into place.
]]>As a blogger, my biggest career stumbling block was learning to approach people I’ve never met. It’s a nerve-wracking thing, to approach someone you admire, especially if you’re approaching them to ask for something, but once you’ve mastered the skills involved, it will be the best thing you ever do. So how do you get over your fears and send that first email?
Be brave – the worst answer you can get is “no”
Spamming a company with “hi there” emails will not only get you nowhere, it could easily get you blacklisted. Instead, find out who the right point of contact is and send them a personalised email. Make sure you address them by name, there’s nothing worse than getting an email that looks like it’s been sent out to every other industry pro in the universe.
Have a point – even if the point is just to say that you admire and appreciate that person’s work. The worst kind of pitch emails I get are just generic “can we please work together” emails because it means that the onus is on me to find a project and make that happen. Most people are helpful, but they’re not psychic – if you want clothes for a photoshoot, ask for them. If you want to be featured on a blog, put forward feature ideas. If you want to guest write for somebody, pitch some article angles.
Don’t be weird or try to be “zany” – it’s more likely to scare people…
If you approach whoever you admire with the idea that you’re inherently inferior to them, it will come across. Don’t apologise for getting in touch or promise not to take up too much time or space, don’t promise to sell a kidney for some time with the person – being self deprecating will just tell the other person that you’re small fry and not to bother, and being overly “zany” will just terrify the living shit out of them. That’s a promise. Just be calm, collected and explain what you have to offer – if it’s not for them, it’s not for them – but I can guarantee that if you think your offering isn’t good enough, they’ll agree with you.
Why do you think your brands are well aligned? If they’re more established than you, what do you have to offer them? How have you considered their customers / audience? These are all questions you need to address to make that initial contact as appealing as possible.
Explain why you stand out – in a good way
If the person you’re approaching is very busy, follow up with a gentle reminder but don’t get aggressive if they’re too snowed under to respond or if they come back to you with a “no”. I’ll never forget a “meet the editors” panel for some major mags that I attended as a PR. One woman had clearly been trying to get her products featured in Cosmo for a while, she got a front seat ticket and when it came time for the Q&A session started shouting at the panel about how they never answer her emails. To be clear, when I say be tenacious, there are limits! If you’re rude, aggressive or entitled, nobody will want to work with you so be nice and friendly – you never know, they might like your attitude and think of you for something in the future.
Go out and meet people! I’m not saying find out where your favourite blogger hangs out and stalk them (don’t do that) or only show up to things with an agenda, but get out there. Go to industry parties and just be your fun, happy self – you’ll be surprised at the so-called contacts you make just by meeting some cool people and getting along well with them. Does this person run workshops? Sign up to one and go and learn from them directly – it sounds scary but it’s totally worth it.
Nothing was ever achieved lying around the house
Have you ever approached someone you’d like to work with? What was the outcome? We’d love to hear your stories in the comment box.
]]>Before I start, I’d like to clarify that there IS a difference between a fear of failure and a fear of disappointment. Fearing that you may not be able to achieve what you thought you could is not the same as knowing you have the potential to do something great but for the perfect opportunity to be in someone else’s hands. Fear of disappointment is your greatest obstacle to achieving your goals in life because it stops you from investing as much and, by extension, stops you from trying as hard.
There’s a happy door and a sad door – but you won’t open either door if you don’t push!
When I was a kid, I was super into my musical theatre. I was such a nerd, I joined a local amateur dramatics society and, when I was 10, the opportunity came up to audition for the part of The Artful Dodger in Oliver. It was a pretty big production for a first amateur show, around 1000 paying audience members and there were about 50 other kids lined up to audition.
When I signed up, I told my parents that I was going to get the part. My dad sat me down and explained to me that there were lots of other children going for the same role and not to get my hopes up as he didn’t want me to be disappointed. I looked at him in frustration and said “didn’t you have dreams when you were young and everyone told you they were impossible?”
Years later, he told me he was stunned by that moment: “Right you are, baby,” he said, “go out and get the part.” And I did. And for the next couple of years I got every part I auditioned for because I wasn’t afraid to WANT the part so badly that I’d work my butt off to get it.
Then came my dream role (and looking back, this seems exceptionally loserly but at the time it was a big deal) the lead part in a much bigger professional production of Annie. It wasn’t with my usual theatre group, these kids were hardcore stage school stock – suddenly I wasn’t a big fish in a small pond. Still I went in aiming to wow them as usual. It was a gruelling, long day of acting, dancing and singing auditions and, to make matters worse, halfway through the day they culled half of the auditioning kids like some warped reality TV show designed to make little children weep.
I made it through the brutal cuts unscathed, the role of Annie was so close I could almost taste it. I had one final solo left to audition with. I opened my mouth to hit that big note in Tomorrow and my voice cracked. I fudged it. One bad note.
At the end of the day they called the names of the girls who got the parts. After that long, exhausting experience I didn’t even make the chorus. To this day I still remember the name of the girl who got the part of Annie. I went home and sobbed for the rest of the day. For the first time, I really understood what my dad had meant about disappointment. I had approached the audition with exactly the attitude it took to succeed – that the part was already mine. I had set myself up for a major fall.
Allow yourself to believe that the sky’s the limit!
So I lost my confidence. I stopped auditioning for things but, more universally, I also stopped trying my best, because trying my best meant believing I was in with an absolute shot – trying my best meant going for it with everything I had. When you invest that much and don’t get the results you want, disappointment is inevitable. I never wanted to feel like that again.
I thought I learned a valuable lesson that day, that if you try too hard you’ll end up hurt but, Darling Lovelies, I was wrong.
As a child I was fearless and I was shamelessly confident. I actually TOTALLY had the right idea. If you want to be the best, win that role, get that dream job, convince those amazing clients, then you need to BELIEVE that it’s within your reach and you need to invest much, much more than everyone else. Sure, you might be disappointed, but I guarantee that if you don’t try harder than everyone else, you won’t get anywhere at all.
So don’t be afraid to confront disappointment – if you’re disappointed it means you damn well tried your best, and if it doesn’t work out it doesn’t mean you weren’t good enough, maybe you just hit one of life’s bad notes.
And when it does work out, you’ll know you deserve all the success and great things coming your way because you worked harder than everyone else and, most importantly, put your heart into getting what you want.
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