Going It Alone

Posted in Writing.

I have worked as an advertising copywriter for five years. I’ve worked in huge agencies, small agencies, medium-sized agencies. But always in agencies. Always for someone else, with someone else’s rules.

I’ve always loved my job – even during difficult times, when I was driving 80 miles a day or not really feeling like part of a team. I love creating work that makes the client smile (no mean feat with some of my previous clients, let me tell you). I love working with similarly passionate people to develop digital creative that wins awards because it’s just so awesome. And I love the look of comprehension that dawns when I finally manage to convince someone that yes, you can start a sentence with ‘and’.

But I’ve always wanted to be the boss. I wanted to be able to develop Little Bird, write for different media and try new things. So last week I decided to take a risk – I left my job. And yesterday I launched my own business – The Friendly Copywriting Company.

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My new office is far less fancy than some of the agency offices I’ve worked in – there’s a bed behind me for starters, there’s no water cooler either, and the desk is a little bit wobbly (although it is vintage…). I think I’ll be pretty happy here though, and my new boss is brilliant. Obviously.

I don’t often talk about my work on this blog and I probably won’t again, so I hope you’ll forgive me this little bit of ‘networking’ (shudder) – if you need an online writer, a content manager, a social media person or just a general digital type, get in touch here.

PS – My site was built by the ever-wonderful Rob Allison.

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As Approved By Vogue

Posted in Daily Outfits.

This week I was allowed a glimpse at life as a true fashionista; an experience usually reserved for the effortlessly chic and/or endlessly rich – I was retweeted by Vogue.

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Yes I took a screen shot. What of it?

My description of Thursday’s outfit obviously went down well at Vogue House, despite a distinct lack of designer labels. In fact, my outfit was entirely high street. Take a look for yourself…

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Topshop jeans, Primark blouse, New Look blazer


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Me & Zena necklace, H&M ring

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Valensi pumps via Sarenza

Colour blocking was one of the summer trends suggested to us Sarenza ambassadors, so when I spotted these stunning Valensi pumps I snapped them right up. They’re eye-poppingly bright, oh-so beautiful and go right up to a size 9.5 – brilliant for my fellow big foots (I’m an 8).

So, Vogue are big fans of my sartorial work (I’m stretching this retweet as far as it’ll go), but I want to know what you think. Have you hopped on the colour blocking bandwagon?

PS – If you haven’t entered my Matalan giveaway yet, what are you waiting for?

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Celebrate summer with Matalan and win £50!

Posted in Fashion.

Despite grey skies, rain and thunderstorms (thanks for ruining my hair, Mother Nature), it is actually British Summertime. Hooray!

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In my post on the Matalan Blog today, I’ve picked my favourite swimwear essentials from the Matalan Holiday Shop to help you celebrate summer in style. And because the folks at Matalan are so lovely, they’ve donated a £50 giftcard so one lucky Little Bird reader can stock up ready for the sunshine (which I’m sure will appear eventually)!

To be in with a chance of winning the prize, take a look at my post on the Matalan Blog, visit the Holiday Shop and tell me your one summer wardrobe must-have in a comment below. Make sure you leave a method of contact too – email address, Twitter handle or link to your blog. Good luck!

Terms and conditions
– This competition is open to UK residents only
– To enter, leave a comment with a link to your chosen product and a method of contact
– Winner will be chosen at random on Friday 17th June

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The Blog Issue – Are We Selling Out?

Posted in Blogging.

When bloggers first put finger to key and started writing about their experiences with brands, they were the underdogs. As this post on Digitalista points out, they were bottom of the pile, given no more than a patch of pavement at events.

That outsider status made it easy for bloggers to comment objectively – no one was paying them, and unlike the magazine editors who received product, payment and front row seats for their glowing reviews, they could tell it exactly as it was. So they did, and that unbiased voice is one of the reasons for the huge surge in blogger popularity. Consumers are looking for the truth, unmarred by advertising agencies and brand consultants, and they go to bloggers to find it. Or, they did.

Have you heard the saying ‘first come the fans, then comes the industry’? It applies to most areas of popular culture. A product, brand, artist, band or person starts gaining popularity under its own steam, builds a loyal following, gets noticed by the relevant people and is eventually picked up by the industry. When the industry swoops, that product, brand, artist, band or person can choose to go it alone and continue developing independently, or it can allow itself to be enveloped by the industry, using their resources to its full advantage. The latter is often known as ‘selling out’.

So how does all that apply to bloggers? Well, we’re heralded as the last bastion of truth – in a world when even a simple tweet is planned, developed and optimised before it’s sent, bloggers are the ones without an agenda. We don’t answer to an editor, we do it for love not money, we buy the products we write about with our hard-earned cash. But as blogging moves from outsider media to the social movement du jour, bloggers are being courted by brands, and when you’ve been paid to write something, you can no longer remain impartial.

I’m passionate about hard work being rewarded and that includes blogging (I covered this in another Blog Issue post). I think it’s perfectly possible to work with brands without being accused of ‘selling out’, but you need a good understanding of your audience and the kind of content they’re interested in. Think about your own personal brand too (another topic covered in The Blog Issue) – does their brand fit with yours? Is the product or service something you’re truly interested in? Can you offer your own opinion as well as the one in the press release?

It all comes down to you and the direction your want your blog to take. If you want to work with brands and make money from the content you create, it’s inevitable that your editorial integrity will be affected, albeit not necessarily in a negative way. And if you’d rather stay independent, you can say that no one has an influence on what you write. I think the ideal blog is a mix of the two – carefully chosen paid-for content and plenty of posts that come straight from you.

What do you think – are bloggers who except payment for posts selling out? Where does your own blog fit in?

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30 Years of Schuh

Posted in Daily Outfits.

I love nostalgia. Anything that reminds me of my childhood, my school days or university life starts a reminiscing session that often leads to me pouring over old photos and saying things like “life is just different now!”. And fashion nostalgia is my favourite – a quick rummage through the rails of a particularly bad charity shop will have you squealing with laughter and wondering how anyone ever pulled off the skort (answer – they didn’t). I even wrote about fashion nostalgia for Behind The Looking Glass.

When Schuh contacted me to tell me about their 30 Years of Schuh project, I was excited to explore. As well as in-store celebrations, a competition to win an iPad 2 preloaded with 30 years of film and music and collaborations with brands including Clarks, Converse and adidas, Schuh have worked with writer and social anthropologist (Google that job title – it sounds awesome) Ted Polhemus to create a book and microsite covering the fashion, film, TV and music highs (and maybe a few lows) of the last 30 years.

The 30 Years of Schuh site tracks popular culture from 1981 to 2011. All the greats are there – the launch of MTV, Madonna when she was good, Run DMC, The Simpsons, MJ when he was good, the demolition of the Berlin Wall, Take That, Calvin Klein pants, Limp Bizkit (I realise my definition of ‘the greats’ may differ from yours), Sex and the City, Viagra (a definite high… *snigger*), MySpace, YouTube, Obama, Lady Gaga and the coalition government (that’s the low) to name a few. It’s a fascinating to look back at the things that were huge in 1998 but faded into obscurity by 2002 (UK Garage, I’m looking at you).

Anyone who registers on the site can add their own photos to the timeline, and there are lots of cute babies, wild parties and sartorial mishaps. I wanted to get involved too, so Schuh kindly sent me something to help me create a look that represents a specific time period…

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Primark shirt, vintage Levi’s cut-offs, Black Converse All Star Oxfords

I was born in 1985 so completely missed the fashion triumph that was the 80s. Converse was the official footwear sponsor of the 1984 Olympic Games in LA, and the brand made the transition from sportswear to classic fashion brand soon after. This preppy look is inspired by that active, wholesome American thing that was so big in the mid-80s – think Courtney Cox dancing in the Bruce Springsteen video.

What do you think of 30 Years of Schuh site? Bringing back some memories? Which year is your favourite?

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