When I think back to 2020 and all its chaos and uncertainty, a few moments stick out.
I remember sitting on my windowsill, looking out at the beautiful weather and being forbidden to go out in it. I remember the fear prickling the back of my mind, wondering if this is how life was going to be forever.
I remember getting the letter (not entirely unexpectedly) saying I was being made redundant from a job I absolutely loved. I'd been a journalist with the same company since I was seventeen - and I would probably have stayed there for the rest of my life if Covid hadn't made it impossible to keep me on. I wondered if I'd be able to get more work. I didn't feel very optimistic.
I remember going online, activating my LinkedIn account, searching for writing jobs and applying to thousands of them. Something called "copywriting" kept coming up again and again. I'd never heard of it so I Googled. "Oh," I said. "I've been doing that for years."
August 5 saw me set up the Facebook page, Isle of Skye Copywriting, and that's the date I go by if people ask when I started the business.
And, now, with two years having gone by, it feels appropriate to reflect on all that's happened - all the learning curves and all the amazing moments.
2020 - The beginning
A Facebook friend shared my initial post, leading to my very first copywriting job. I wrote music reviews for an innovative group that later became The Ardents. I still keep in touch with the driving force behind the music to this day - and never forget that they gave me my first job.
A Facebook advert led to my first big job: creating web content. I don't invest in Facebook adverts any more but, at the time, I didn't know what I was doing and it seemed a good idea.
2020 was largely spent writing web content and building up a portfolio as we moved into 2021.
2021 - The middle
I was delighted to get some local clients, build my connections on LinkedIn and make enough money to support myself through the winter.
In early autumn, I was fortunate enough to be picked as a copywriter for COP26. An intensive three months of writing culminated in getting to attend the climate change conference in November.
Following this, I got my first freelance job with Wunderman Thompson and grew to become a senior copywriter.
2022 - The present
I've said it before and I'll say it again: I really appreciate the freedom to pursue a job I love from the comfort of my own desk at home. Remote working is a necessity for me and getting to work with companies that are happy for me to do it in my own space is a delight.
Not to mention the fact that I've been able to work with brands I respect and admire, like Samsung, Microsoft, Lexus, Specsavers and many more.
If you had told me when I clicked "Publish" on a Facebook page with no likes that this is where I'd be two years later, I wouldn't have believed it.
No reflection would be complete without thanking all the people who made it possible: my Mum, Fred, all the people who took a chance on a copywriter with a skeletal portfolio, Clare, Claire, Emily, Daniel, Joe, Simon, absolutely everyone who crossed my path at Wunderman Thompson, Paul, Valerio and many, many more.
Let's see where the next two years take us!
I remember sitting on my windowsill, looking out at the beautiful weather and being forbidden to go out in it. I remember the fear prickling the back of my mind, wondering if this is how life was going to be forever.
I remember getting the letter (not entirely unexpectedly) saying I was being made redundant from a job I absolutely loved. I'd been a journalist with the same company since I was seventeen - and I would probably have stayed there for the rest of my life if Covid hadn't made it impossible to keep me on. I wondered if I'd be able to get more work. I didn't feel very optimistic.
I remember going online, activating my LinkedIn account, searching for writing jobs and applying to thousands of them. Something called "copywriting" kept coming up again and again. I'd never heard of it so I Googled. "Oh," I said. "I've been doing that for years."
August 5 saw me set up the Facebook page, Isle of Skye Copywriting, and that's the date I go by if people ask when I started the business.
And, now, with two years having gone by, it feels appropriate to reflect on all that's happened - all the learning curves and all the amazing moments.
2020 - The beginning
A Facebook friend shared my initial post, leading to my very first copywriting job. I wrote music reviews for an innovative group that later became The Ardents. I still keep in touch with the driving force behind the music to this day - and never forget that they gave me my first job.
A Facebook advert led to my first big job: creating web content. I don't invest in Facebook adverts any more but, at the time, I didn't know what I was doing and it seemed a good idea.
2020 was largely spent writing web content and building up a portfolio as we moved into 2021.
2021 - The middle
I was delighted to get some local clients, build my connections on LinkedIn and make enough money to support myself through the winter.
In early autumn, I was fortunate enough to be picked as a copywriter for COP26. An intensive three months of writing culminated in getting to attend the climate change conference in November.
Following this, I got my first freelance job with Wunderman Thompson and grew to become a senior copywriter.
2022 - The present
I've said it before and I'll say it again: I really appreciate the freedom to pursue a job I love from the comfort of my own desk at home. Remote working is a necessity for me and getting to work with companies that are happy for me to do it in my own space is a delight.
Not to mention the fact that I've been able to work with brands I respect and admire, like Samsung, Microsoft, Lexus, Specsavers and many more.
If you had told me when I clicked "Publish" on a Facebook page with no likes that this is where I'd be two years later, I wouldn't have believed it.
No reflection would be complete without thanking all the people who made it possible: my Mum, Fred, all the people who took a chance on a copywriter with a skeletal portfolio, Clare, Claire, Emily, Daniel, Joe, Simon, absolutely everyone who crossed my path at Wunderman Thompson, Paul, Valerio and many, many more.
Let's see where the next two years take us!
