Hello friends,

I’ve been fighting dragons. I’ve met these dragons many times before and I’m not scared of them. I know what to do. These dragons are Befuddled, Bewildered and Bemused and they like to create havoc with language.

They especially like to create confusion in marketing departments. I’ve been working on an awesome book for a luxury brand. The project hit issues when the photography was delivered. It had been commissioned before I started working with this brand and it didn’t reflect the story ideas we had all agreed on.

The client ended up with a huge bank of images that had nothing to with the messages we wanted to communicate. We’re working through the issue, commissioning new photography, so all is not lost. But this experience made me realise how important it is to have clarity of vision before you do anything else. You have to establish what you’re trying to say, who you’re saying it to and what your brand is about.

In other words - the stories are key.

So this week, I’m focusing on why words are so important and why it’s the obvious starting point for any marketing initiative.

Drop me a line if you’d like to have a chat about your business copy. I’d love to hear from you. Enjoy!

1. Talking is EVERYTHING. Asking questions, being honest, letting it all out in the open is crucial, both at work and with personal relationships. Obviously, there is an art to communicating your message in a way that doesn’t offend, but saying it is always better than burying it.

2. Listen. And I mean, really listen. Listen to your kids, listen to your partner, listen to your clients, listen to your customers. You can learn so much when you properly tune into what others are feeling, thinking, wanting etc.

3. It’s ok to say no. If you you’re not sure about a project, a party or a person, trust your instinct and just say no, thank you.

4. Enjoy the little things. For me, it’s the simple things that make me smile: fresh coffee, a sunny day, skinny dipping, a walk with a friend, random acts of kindness, a freshly-made bed, my kids giggling, an empty beach. Notice these moments and treasure them.

5. Re-write. Then re-write again and again and again. Writing really comes alive when you edit. So don't worry if your first draft is shit. It’s bound to be. Nobody gets it right the first time.

6. Find your weird. I used to worry about my obsession with tidying up before I could focus on work, but then I realised this is just something I have to go through in order to get into the creative process of writing. I have to rid my brain of all the boring admin clutter before I can focus. Turns out I am not the only one. Brian Eno once said: “If in doubt, tidy the studio.” And Julia Cameron and Steven Pressfield have written books about the idiosyncratic behaviours that often precede creative work.

7. Tomorrow is another day. A cliché, I know, but I’m a big believer that if you’re not feeling it, you’re better off having a break and starting again another time.

8. Focus on your happiness. It doesn’t matter what it is, but you have to try and find joy, wherever you can. Crazy working hours, big job titles, a frenetic lifestyle and toxic people are all things that make me unhappy, so I avoid them.