My Dictionary And I
My love affair with words started at the tender age of 8. I received an Oxford English Dictionary for being "Most-Improved" in my school year. Not something I brag about often. While I was mortified at the time for being the only prize winner to receive something that wasn't by Jacqueline Wilson, I now look back at this moment and thank my mum for not choosing some trashy literature for me. It sat and collected dust on my shelf for a few months, while I re-read Harry Potter for the umpteenth time. Soon enough, I reluctantly picked up this heavy, blue lump of a book and sifted through it. I remember picking words I liked the sound of and using them in familial conversation, in completely the wrong context!
"That's a rather discombobulated looking meal, mum." Oh, dear.
The Power Of Love...? No. The Power Of Words!
While I was far from gifted in my secondary school English literature lessons, I delighted in my English language ones. I distinctly remember my teacher telling me my stories were too off the wall and totally unrealistic. I never understood this, in fact, I took this as a compliment. After all, nobody wants to read something that's unoriginal and boring. All I knew was that I loved creating narratives and forming beautiful sounding sentences. For me, there was and still is something so unbelievably satisfying about putting a calculated collection of words together and forming a sentence that has the power to sell something, transport you somewhere or make someone fall helplessly in love with you. I am aware that this makes me sound like a massive dork.
Just a picture of me at secondary school, for good measure.
Getting Into The University of Bristol
The school career advisor told me I should aim low when it came to further education, to "avoid disappointment". Way to take a dump all over my dreams, lady. I didn't do well in my A-Levels first time round and I thought my lifelong fantasy of going to the University of Bristol would remain just that...a fantasy. However, if there is one thing I hate, it's being told that I can't do something. Thankfully, I was fortunate enough to re-take those dreaded exams and by dumb luck or sheer obstinancy, I landed a place at Bristol.
Found this gem on my old Twitter account.
The Best 4 Years Of My Life
In hindsight, a part of me wishes I had pursued something along the lines of journalism or creative writing at university. While writing was something I loved doing, I never imagined I'd ever be good enough to make a career out of it so chose to study French with Film instead. I know what you're thinking, not exactly the most obvious combination of subjects, let alone the most employable. But what can I say, my fervour for words transcended the English language and my ardour for films, specifically those with Simon Pegg in them (a former UoB film student coincidentally...) has always been evident. What followed were four of the best years of my life. I made friends, I made more-than-friends, and I proved to myself and my secondary school career advisor, that I was where I was meant to be.
My First Encounter With Copywriting
Now how does one go from studying French and Film to deciding to pursue a career in copywriting, you might ask? Well, as part of my year abroad, I chose to do two internships, the second as a copywriter and translator for a start-up in Paris. At the time, I had no idea what copywriting was, even as I was doing it. I won't spew the contents of my CV onto you but in short, I was tasked with researching topics for their online website, writing them and also translating them. I attended weekly meetings in which I reviewed Google Analytics to see what articles were doing well and why and what articles had flopped and why. I found the whole psychology of it fascinating and was more than a little excited when they upped my responsibility to also writing SEO (search engine optimisation) articles for them, in a bid to increase readership. Sure, this extra workload meant I'd often find myself arriving before and leaving after my fellow colleagues but when work doesn't feel like work, this doesn't matter.
In My Happy Place
Upon finishing my placement there, I couldn't help thinking even months later, about how much I enjoyed it and more importantly why I'd enjoyed it. It seems obvious to me now. I was back in my happy place, among words. I was writing day-in and day-out about all sorts of zany topics and while my content was by no means Pulitzer-worthy, it served as a firm reminder that this was what I wanted to do with my life.
My Career Epiphany
A ski and summer season later, I knew it was time for me to get real about what I wanted to do with my life. My friends all seemed to have their lives so together, landing jobs in London and moving out their family homes. I spent a long time thinking about what I wanted to do. Journalism kept crossing my mind and it's definitely something I'm open to but I kept finding myself thinking about my 6 months in Paris. Something just clicked when I was there. Cue my eventual epiphany. Copywriting. Duh, Louise!! I knew it would take more than a 6-month stint for me to land a job, so I started a course. Everything I was learning immediately became the most interesting thing in the world to me and continues to be now as I reach the end of it. I remember crying tears of pure joy when I got my first distinction grade on a piece of writing I not only worked incredibly hard for but thoroughly enjoyed. That 'A', no matter how small it was, seemed to serve as a big middle finger to the career advisor who all but told me I'd never amount to anything.
What I'm Up To Now
Fast forward to the present day. I'm currently on the Cote D'Azur and on the hunt for a copywriting internship and will stop at nothing till I land one. I now laugh (and still cry a bit) in the face of adversity and job rejections, for they only serve to remind me just how much I want this career. I will make it to London as a Junior Copywriter one day. Watch this space.
So enjoy the read. Keep them coming. Dad. Xxx