Step Forward
One free mentor session from me, each quarter this year, because sometimes we all need a hand to get started. Enter submissions for January session this weekend.
As part of shaking things up with my work since last year, I also want to give back.
My decision to keep pivoting outside of my writing & styling work was driven partly by a desire to explore new creative avenues & partly to raise my game & use my 30 years + experience of working in interiors & business. It also came about because magazine publishing has become an increasingly hard field to earn a decent income in. It’s a space I still love & work in but fees have gone down over the last 20 years, not up, & the ever tough rights issues for images & words (particularly for newcomers into the industry) has made it a hard place to feel valued or earn a living. Which means I have made discerning decisions over how to spend my time - and what time to devote to editorial, books, design, 1:1’s, consultancy, and future courses.
What triggered this decision? It was waking up to the fact that if I don’t value my own skills & time, then no one else will. And when you start making those decisions for yourself to pivot it feels very liberating.
It’s also part of the reason I have decided to move my journal / workshop style writing across to Substack last week. It’s a hard subject to talk about valuing one’s output financially but it’s an important one. If all content is free it becomes like wallpaper. If more exclusive & paid for then I feel the right people will find you & all will benefit.
It can be hard to see these things in the early days of your career, when you would sell a kidney to get freelance work, but in the long run if you don’t value yourself, your time & output becomes worthless.
I am acutely aware that many cannot afford to do paid subscriptions to platforms like Substack & many cannot afford take part in the 1:1 mentor sessions - that I now love to run with many independent creatives & business owners. SO as my way of giving back, once a quarter this year, I will run a pro bono 2-hour mentor session to creatives who need a step up, to take a step forward. If you are/ or know of a creative who is struggling financially & who would benefit from a session this quarter, pls DM your/their details. I am thinking Jan would be a good month to kickstart - Q1 name to be selected randomly and privately from submissions by 15th Jan. Small gesture but I hope helps.
#freementoring #1:1
As a lover of storytelling, words and images, I am excited to be able to communicate and share with you in a longer form way, as an extension to my instagram feed, and am grateful for those supporting me with a paid subscription. After having worked in interiors and many related fields for over 20 years, since leaving the corporate world, I am looking forward to sharing many of the valuable things I have learnt, and have helped me pivot since starting my own company; along with insights, learnings and creative direction, that I hope will inspire you too.




Dear Sarah
Hello, of course. I will enter your submission into the pot. Lovely to connect and good luck. A name will be chosen randomly on Monday. Ali x
Ali- This is very insightful and very true: “It was waking up to the fact that if I don’t value my own skills & time, then no one else will. And when you start making those decisions for yourself to pivot it feels very liberating.” Absolutely true in every sense. I’m glad you shared this discovery.