Who's seen Matthew McConaughey's Oscar acceptance speech from 2014? I remember watching this the day after and being amazed- You can enjoy his wisdom below. I recently re-watched his speech and when McConaughey speaks about chasing his hero, it really resonated with me. 

At 13, I wanted to hurry up and finish school so I could get a degree and take on the fashion world. Cut to 23, I was at the Open University studying Marketing and working as a Freelance Fashion Journalist, dreaming of being a globetrotter and seeing my written work turned into media pieces. Fast-forward to 33, i'm a Content & Social Media Manager, exploring the world, I have a short opera film under my belt and i'm dusting myself off for my next adventure. 

. The goals keep changing as the world keeps changing, and it makes me think of the song "They Just Keep Moving the Line" from Smash- in this case I would be they. I've come to realise that like most people of my generation I need thinks to keep moving- staying stationery will never be enough for me. So whether learning a new skill, a new freelance contract or simply exploring a new city, variety is the spice of life for me. 

​On that note, I've been toying around with learning more about User Experience, Psychology and Foreign Languages- not all at the same time! I'm currently, studying French with Duolingo and watching plenty of french films (living out my Emily in Paris dreams), and I've come to see that speaking fluent German and Spanish could completely change the trajectory of my life, in terms of opportunities. I don't intend to study this to degree level but evening classes and trips to Munich, Barcelona and Paris would give me a great grip on the languages. 

With the cost-of-living crisis, User Experience feels like the perfect freelance gig to pursue alongside my role at Majority. My freelance role with Sucasa gave me a wonderful introduction to this, and thankfully there are so much instruction to getting started in this. 

Psychology has been something I've gone back and forth thinking about. A masters degree is very expensive- especially as I've already used the masters loan. That being said, I would qualify for a second bachelors student loan if I chose to pursue with BSc Psychology (BPS). The Open University has made a distance learning convert, and I don;t see myself going back to a face-to-face school, so this would be by distance learning again. If I do go ahead with this, it won't be for another year and will be alongside my job, so watch this space...

It's been almost a year since I last updated my blog because once again it's been a crazy roller-coaster! 
Since last spoke, I finished my masters degree and 15 months later I finally had my graduation ceremony at Twickenham Rugby Stadium- talk about grand! It was typical British weather, but thankfully it was dry for for pictures. 

I've wanted to go to an overnight festival, so when my sister had a free ticket to go to Camp Festival, I was ready and raring to go- especially when I found out Rag 'n' Bone Man was headlining. 

When the sunshine hit the UK, I headed to Bournemouth to spend the weekend in the sand. Boy was it hot, but being in the sea was just what I needed. 

Now we're rounding up the year, I've decided brush up on French after dropping it at GCSE using Duolingo, and so far it's going really well! ​J'aime apprendre :D 

Q4 is going to be really busy but I really want to take a winter holiday. I'm leaning towards to Lapland, Finland to visit the city of Kemi! 

So its been almost three years since my initiation into club 30, and boy has it been a rollercoaster! 

When I turned 30, I was studying Creative Writing at The Open University to complete my undergraduate qualification and working freelance. Since then I've finished my degree at the OU and I found a job as a Content Writer for a property investment company in London. Like many before me, I celebrated completing my degree by strutting across the stage to receive my diploma at the Open University's ceremony at the Barbarian Centre back in September 2019. 

Three days later, I started my Masters degree in Creative Writing at Kingston University. Studying everything from screenplays to prose poetry, it was exhilarating, scary but most importantly inspiring! When Covid-19 arrived in the UK and the entire country went into lockdown in March 2020, it put a spanner in the works to say the least.

My office job was now working from my bedroom as I balanced working on my dissertation and full-time work load, only going out for a walk once a day.  Thankfully, as my masters course was via distant learning I was in a good position but it was a struggle. Two months later my job was furloughed and I was eventually let go due to the pandemic. So, I was back to freelancing and job hunting while I completed my masters in the midst of a global pandemic. 

After 8 months of freelancing for some e-commerce brands and a flat rental app, in February 2020, I found a new full-time role at Majority Audio as Digital Content Creator. So once, the lockdown rules eased in June 2020 I packed up the moving van and moved to Cambridge. It's now been 7 months since I waved goodbye to London again and found  my new home in Cambridge. A world away from London, Cambridge is a cyclists dream! With so much green space from Grandchester to Jesus Green there's plenty to keep me occupied. 

With 2022 just around the corner i'm excited what the new year has to offer me. So much is happening at work to keep me busy but I'm hoping to take some time to finally have my Eat Pray Love experience. The pandemic does make travel much more difficult but i'm determined to find a way to do some travel. 

 It's official. My twenties have come and gone and i'm now a fully fledged member of club thirty-something. I feel like I should have received a welcome pack like when you go to uni. 

For some of us, turning thirty is a state of panic and a sign that the best years are behind you, but I felt oddly calm about the big 30. Probably because my twenties were so manically busy and my thirties seem as if they offer a new kind of excitement.

While I was a twenty-something:

• I lived in Manchester,
• Fell in love with my curls,
• Began my writing career,
• Went to Ascot,
• Went to Afropunk,
• Went to London Fashion Week,
• Went to theatre press nights,
• Travelled to China,
• Visited Turkey,
• Began at the Open University,
• Was a redhead,  
• Was in a music video

...plus so much more. It was a busy time!  I've made a lot of dreams realities, met some incredible people along the way and experienced things I didn't expect. 

This brings me to the elephant in the room, my thirties. I don't see myself slowing down, rather taking things up a notch. I finish my degree in June, and while the ceremony doesn't take place until September, i'll have the summer to work within Copywriting or maybe go travelling. I've always wanted an Eat Pray Love experience, so maybe i'll freelance my way through Europe, now Brexit's been postponed till Halloween. Wherever I end up, i'll be started my masters in October and delving into the world of advertising. 

Come 2020, I'm hoping to move abroad. My heart seems fixated on NYC and Los Angeles, and I've always felt a connection to Brooklyn. Wherever I end up, it'll be a new adventure...

Last time I sat down to type, I was preparing for my final module at the Open University and hunting for a full-time writing job. I had no idea what was coming and was balls out terrified slash excited of what was coming.

Now six months later, by day, I've delved into the world of bridal content and financial articles. By night, with my Bailey's Irish Cream in hand,  I've been creating mythical creatures in an exotic garden and faced execution and immortality. I have one more project left on my course and i'll have my brand spanking bachelors degree to show off.

Advanced Creative Writing has been more than I could've possibly imagined. I'm not just using the writing skills in my day job, but also my creative writing. I've met so many passionate and ambitious writers, I can barely tear myself away from my course material. As a fan of fantasy, I always knew that's where I belonged. I was never the girl who fit in, nor did I ever crave to. I lived in the realms of a Tim Burton film, listening to Lana Del Rey, when I wasn't up to my neck in fantasy fiction. 

Thankfully, the past 6 months hasn't just been writing fantasy stories, I had a temporary job as an In-house Copywriter and I'm now enjoying life as a freelance content writer. 

The next step is still hard to tell. I could be working in Advertising or I could be doing my Masters, either way I'll be spending my summer finishing my novel and hopefully tanning up on a beach with a cocktail in hand!

I'm a fully fledged movie fan as most of the millenial generation is, I guess. There is something to be said about the power of cinema. I can guarantee a few things about myself: There's nothing more magical to me than untouched snow, I will find a reason to eat a box of doughnuts (yes, I said box) and a film about New York or Los Angeles will have me grabbing my passport faster than you can say, JFK Airport.

While I wait for my latest assignment grade, I decided to take a week of TLC, before heading back into the trenches of deadlines. I once again watched Brooklyn and Cafe Society this week. Like any Woody Allen movie I was swept up in the beauty of an ordinary person living an extroadinary life. The golden age of Hollywood is as glamorous as it comes. So yes, while I watched the pool scenes and awed over Blake Lively's wardrobe, I wondered where I would live in LA...i'm hoping for a loft in West Hollywood.

Tonight, I headed to the West Coast for one of my favourites, Brooklyn. I completely connected with the sense of starting again in a new place and Brooklyn has always had a special place in my heart. As a teenager, I was infatuated with Miranda and Steve's Brooklyn townhouse and $3 pizza dates. I still picture myself living jn a brooklyn brownstone, popping into Manhattan for shopping nights. What can u say, Gossip Girl, SATC, Lena Dunham's Girls and Lana del Rey's song Brooklyn Baby had a big effect on me.

I have no idea where i'll end up but i'm sure i'll have some exciting stories along the way.

It's Monday morning, the weather can't really make its mind what it wants to do today and London Fashion Week is just around the corner. So as typical, in a freelancer's day I'm hunting for jobs in preparation for the London Fashion Crowd's biggest event of the season.  

Speaking of LFW, in the back of my mind i'm planning my outfits now the heatwave is slowly dying away. Don't get me wrong, I love the sunshine as much as the next girl but Londoner's are not built for 31C! Either way I'm excited for the mass of animal print, check and pleated skirts coming to the high street.