The writing process
Recently on Instagram I posted about feeling on fire creatively after getting to write some articles that made me really proud. Talking about it prompted a couple of questions about writing, and more specifically - the process of writing. I thought about it, and while I’m not sure I have a particular ‘process’ when it comes to writing, I thought it may be interesting to note down how I go…
Responding to terms of endearment at work
In my working life I’ve had three male managers that have made me feel uncomfortable. The first one lingered after conversations too long, looked a little too much and called me ‘sweetheart’. The second was aggressive, loud and called everyone in the office “fucking idiots” once. The third was a lovely well-meaning man who loved a chat. But he had a tendency to call myself and other female employees ‘darlin’.…
Connecting with your audience
Whether you’re a maker, a creative entrepreneur, a blogger or anyone else trying to reach an audience, one of the trickiest things to do is connect with them. At first, it can feel like you’re shouting into an empty void, being met with nothing but silence. And of course, that silence is deafening. It makes space for your inner critic to rise up and take centre stage. Tapping the microphone…
Life and work update
This is the first blog I’m writing from the comfort of our lovely new flat in Guildford. No more hustling on lunch breaks or paying for data - we finally got ourselves connected to the Internet after several miscommunications and mishaps (oh, the joys of moving). And as lovely as it is to be back online (Netflix, how we’ve missed you) as I mentioned in a previous post, it was…
Creating value in your work
If you’re a blogger, a business owner or just someone who wants to grow their online presence, you’ll probably have spent some time looking at how you can do this. There are approximately one million, billion, trillion articles out there telling you how to “grow your audience” all spouting various advice. Some of this advice involves sales funnels, others simply tell you to sign up to their overpriced e-course. Some…
How to avoid meeting hell
For those of you who don’t know what meeting hell looks like - first of all, congratulations on winning at life, secondly, let me paint a picture. Your manager walks by and invites you to your fifth impromptu meeting of the day. You sit in the meeting waiting for 10 minutes so the guys from finance can finish their unrelated conversation… You’re not quite sure who’s leading the meeting, but…
Blogging: then and now
Blue Jay of Happiness has been going for 10 months now, so in the grand scheme of things, it’s a very young blog indeed. But, I’ve actually been blogging for 9 years. Almost a decade (sheesh). For today’s post, I thought I would talk about how I approached blogging then, why I decided to start completely from scratch and how I approach blogging now. If you’re interested in blogging, are…
How we use language to undermine ourselves
I remember a while ago reading about using the word ‘just’ in work emails, and that it can make us come across as less competent. I thought about the emails I sent at work and realised… I always use ‘just’. Here are some phrases that come up a lot in my sent mail folder: “Just to let you know…” “I was just thinking…” “Just my thoughts on the subject!” “Let…
Why you’re downplaying your dreams
What is your dream in life? It’s a big question I know. But every now and then it’s good to sit down and ask yourself big questions. Our priorities change over the years and so do our dreams. Mine have certainly changed from the days when I was determined to move to London and work as a fashion writer. That life doesn’t appeal to me whatsoever now. Really quickly, go…
How to survive an office job as an introvert
In England open plan offices are the norm. I’ve never known any different and nor have most people I’ve spoken to about it. The idea of open plan offices is, I guess, to get everyone working as a team. To improve camaraderie and inspire collaboration. And yeah, it is nice not having everyone closed off in their own separate offices - but sometimes working in an open plan office is…