Manifesto
William Morris counsels us to keep only those things which we either know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. In my estimation, everything useful is somewhat beautiful, and beauty is never useless.
The rest is noise.
Increasingly we are surrounded by noise, and I’m not interested in creating more. The work I like doing is the sort that leaves the world containing less bullshit and more beauty than it did before.
Backstory
My first career was in opera, partly explaining my ongoing quest to keep things colourful.
If you’re thinking of hiring me, and you believe in certificates, it may comfort you to know that I once graduated first class from Edinburgh University with MAhons in Philosophy & Literature. (Although, everything useful that I know, I learned in the 20 years since.)
In 2013 I began working as a copywriter - freelancing with London creative agencies, think tanks and start-ups, with a couple of years in-house at a large global charity. In 2020 I was grateful to receive a postgrad scholarship from the Sheffield University School of Journalism, enabling me to complete the International Public and Political Communication Master’s program with distinction in September 2021. This certificate I keep on my wall, if only to remind me never, ever to attempt a PhD.
These days I work mostly as a collaborative author within social change initiatives. I help partners to develop their sense-making, birth ideas, and write with clarity. Recently my energies have been focused upon the meta-crisis, mainstreaming climate action, and the neglected inner dimension of societal change.
In 2018 I began training as a mindfulness teacher – to share this practical magic wherever possible, and to be more useful to the overall conversation in the emerging sector of inner-outer change.
I’ve taken time out from assorted careers to survive cancer a few times.
My full CV, featuring many reassuringly sensible jobs, is available on request.