Pause for breath
By Sztijoe on weheartit.com
It’s with a slight sense of guilt that I’m writing this post, a full two months after my last blog. Where have I been? Well, this year appears to be dividing itself into nice little quarters for me.
Early in the New Year I was readying myself for the busiest few months I’ve had since going freelance. The Christmas break gave me a welcome chance to prepare – wading through mountains of boring paperwork and thinking about just what I wanted to achieve in 2012. Then it was full steam ahead, and I’ve barely come up for air since. A few highlights:
Tree hugging
My first issue of the Tree Council’s member magazine went well, and I really enjoyed writing about the natural world instead of the corporate world. In this first issue, I wrote about protecting tree populations from the impacts of climate change; learned about a species of Asian yew that’s harvested for chemotherapy medicine; untangled the complex scientific practice of cryopreservation and conducted an inspiring interview with landscape designer Dan Pearson.
Canongate
I’m loving my part-time position as web editor for Canongate. The company is genuinely filled with the most fantastically talented and creative people, and I now have a reading list that could stretch to the moon and back. From the off I discussed some ideas for developing the site – mainly around adding more content and a better structure for existing content – and I’m really looking forward to seeing it all take shape.
Medical marvels
The latest issue of Strathclyde People was a joy to write. I interviewed social entrepreneur Jack Sim, whose tireless work in global sanitation has earned him the nickname Toilet Man (Sound frivolous? Think again), and a lady working at the American University of Aghanistan. The cover feature this issue profiles some of the University’s achievements in medicine, and I was particularly fascinated by a project which takes the blood spilled in surgery, cleans it up and delivers it back to the patient in the form of a concentrated blood transfusion. Incredible. The cherry on top was winning Best Digital Magazine at the IoIC Scotland Awards. Congrats to the designer, Jenny Proudfoot and the brilliant team at White Light Media.
Dizzying heights
I write the features for UK Excellence, the member magazine of the British Quality Foundation. My favourite article this issue focused on Mace, the company constructing the tallest building in Europe – the Shard in London. I learned about some of the innovative engineering solutions applied on site during this epic build.
What I love about this job is the sheer range of subjects I get to learn about, and to write about.
What’s next?
My work at Canongate has got me really enthused about the possibilities of marketing and media in a digital age, and I’m excited to learn more and develop my skills in that direction. All that was underlined by a new business meeting today, so over the next few months I’ll be throwing myself into blogging and social media, and sharing my thoughts right here.
For the moment, I’m taking a week off to recharge my batteries, and take a deep breath before launching into spring.
