About me
Most of my career has been in Graphic design/marketing, both employed and freelance, so I am adept at print and web projects. I comprehensively understand Digital Marketing, including copywriting for SEO, SEM, social media and email.
Career
My initial career path was as a fashion designer/pattern cutter and I feel this is a good indicator for people to get to know me. I have a highly developed “designer” creative side, but the pattern cutter in me is accurate and methodical. When I start a project I collect all the facts first and then I read and digest before beginning writing.
The move to Graphics marketing & copywriting came about when I became a mum and moved back to Shropshire, where fashion design projects were sparse. I am now in my middle years and continuously expand my knowledge and stay up-to-date with the latest best practices for digital marketing.
A woman of many hats
I have worn many hats in my life, and I have done many things for both work and play – as I’m 57 years young.
My biggest pleasure is living in Shropshire and my motto when I out exploring the hills is “Aut Viam Inveniam Aut Faciam”, which is attributed to Hannibal, and means “find a way or make one”. There are many dead-ends in life but you have to push through as there are so many good things to explore.
I’ve added a few “me” stories as I think you’ll see how I view life – glass half full!
Growing up in the 70’s
Myself and my two brothers were “free-range” kids from a very early age, and realistically we only came home if we had hurt ourselves or were hungry.
Growing up in Shropshire in the 1970’s was idilic as we felt safe to roam where-ever we wanted, which for us, was mostly into Mortimer’s forest on bikes – where we built trails and climbed trees.
The trail riding has continued to this day, and now there are purpose built mountain bikes, which seem a luxury to me, as we took whichever bike was available out of the garage…
Fashion Design – From age 6
My mum was a rather victorian lady, and it was an eternal disappointment to her that I wasn’t “girly”. A positive influence of mum however, was that she encouraged me to learn sewing and designing clothes at a very young age. She bought me a few toy sewing machines which didn’t satisfy my needs, and then let me have the Singer – hand crank machine.
I recon I was about 6 years old when I started using the Singer, and mum had no idea of the mechanics of the machine, so when it un-threaded or broke I’d happily look at the handbook diagrams, as there was: No internet in 1973! & I wasn’t that great at reading at age 6.
Motorcycle Fashion Designer
I started working for motorcycle wear company when GoreTex© had just become mega for outdoor clothing, and they had just decided to create a waterproofs range.
However, they decided to go the cheap route, and use 200 denier polyester for the outer layer as they felt it would be more hard wearing. It wasn’t waterproof though, so they used coated nylon lining as a waterproof membrane.
Did it work?… That’s debatable. We had to put eyelets in the hem otherwise the water pooled inside making the riders look like they had goitre, and the nylon membrane did not have the luxury of breathability – so riders cooked in their own juices!
Although I don’t design as much these days I am a fabric nerd, so can be seen in Outdoor wear shops checking and reading the labels to see the properties.
Clothing Writer | Sports & Outdoor Magazine
I thoroughly enjoyed writing for Sports & Outdoor magazine, as I could bring together my fashion design career and my love of sport. I have written product reviews and articles about innovation in design, my favourite being a Sports Bras article where I was able to access research conducted by Southampton University on the affects of the movement caused by sporting activities on breast tissue.
Fashion Design | Wedding Dresses
My interest in designing has maintained even as my career changed from fashion to graphics. I have “scratched the fashion itch” over the years by designing and making many wedding dresses.
It could not be anymore far removed from motorcycle wear design, which is function driven, but the textures of fabrics and gaining a bespoke fit, plus working with some wonderful clients is very fulfilling.
Sports Massage
I have enjoyed mountain biking for many years, and have endeavoured to keep my body going, rehabbing after accidents using yoga stretches and reiki.
When my daughter left home in 2014 I decided to take a Sports Massage course, as I was fascinated with how the body copes with ailments and recovery.
I particularly liked Anatomy and Physiology, although never understood why we had to learn about reproduction in a sports massage course! I have built up a small practice in Shropshire, and I find it very gratifying that my sports massages, and the chats I have with clients about health, have meant that my clients keep coming back to see me.